In a world often marred by conflict and division, the untapped potential of children as agents of peace is often ignored. Beyond their innocence lies a reservoir of empathy, compassion, and understanding waiting to be nurtured and harnessed. As the future custodians of our planet, children possess a unique capacity to transcend cultural, religious, and societal boundaries, weaving a tapestry of harmony and cooperation.

Caritas India SAMVAAD, the peacebuilding program bank on this underutilized aspect of children and organized a two-day workshop in Lucknow, on promoting peace and harmony which brought together around 410 school children from St. Paul’s College and St. Thomas College on 5th and 6th April 2024 respectively. The objective of the workshop was to create awareness and sensitize the children about peace and harmony and prepare them to become ambassadors in the future. The workshop emphasized the importance of Peace and harmony for the development of our nation.

Mr. Ashutosh Joseph, a resource person with over 13 years of experience in the development sector designed a special module to raise awareness and promote critical thinking among school children on these crucial topics.

Fr. Denis Naresh Lobo, Vicar General of Lucknow Diocese underscored the significance of peace in the society and the school children’s potential to become ambassadors for peacebuilding. He acknowledged Caritas India’s initiative for nurturing young peace agents. Fr. Ronald Dsouza, Director of Lucknow DSS, encouraged the school children to actively maintain peace within their surroundings.

Further words of encouragement were shared by Fr. Tej Prakash and Fr. Clifford Principals of St. Paul and St. Thomas College respectively. They implied that it is very essential for children to know the importance of peace and harmony at this juncture, and as an educational institution, we are happy that through this workshop we are not only delivering the importance of peace and harmony but also, we are adding value and ethics among this young generation who are the future of this country.

Sharing the background of Caritas India’s work, Mr. Animesh Willian from Caritas India explained the specific goals and objectives of the Samvaad Program. He emphasized cultivating a sense of peace and harmony within the young minds. He further highlighted that the program aims at nurturing young peace ambassadors and wished that the students should carry forward the message of peace and unity and promote a more harmonious future in their communities.

The resource person captivated the participants with a well-structured module briefing the key concepts of peace and development, conflict resolution, perception, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (universal brotherhood), and the crucial role of young people in peacebuilding. He meticulously explained each topic with appealing stories about peace and harmony, keeping the participants fully engaged.

Along with this, a session on fake news was conducted to educate the school children on how misinformation can ignite conflicts and misunderstandings among the communities. The session included a group exercise on fake news, which demonstrated how information can become distorted as it circulates. The session also included an interactive balloon game that helped the participants understand how their actions and conscience can influence the peacefulness of their environment. The workshop concluded with a quiz testing the participants’ newfound knowledge about peace. Impressively, the participants aced the quiz on peace and conflict, demonstrating their successful takeaway from the program. The participants were acknowledged with certificates for their time to learn about the peace-building process and Caritas India.