ANNUAL SCHOOL PEACE SUMMIT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 2008, CEPAN organised the first ever Plateau State Schools Peace Summit. The summit that brought together more than 200 Muslim and Christian, male and female students from various schools in the state also had in attendance other stakeholders. The summit was aimed at promoting the involvement of students in the enhancement of peace and unity in the state. The summit was very successful considering the level of participation of stakeholders and extent of achievement of set objectives. There are calls by many to make the programme a yearly affair.

 

The school peace clubs have demonstrated young people’s (students) capacity to use their God given talents to promote peace in their communities through series of peace activities they have been engaged in for the past three years. In order to strengthen and consolidate these efforts and further channel the talents and energies of young people to peacebuilding, students converge for the School Peace Summit. The aim is to bring students from different schools, religious and ethnic backgrounds together for cross fertilization of ideas and experience sharing. Furthermore, the summits create a forum for social interaction between the students and further instill in these future leaders the virtue of peaceful co-existence, tolerance and mutual understanding.

 

Apart from paper presentations by the students, other presentations include peace dramas/songs, choreography, poems, cultural dances, etc to enhance peace education/awareness by various peace clubs.

 

Peace Clubs Activities:

The number of peace clubs established increased from nine (9) to eleven (11) due to demands by many school authorities to establish same in their schools. The students who are the members of the peace clubs in the various schools where CEPAN peace club exist have so far made significant contribution to the relative peace experienced in plateau state. Activities such as drama, peace songs, peace essay/debate competitions, peace football match, peace variety shows, peace exchange visits, peace rallies, e.t.c. have been carried out by the peace clubs in these various schools in the various communities they operate. The need to encourage these peace clubs can never be overemphasized; Hence CEPAN intends to consolidate on this giant stride among this target groups through more direct moral, financial and technical support. Because of the success of this project, more school authorities have written to CEPAN to formally establish peace clubs in their schools.

 

Annual School Peace Essay and Debate Competition:

The school peace Debate and Essay Competition for Students of secondary schools in Plateau State is usually organized for selected secondary schools in Plateau State. CEPAN plans to make the debate competition a yearly event and expand the number of schools to twenty (20) due to popular demand and the educational and psychological impact it had on students as well as the teachers. The students are also engaged in research and reading on the themes for both competitions which also impacts on them educationally and psychologically.

 

CEPAN/NYSC Peace Project:

The Centre in collaboration with the National Youth Service Corps, Plateau Sate established the CEPAN/NYSC peace CDS Group in nine (9) selected Local Government Councils in the state. The aim is to utilize the diverse experience and talents/potentials of graduates towards the promotion of sustainable peace and unity in the state and Nigeria as a whole. The groups mandate is to engage stakeholders at local and state levels peace dialogues, tolerance and respect for diversities. The group achieves this through peace initiatives such as rallies, peace sensitization and awareness, advocacy, conflict management, theater and entertainment etc.