Quaker Schools: Educating the Peacemakers of the Future

The UN celebrates World Peace Day on Thursday 21st September but for pupils and staff in the UK's Quaker Schools, the quest for peace is an integral part of daily life at school. For many of the pupils, their awareness of the news has been shaped by the post 9/11 world of war and terror. For increasing numbers of pupils at these schools, of whom the majority are not Quakers, this is not acceptable. Their idealism and the vision of the Quaker Schools give them a sense that the world might one day be different and that they could have a role in making it a more peaceful place.

The Quaker schools will be marking the day in a number of ways. The pupils are in an environment where every day attempts are consciously made to promote peace and resolve conflicts peacefully. The schools are marking the whole of the following week as Quaker Schools Week, a week when every school will have a powerful programme to strengthen the ideal of peace and practical ways of working towards it. These will include, for example, debates, Pieces for Peace anthology of writings, artwork exhibition, musical events, peace vigils, a Peace in our Time conference for local Sixth Forms and special meetings for worship.

All of the schools will be toured between World Peace Day and the 29th September by former child soldier, singer songwriter Ben Okafor, performing in total to almost three thousand pupils. He will work creatively with pupils through music and drama on the issues of peace and war, deriving from his own terrible experiences as a child soldier in Nigeria. The schools will be using his haunting song "Thing With War" during the week.

The Quaker schools all have their own individual character, but the values of Quakerism underpin the whole way of life in school: truth and integrity, equality, simplicity and peace are key to life in these communities. Many values deriving from Quaker principles on education have now been accepted as standard educational practice, not least affirming the worth of every pupil. A community of tolerance and understanding enables young people of all faiths and races to learn who they are, and to value this, while valuing difference in others. Pupils are challenged to think independently, developing into purposeful young people with a powerful sense of social responsibility and conscience. It is no wonder that former pupils such as Hugh Foot (Lord Caradon), Philip Noel-Baker and Hilda Clark, trace the roots of their work for peace from their Quaker education.