The Seminar Workshop "Contribution of the Chair for Peace in the Formative Process of the Integral Human Being," organized by the International Alliance of Universities for Peace (ALIUP), was carried out at the Ignacio de la Llave theater, of the city of Orizaba, Veracruz.
The Global Embassy of Activists for Peace (GEAP) carried out this academic activity with the aim of building a culture of peace through quality education, and the promotion and protection of human rights.
Fourteen universities participated in the event, whose purpose was to promote the appreciation of peace as a universal value, the dissemination of experiences, and institutions, professionals and students network creations that promote a culture of peace and human rights.
Renowned panelists
Panelist participation: the magistrate of the Superior Court of the state of Veracruz and rector of the Universidad Politectina of Veracruz, Maria Flores; also, the director of the Faculty of Humanities of the Universidad Valle de Orizaba (UNIVO), Alejandro Blanco.
Likewise, the director of the Institute of Higher Studies of Health Sciences, Maria Valdez, and the director of the University Institute of the Center of Mexico (UCEM) Córdoba campus, Ilian Serna.
In addition, the academic coordinator of the Institute of Advanced Studies of the East, Orieta Matamoros; coordinator of the ALIUP in the region of the Gulf of Mexico, Luciana Medrano, and the national coordinator of the GEAP in Mexico, Francisco Guerra.
Implementation of a chair for peace
The event began with welcoming words from behalf of Luciana Medrano, who thanked those present for attending the Seminar.
The presentations began with the topic "Basic guidelines and standards for the implementation of a chair of a culture of peace," by Maria Flores, who said:
«The path to create a culture of peace in Mexico through universities and colleges and the desperate efforts to find adequate responses to violence and to develop a culture of peace has been long and painful; this has borne fruit that often cannot be distinguished because of war fog.»
For his part, Alejandro Blanco, in his participation said that the capitalist system has great weight and a standard of equality should be established for reasonable levels, where every citizen works to make this possible, it is not only a commitment of the Government.
«Peace is built in all nations and is a point that should not be left aside. Peace is not the only topic, with it goes ecology and harmonious development from behalf of all»Blanco added.
Maria Valdez in her speech spoke about the mechanisms for peace. She said that when man is born, problems begin, aggression and wars to gain power, and that is why the individual has not had peace.
«PEACE is a holistic term, which must be inherent in the activities that man develops day by day in schools, within the chair for peace.»
Peace in school
Ilian Serna, spoke about peace in schools in her speech:
«Students normally hear that governments and teachers speak about peace, but what do we do to promote peace? It is there that teachers touch the spirit of the youths, so that they can help the people with the most needs.»
Upon finishing her speech, she pointed out that the purpose of the UCEM is to create a chair for peace to change the world, and build a society where leaders such as Dr.William Soto Santiago, are formed.
Orieta Matamoros spoke about respect as an elemental value; she said that it is necessary to learn to listen. In addition, she added that the company has contributed to the purchase of media that publishes news of raw violence.
«What are we doing to achieve peace? This is the responsibility of many. Let us promote peace with real events. To talk about peace we must learn it at home, in our daily life; a dirty war is often used in place of healthy competition, and we, teachers and adults, must set the example» said Matamoros.
Signature of agreement between universities and professors
The workshop concluded with the delivery of awards to professors and educational institutions. Then, agreements were signed, between universities and professors, and the ALIUP.
Among the institutions were: the Institute of Advanced Studies of the East of Orizaba, Veracruz; and the school of Bachilleres Jose Maria Morelos and Pavon of Torreon.
A dialogue table was also set up to discuss the following topics:
- Pedagogical approaches to the knowledge and practice of universal principles and values in the student training process.
- Integral education that favors the construction of a culture of peace, the promotion and protection of human rights and values of democracy.
