Conflict and Peace

IFM-SEI has a long history of peace education and conflict resolution with children and young people.  We believe that peace is much more than the absence of war and we are committed to working with children and young people for a more peaceful future. We aim to educate children and young people about the causes of conflict in general as well as specific conflicts in the past and today.  We also work with our members to look at alternative approaches to conflicts and challenge the generally accepted view that war is the answer.

IFM-SEI has a tradition of training young people as peer mediators.  Mediation is an approach that can be applied to all kinds of conflicts and we firmly believe that creating an environment of shared responsibility for finding solutions to conflict can have an impact on society in general.

IFM-SEI in the Middle East Region has been working to develop a peace project between Israeli and Palestinian young people for many years.  In 2004, a peace camp was held in Döbriach, Austria, bringing together nearly 200 young people from the Middle East and Europe to begin a long process of understanding between communities.  Over the last year, our member organisations in the region have been working together to develop an educational project together, aiming to educate our members and begin to understand one-another.