Last Wednesday, November 20th, we hosted a fun and challenging workshop, diving into how teachers can cultivate emotional intelligence, empathy and empowerment when exploring global issues through drama-based activities and other creative methodologies 🌏
Led by Pete Mullineaux, participants explored how to:
- foster dialogue about global issues
- model methods of conflict transformation in the classroom
- support emotional intelligence, with a significant focus on awareness, expression, empathy and decision-making in solidarity
- facilitate deeper emotional connection to issues through storytelling and simulations to motivate students to take action
Many activities came from our resource, Interdependence Day, which uses drama to explore global issues. From role-playing scenarios and simulations to collaborative problem-solving exercises, everyone walked away with new insights and practical tools to engage and empower with topics that can often be overwhelming, like the military-industrial complex, global hunger, and forced displacement.
Thank you to everyone who participated 🌱
The passion and energy in the room blew us away. Teachers have highlighted the need for practical ways to support emotional connection to issues, cultivate attitudes and values in school, such as compassion and empathy, and develop essential skills, like critical thinking and problem-solving, to support global citizenship. We hope this training did just that!
If you are a secondary school teacher and would like to be added to our mailing list, use our resources, or participate in student workshops exploring themes such as global hunger, war, and forced displacement, please contact katie@afri.ie.
Our next teacher training will take place on March 20th, 2025, focusing on using our new Resource for Secondary School Teachers, Slí na Síochána, by Nicola Winters.
Let’s sow seeds of peace wherever we can!