Two emblematic sessions” In the MOOD for Peaceful Futures ”from LearningPlanet Festival 2025 explore how powerful grassroots initiatives can help build peaceful societies. Organized in close collaboration with Global Education Futures, They bring together peacebuilding experts who are true peacemakers from around the world. These successful efforts will be presented in the’Atlas of peaceful future practices, A dynamic and open repertoire of transformative field practices that promote “positive peace” in communities, economies and governance systems.
L’Atlas is more than just a collection of listed initiatives; it's a living resource and launch pad to inspire and empower young peacebuilders around the world to foster social impact by transforming local conflicts and developing a culture of peace. From education and socio-emotional learning to community-based conflict resolution, the conversation provides a blueprint for how peacebuilding efforts can scale and sustain long-term change.
The first session features diverse voices from Asia, Africa and Europe, and the second - from North and South America, each drawing attention to the urgent need for peace-oriented education, intercultural dialogue and co-creation with young people and marginalized communities, offering insights into how systemic approaches can transform societies.
Engaging stakeholders for peace
Catalina Cock, founder and president of Fundación Mi Sangre, tells us about his experience in Colombia:
For the past 18 years, we have been striving to unleash the potential of young people to contribute to more peaceful, democratic and regenerative societies. In moving from socio-emotional skills-based leadership programs to a systems change approach, we've come to understand the importance of working with a systems change approach, involving all the players who influence young people's life experience.
Mi Sangre operates through three ecosystems: the school system, the community level and multi-sector collaborations. Its aim is to ensure that young peacemakers can connect to networks that support their impact.
“We have initiatives aimed at preventing bullying, discrimination, promoting peaceful coexistence, raising awareness of gender-based violence, different types of problems that young people choose”, stresses Catalina.
Kara Stonehouse, Meshworker and Graphic Facilitator at The Hague Center for Global Governance, Innovation and Emergence, speaks of the importance of deep listening and collaboration in peace-building. She actively uses the “meshworking”, a process that links diverse stakeholders and ideas to create solutions to complex problems.
Instead of having keynote speakers, we've reversed the narrative to have lead listeners - this allows people to feel heard and valued.“she explains. ” By bringing together different communities, perspectives and knowledge systems, we create networks of coherence that amplify peace..
The Hague Center works with youth leaders, indigenous communities and governing bodies to ensure that diverse voices shape global peace efforts. Kara emphasizes that peacebuilding must go beyond traditional diplomacy and governance, and extend to grassroots movements and everyday interactions.
The most powerful force in the world is love, but we must learn to organize it.
The transformative power of art and creativity for peace-building
Raghda ElHalawany, CEO of MasterPeace, brings a global perspective, sharing insights into the organization's work in 45 countries and describing how it engages young people through creative expression and social action.
We start with engagement through art, creating content for social media and telling stories.”, she says. “This builds trust, fosters dialogue and gives young people a voice in shaping their communities.
From Nepal to Colombia, MasterPeace uses local artistic initiatives to empower young people in post-conflict communities. Raghda stresses the need to go beyond top-down peace initiatives and advocates grassroots, youth-led interventions.
We don't tell young people to change the world overnight. We encourage them to start at home, run pilot projects in their communities, reach out to like-minded people and act locally. That's how change happens.
Following on from this approach, Kristine Arzumanova, President, International Association of Maritime and Port Executives(IAMPE), emphasizes the role of theater as a tool for conflict transformation and peace-building by fostering empathy. Kristine organizes interactive performances that reflect real-life conflicts, enabling participants to experience conflict resolution in a deeply personal and engaging way.
Theater has an unrivalled ability to bring human stories to life, to enable us to put ourselves in other people's shoes and to see conflict not as an abstract issue, but as a personal and emotional experience.”, she explains. “We create shows that truly reflect real-world conflicts, from family disputes to international tensions, encouraging critical thinking and empathy, skills necessary for peaceful conflict resolution.
In her work with IAMPE, Kristine emphasizes how these shows demystify and humanize conflicts, whether interpersonal or global.
“Theater reminds us that peace begins with conversation. It brings people together and shows that peaceful dialogue is not only possible“she concludes to .
Indigenous paths to peace and justice
Focusing on the overriding question Learning from our colleagues in indigenous communities?” Parul Jagdish, global impact manager at’LOVE, highlights the essential role of indigenous knowledge in building peace, and calls for a rethinking of educational models that often exclude other ways of knowing and being.
Indigenous peoples have been living in harmony on the land for a very long time. If anyone knows how to live in peace and with long-term planning, it's them,” he asserts.“Today's conflicts are often the result of the superiority of one knowledge system or ideology over another..
AIME's work spans 52 countries, offering mentoring-based education that values lived experience and bridges intergenerational gaps. Parul insists on the need to rethink education systems that remain rigidly structured around colonial and militarized models.
L‘Education should be about connecting, mentoring and breaking down knowledge hierarchies, not reinforcing them, he adds. “We need to create spaces where young people from different backgrounds come together, share their knowledge and collectively shape the world they want to live in.
Paula Drouin, professional mediator and educator at the’ADR Learning Institute, continues this story, reflecting on the importance of integrating indigenous practices into peace-building efforts.
For decades, indigenous communities have been reclaiming their role as peacebuilders - healing intergenerational trauma, restoring justice and advocating self-determined approaches to conflict resolution. (...) Our job is to decolonize peace education - ensuring that knowledge systems rooted in narratives, circles and relational responsibility are valued alongside Western models.”.
