Montevideo, Uruguay – To mark the International Day of Peace on September 21, 2024, UPF-Uruguay held an academic seminar on the theme “The challenge of education for peace in a polarized world.” The event was held in the historic Great Conference Hall of the Uruguay National Garden. More than 30 people participated by special invitation, including educators and professionals from different academic and cultural areas.
The program moderator was Mr. Edgardo Martínez Zimarioff, former minister of the Electoral Court of Uruguay, former legislator of Montevideo, and current advisor to the city government. He is also president emeritus of the Association of Professional Ontological Coaching (ACOP) of Uruguay.
Three professors were the main speakers. Prof. Virginia Rial is a lecturer and researcher in the department of anthropology at the University of the Republic of Uruguay. She stressed the importance of cultivating the ability to reflect intelligently on social and world issues, in a highly technological society where people are dependent on mass media, and where many are affected by an increasingly individualistic vision.
From the same university, Prof. Andrea Díaz is a senior professor in the Department of History and Philosophy of Education. In her presentation she summarized paradigms of peace from ancient Greco-Roman culture to the present day, highlighting humanity's historical search for peace. She pointed out that people long for peace from an intellectual perspective, but are so far away from that goal in sociocultural practice.
Prof. Pablo Romero is a professor of philosophy and ethics at CLAEH University. He specializes in education policy and management. He spoke about the challenges facing teachers and educators in educating for peace in a world where the models young people are exposed to are superficial and media-based. He said that students have been losing the ability to dialogue, and many tend to resolve their conflicts through violence, without considering the consequences of their actions. He added that the family has also lost its ability to educate for peace when the values that are highlighted in contemporary society are the result of an individualistic and media-driven outlook.
By Raul Rey Banegas, President, UPF-Uruguay
September 21, 2024
