Regenerative peace pedagogies for healing, resilience, and planetary stewardship

Group Submission Type: Workshop

Description of Session

We are at an inflection point in human history. Current circumstances, including ecological degradation, geo-political strife, and economic disenfranchisement and disparity all lend themselves to persistent questions around belonging, peacebuilding, healing and generative practices for the future of humanity. These challenges require learning spaces and pedagogies connecting people with themselves, each other, and the natural world. Healing from the past, connecting to place, preparing for an uncertain future and cultivating joy are imminently important. Recent scholarship focusing on pedagogies of vulnerability (Mckenna & Brantmeier, 2020), eco-peace for interconnected futures (Ehrenzeller & Patel, 2024); allostatic and regenerative pedagogies of place (Brandtmeier, 2024), pedagogies of interbeing promoting interconnectedness and compassionate action (Knox Steiner, 2024), and holistic pedagogies (Patel, 2023) are a start to our collective work ahead. These pedagogical responses promote deep, substantive, and transformational learning; bringing them together promotes harmony, cadence, and flexibility to learning and peace making.

This workshop offers an overview of various experiential and regenerative peace pedagogies. Each pedagogy aims to connect, heal, predict, respond, and transform the nuanced challenges presented by our world. Facilitators will guide participants through a series of experiential contemplative practices, self-reflection, and visioning aimed at rooting in right relationship with self, others, and the world.

Serious, yet joyful questions guide interactive learning exercises, such as:

How can we heal our trauma and earth trauma through building resilience in people and ecosystems?;
How can we better steward our beautiful earth?;
Where can we make change on individual, group, and systems levels as we move toward a co-created future?

Participants will explore a variety of contemplative, healing, trauma-informed, resilience and resistance, and culturally grounded focused pedagogies speaking directly to the conference themes: cultivating creative spaces to grow peace and justice; healing the wounds of history; holistic healing for shared planetary stewardship; peace and ecology in the anthropocene; and advancing peace pedagogies and take home concrete ideas for implementation.

References:

Ehrenzeller, C., & Patel, J. (2024). Calling for eco-peace: reimagining interconnected peace education. Journal of Peace Education, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/17400201.2024.2350458

Brantmeier, E.J. (2024). Toward regenerative pedagogies for the future to address the climate crisis. Journal of Contemplative and Holistic Education. 2 (1). Pp 1-22. Available at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/jche/

Knox Steiner, S. (forthcoming). Pedagogies of Interbeing: Toward a Regenerative Peace Education. Reimagining Education for Ecological Civilizations (conference proceedings). Earth Charter International.

Patel, J. (2023). Learning to Live Together Harmoniously; Spiritual Perspectives from Indian Classrooms. Palgrave Macmillan Springer.

Mckenna, M. & Brantmeier, E. J. (2020). Pedagogy of vulnerability: Roots, realities, and the future. In Brantmeier, E.J. & McKenna, M. (Eds.) (2020) Pedagogy of vulnerability. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.

Sub Unit

• Book Launches and Workshops / Workshop

Chair

• Stephanie Knox Steiner, University for Peace

Workshop Organizer

• Edward Brantmeier, James Madision University

Presenter

• Stephanie Knox Steiner, University for Peace