Guías rápidas y herramientas > Kids’ Corner
Rincón infantil
Encourage Kids to Spread Peace!
At NP, we recognize that in order to cultivate sustainable peace, it’s important that we empower even our youngest members of society. The Kids’ Corner offers a variety of fun activities and curated educational resources to complement conversations with children about the fundamentals of peace. Whether you’re a parent, caregiver, educator, or simply someone passionate about spreading peace, you’ll find something here useful.
What’s Your Recipe for Peace?
Folks of all ages can enjoy coming up with a unique recipe for creating sustainable peace in their communities.
Peace Themed Activities & Printables
Check out a few activities to teach kids about values and virtues that are foundational to peace.
Make an Origami Peace Crane
Learn to make your very own origami peace crane using these easy instructions from Project Crane (fun for kids and adults alike)!
Kid’s Grok Game
Created by folks leading the Center for Nonviolent Communication (CNVC), this game comes with 58 beautifully illustrated feelings & needs/values cards. Instructions allow for 22 various games and activities and teaches nonviolent communication. Great for kids ages 3-10.
Historical Social Justice Coloring Pages
To promote nonviolence education amongst kids of all ages, Pace e Bene/Campaign Nonviolence has created a series of coloring book pages depicting nonviolent historical movements that have taken place in the United States and around the world (India, Egypt, Liberia, Denmark)!
Teach Nonviolence Through Play
Our friends at the Metta Center for Nonviolence, including supporter Tiffany Ornelas Tool, have put together some great resources for children and families. The goal of the activities is to show kids that within their hearts, we each have the power to change the world through nonviolence.
Books for Kids: Written by Our Partners in Peace
Gathak’s Story: An e-book by the Barmach community in Ulang, South Sudan
A children’s book explaining what good-enough parenting and child protection looks like for a community in the Greater Upper Nile State. As parents and caregivers read Gathak’s Story, kids will be able to reflect on concepts such as resilience and adaptability; empathy and care for others; the normalization of shared responsibilities across genders; and the value of community.
Ari Aria Series by Rivera Sun
Rivera Sun has a fantasy fiction series for kids ages 7-13! The latest addition to the series, Crown of Light, follows Ari Ara and her friends as they build a nonviolent group whose mission is to help to de-escalate violence and prevent wars. The story draws inspiration from NP and other peace teams doing unarmed protective accompaniment!
A Monster’s Guide to Life… In a Pandemic
In 2020, we were all required to follow set hygiene rules and social distance. A Monster’s Guide to Life…in a Pandemic book series shares entertaining stories regarding how little monsters cope with the changes. The series highlights the importance of responsibility, our interconnectedness, and how our actions support one another during a pandemic or not.
Learn More: What is Child Protection?
Many organisations that work for the protection of children have aligned their work with the four main topics outlined in the Convention on the Right of the Child (CRC): survival, education, protection and participation and mainly apply these three approaches:
- Using the law through legal advocacy, enforcement, juvenile justice, litigation, and accountability efforts;
- Large-scale service delivery programmes for child health, basic education, child welfare, social protection, and family support, etc.; and
- Prevention of exploitation, abuse, and violence against children through social and behaviour change promotion, public health, and social work prevention and protection programmes.
The niche of Nonviolent Peaceforce in protecting children lies with its application of Unarmed Civilian Protection (UCP) and its unique feature of direct physical protection. NP combines this with more commonly known child protection efforts such as family tracing and reunification, monitoring, facilitating access to legal aid.
Direct physical protection: We use our physical presence strategically by positioning themselves in insecure locations for extended periods of time to protect children and their families as well as local child protection actors. Most external child protection organisations primarily focus on the needs of children, rarely on the security of local groups that act as first responders to child rights violations. Direct protection work is particularly relevant in places where traditional child protection systems are inexistent or dysfunctional or where authorities are part of the problem.
Preventive and multi-dimensional approach: As a humanitarian and peacebuilding actor operating in crisis and post-conflict situations, we integrate our child protection efforts into a broader strategy to protect communities. Our focus on violence prevention complements the efforts of humanitarian or development driven child protection actors that focus on health or education.
Increasing children’s ownership (autonomy and agency): We support children and their communities to reflect on their own protection roles. Recognising that youth mobilisation has witnessed an important growth over the past decade, we take an interest in the protection of Children Human Rights Defenders (CHRDs).
Engaging armed actors: The involvement of non-state armed actors has been a particular challenge to the field of child protection. We address this challenge through proactive and sustained engagement with armed actors.
For further information, please view our latest publication covering the Core Competency of Child Protection at NP.
Establishing & Supporting Child Safe Play Spaces
South Sudan: Ulang
NP established a safe space for children in Ulang in 2017. Its goal was to support children temporarily as the community organizes itself to protect its children. Within a few months of opening, the center regularly had children attending and participating in its activities. These spaces allow children to play and learn without fear of violence. Activities offered include sports, arts, music, reading and writing and lessons on health and safety.
Ukraine: Izyum
In Ukraine, we are supporting locally-led community partners, such as, We Are Brothers, We Are Ukrainians in hosting psychosocial and mental health care classes for kids ages 5-14. Children are split into two groups based on their age and guided by two trained psychologists. Various activities are offered, including, art therapy, exercises in logic and the development of fine motor skills. Over a span of three hours, children build relationships with the facilitators, interact with other students, and build on their social, emotional skills. These classes have been very important for children affected by war and occupation, and for children without access to online learning.
Sudan: El Fashir
In May, 2023, as conflict worsened, NP staff began hosting Child Friendly Spaces. This is an opportunity for children to come together in an area identified as safe, spend time together and express themselves despite the ongoing disruption to their lives. These spaces are also an opportunity to monitor the needs of children, and to share important safety information with them in accessible ways. For example, we are focusing on sharing information about UXOs with children, who are particularly vulnerable to picking up or playing with undetonated mortars, without understanding the risks these pose.
We Want Cows!
One day in a Child Friendly Space in Mayendit, South Sudan, a group of boys arrived carrying clay machine guns molded to look like mini AK-47s. It is typical for kids to express their lived experiences and trauma through art and play. After acknowledging the norm of weapons for the young boys, a NP protection officer challenged them to think beyond violence. He expressed, “I know you guys have seen a lot of guns and violence, but is this what you want from your life? Do you want to see more guns?” The boys responded, “No! We want cows.” So together the protection officer and boys dismantled the clay guns to make a herd of cows to share with the group.
The Power of Peace Clubs!
Take a look at recent child-led initiatives from our programs in Iraq and the United States, which are are guaranteed to inspire middle and high school school students everywhere.
Instilling a Generation of Peace with Children’s Peace Clubs in Iraq
This initiative for kids at Jeddah 5 IDP Camp in Iraq taught children conflict resolution, problem-solving, and leadership skills, empowering them to handle issues like bullying and to de-escalate conflicts within their community. The peace club not only benefited the kids but also positively impacted their families and the broader community.
Building Peaceful Schools in the USA
Student-led peace advisory groups in Minneapolis public schools are reimagining school safety by focusing on relationship-building and nonviolent conflict resolution. As part of the Building Peaceful Schools project, both students and school staff have worked in partnership with NP to implement strategies that prioritize de-escalation and collaboration over policing.
¿Quieres recibir historias de paz en tu bandeja de entrada?
Descubre las últimas novedades, los próximos eventos y las nuevas oportunidades para actuar.