Under the umbrella of IMAGO is Paz Escolar, an educational program aimed at students from 4 to 11 years of age, who learn negotiation techniques through educational activities and games.

Paz Escolar is a Spanish-language program available for urban and rural settings, used by community educators to teach conflict resolution techniques. The program is conducted during school hours or within an after-school program.

In 2011, the first pilot program was carried out in three elementary public schools of Lima, Peru in collaboration with the not-for profit organization CEDRO (www.cedro.org).

In 2023, the implementation of Paz Escolar begins in preschool and 1st grade classrooms of three districts of Trujillo, on the norther coast of Peru. The implementation is monitored towards a possible expansion in all districts of Trujillo.

Paz Escolar: negotiation skills since an early age

¿Why?
Classroom violence occurs in all cultures, at all socioeconomic levels, and increases rapidly. To relieve violence from elementary schools, 4 to 12 year-old students in Peruvian schools follow the easy-to-understand educational program geared at institutions eager to prevent school violence.

The role of the teacher
The teacher understands the material that includes activities, stories and songs to reinforce the theory presented during each session. The implementation is followed by the teacher throughout the year with the help of evaluation and monitoring systems with continuous measurements throughout the year.

The role of the student
Students learn new communication patterns and negotiation skills, resolving conflicts in the classroom in a peaceful and constructive manner.

The evidence of a need
A survey was conducted with 138 third grade elementary students and 7 teachers in three schools located in low-income neighborhoods of Lima, Peru. The survey showed:

– Students showed a systematic lack of respect towards teachers and administrators,
– 37% of the students mentioned the existence of violence in the classroom,
– 44% of students mentioned violence at school.

Paz Escolar opens a door to hope in Trujillo

Paz Escolar is being implemented in the northern Peruvian city of Trujillo, where teachers have been trained to implement the program in their urban classrooms. The training held in February 2023 brought together about a hundred teachers from various public schools in three districts, who came to be trained by the founder of Paz Escolar, Marie-Noëlle Crabbé.

She explained the context of conflict resolution and the methodology for implementing Paz Escolar with young children. The meeting was a real success and the 2023 school year begins with new tools to overcome violence in several classrooms.

Paz Escolar opens a door to hope…