Education for Peace in Tijuana

Children and young people are the population segment most affected by today’s crime and violence in the border region between San Diego, California and Tijuana, Mexico. Against this backdrop, Teacher Without Borders of the United States and the Delegation of Tijuana of the Educational System of the state of Baja California, Mexico, carried out with support of the Horizontal Cooperation Fund of the Inter-American Program, a cooperation mission to support the delegation of Tijuana in capacity building to run the Program of Education for Peace in all 1,500 schools that are part of Tijuana’s education system.

To achieve this objective, the mission conducted workshops, and organized visits to educational institutions in San Diego that work on various models aligned with Education for Peace. During April, 2012, 4 workshops were developed to train 80 education professionals, among them technical pedagogical advisors and staff from the delegation of education, who will receive a certification by Teachers Without Borders once they complete the workshop and present a project to expand the program throughout the city. A visit was also programmed to the University of San Diego, where teachers from both countries exchanged experiences and learn first-hand about the training project Education for Peace. In this project, students from High Tech High, in the county of Chulavista work in transforming school spaces in Peace Zones for high school students. 

In the beginning of June, 2012, meetings of evaluation were conducted and a protocol was prepared for the institution of the program Education for Peace and Peace Zones in all 1,500 schools in Tijuana. The recognition of schools spaces as Peace Zones experienced a boom in the beginning of the school year 2012-2013, when participants encouraged their students to declare their classroom as Peace Zones. The delegation of Tijuana continues the process of the program’s institutionalization to obtain an official recognition by the Secretariat of Education of the State.

The result of the cooperation mission by both institutions was positive: a Memorandum of Understanding was signed in order to continue working in the topic of Peace Education, as well as in other professional development opportunities. The greatest expected impact is that students may observe, through experiential stories of teachers, the school climate’s improvement and the perceived changes in the classroom. The program’s institutionalization in the state of Baja California and the generalization of its access for teachers in all school levels will create a greater impact, thereby allowing reaching a larger number of students and teachers.

Another result of the mission was the creation of a binational team of Experts in Peace Education, which would allow its members to replicate the program in their institutions. Participating teachers will improve their abilities, knowledge and trust in educational practices, preparing themselves to be agents of change in their communities and region. Finally, promising experiences in Peace Education were collected and systematized, as well as strategies that may support teachers in their work to prevent violence inside and outside classrooms, and this way collaborate with building a peace culture in their communities. 

www.educacionbc.edu.mx

www.twb.org