Paula shares her experience in developing community mediation and peacemaking initiatives, including the Bearpaw Peacemaking Program, which enables indigenous leaders to resolve conflicts through dialogue and cultural traditions.
Peace begins with the individual. If I'm at peace with myself, it's easier to create peaceful relationships. Then it's easier to create peaceful communities and families, and grow from there.
Business for Peace: Equipping young people with skills for sustainable, peaceful economies
Mandar Apte, executive director of Cities4Peace and former business executive, presents a business-oriented approach to peacebuilding, based on the conviction that peace and prosperity go hand in hand.
Peace and prosperity go hand in hand. Violence can happen anywhere, anytime - it doesn't matter the color of your skin or your bank balance.“he asserts. “Just as someone profits from war, we need to create business models that allow people to profit from peace.
Mandar highlights his work training former gang members in South Central Los Angeles and facilitating dialogue between police and communities, using breathing and meditation techniques to foster empathy.
I ask the people I teach - gang members - if they've sold drugs The answer is yes. I tell them, “That means you know how to sell. Can you help me sell peace?
Manjula Dissanayake, founding executive director of Educate Lanka Foundation, ensures that education is a tool for empowerment and peace-building, particularly in vulnerable and post-conflict communities.
We have one of the highest literacy rates in the region, but we continue to experience cycles of conflict. This shows us that traditional education is not enough”, declares Manjula. “We need to integrate critical thinking, empathy and leadership skills into formal and non-formal education.
Manjula insists that education must go beyond traditional teaching and equip young people with the self-awareness, emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills that will enable them to contribute actively to peace-building.
If we want young people to become peace-builders, we need to give them the tools they need to navigate complex realities - self-awareness, emotional intelligence and the ability to build relationships across divides.
Peace-building in situations of displacement
Ruphin Kungwa, Lead Weaver at YouthxYouth and refugee educator in Uganda, offers a sobering yet hopeful reflection on peace education in situations of displacement. He points out that many refugees, despite having fled violence, continue to face structural challenges that hinder their ability to live in peace.
Peace is not just the absence of war, it's also stability, access to education and the ability to envisage a future”, he explains. “In refugee camps, young people face immense obstacles: language barriers, lack of resources and ongoing trauma. But we can still create spaces for learning, healing and growth.
Kungwa's work with Full Circle Learning focuses on character education, integrating values such as empathy and resilience into school curricula. His message emphasizes the importance of local action and grassroots leadership in the peace-building process. “If you teach people to steal, they will remain thieves. But if you teach them to love, they will become peacemakers. That's where we have to start
Katia Martins Ramos, mediator and executive director of the Câmara de Conciliação, Arbitragem e Mediação Intercultural(CCAMI), discusses the role of mediation in supporting refugees and migrants in Brazil.
Our work was born of the intention to give independence and recognition to Afghan refugee judges [in Brazil] (...) But it has developed to contribute to the process of building dialogue and social peace through mediation and negotiation..
CCAMI initiatives train refugees and immigrants in mediation, equipping them with conflict resolution skills that enable them to help others facing similar problems. ” We believe that it is possible to improve the lives of refugees and immigrants, by enabling them to develop activities similar to those in their country of origin, with remuneration and dignity.“explains Katia.
Gamification for peace
David Gershon, founder of’Empowerment Institute, presents Peace on Earth by 2030), an ambitious project based on behavioral change strategies to promote peace worldwide.
Peace begins with the empowerment of individuals”, he points out. “If people don't feel empowered to change things, they won't try. That's why our first step is always to empower people to become agents of peace in their own communities.
David presents the Peace game, a structured program based on seven fundamental transformative actions designed to enable individuals to become agents of peace. He emphasizes that large-scale change requires a bold vision: “For too long, we've let war become humanity's default configuration. If we want a different future, we need to normalize peace, make it something people actively participate in, not just hope for.”
Towards a global peace movement
The sessions conclude with a call to action:to foster a peaceful future, we need to radically rethink education, amplify the voice of young people and weave intergenerational and intercultural relationships. Speakers stress the need to find local and community-based solutions while building global networks for change.
The conversations revealed a number of cross-cutting themes:
- Visityouth leadership and co-creation are essential to building peaceful societies.
- Transfer the power to communities with direct experience of conflict and resilience, investing in local leadership.
- Collaboration between different approachesRestorative practices, trauma-informed care, creativity, socio-emotional learning, mediation and the integration of peaceful economies, among others, must be at the heart of peace-building efforts.
- Visitcollaboration between cultures and generations can amplify local initiatives and indigenous wisdom, bringing about systemic change.
- Use of new technologies and artificial intelligence solutions for a peaceful future.
At a time when the world is facing increasing conflict and deepening divisions, the Educational Planet 2025 festival reinforced an essential truth: peace is not simply the absence of violence, but the active creation of systems, structures and cultures that enable all people to flourish. The work of these educators, conflict resolution experts, artists and local leaders is a powerful model for the future.
In response to this appeal, the Learning Planet Institute and Global Education Futures are launching a joint initiative - Peaceful Futures: Nurturing the next generation of young peacebuilders. In collaboration with international partners and leading experts, we aim to train and empower young leaders worldwide. Built around the co-design and acceleration of sustainable, scalable peace-building change projects adapted to their local contexts, the program is based on forward-looking strategic thinking, conflict transformation tools and a peace-oriented mindset.
To find out more about the program, click here
Watch the full playbacks
- Part I: Asia, Africa and Europe - Watch the recording
- Part II: South and North America - Watch the recording
