Peace under construction

The ELM took part in a training programme for religious education teachers with several workshops and an info stall. Presiding Bishop Ralf Meister and Lower Saxony's Minister of Education Julia Willie Hamburg were also present.

"Building peace" was the theme of the teachers' forum of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hanover on 6 December at the Congress Centrum Hannover. The event is organised annually for pupils and teachers and is aimed at participants from all over Lower Saxony. "We want to encourage teachers to face the challenges of our time and promote education on peace. And we want to take a stand," says Dr Kerstin Gäfgen-Track, member of the regional church council, summarising the aim. The ELM, represented by Dr Mirjam Laaser, Head of the International Church Cooperation Department, the Institute for Religious Education in Loccum, the Ministries Department of the Church of Hanover and the Protestant Academy Loccum work together in the preparatory team to attract top-class speakers with inspiring topics and background knowledge every year. Probably the most prominent speaker in the morning was Minister of Education Julia Willie Hamburg (Alliance 90/The Greens), who spoke, among other things, about what she sees as the exemplary cooperation model of interdenominational Christian religious education in Lower Saxony. Overcoming what divides and emphasising what unites has been successful here, said the minister.

The ELM was well represented throughout the day with a team of nine co-workers. At the ELM stall at the "Market of Opportunities", Christoph Kühne provided information about partner church projects, the ELM's voluntary service for young adults and the "Ecumenical Learning Workshop", which is aimed at confirmation class groups. "I also had many conversations with people who have already travelled abroad through ELM, for example as volunteers in South Africa or India," says the youth work and global learning officer, who appreciated the encounters. Behind him in the stall a world map in the so-called Peter projection can be seen. The areas of the continents are depicted on a standardised scale and thus in their real proportions. Africa, for example, looks much larger here than on the frequently used Mercator projection. "Of course, this also provokes comments," says Kühne, who certainly couldn't complain about a lack of interest by participants.

"My hope is that we can make it clear how different the views on peace are," says Waldemar Rausch, who, together with Bradn Buerkle, organised a workshop in the afternoon on the topic of "Russia behind the scenes - insights into 'totalitarian' everyday life. How can I enter fairly into a conversation on peace in this context?". One of the participants, a pastor and teacher in Osnabrück, summarises her situation as follows: "I have Russian and Ukrainian pupils. The conflict is present in the classroom. I feel a bit helpless." In the workshop, the group works with photographs. The participants choose one of many very different motifs and then use this to explain what they associate with the topic of peace. Railway tracks and junctions, a hilly landscape with vineyards, a church and an Armenian national flag - all of these can evoke thoughts and ideas about peace, it turns out. "Everyone says something different. It is also an expression of peace, that everyone has their say and we recognise our differences in experiences, approaches and paths towards peace. And it takes strength to endure the fact that we are different," summarises Waldemar Rausch. Religion can be a subject "in which you can learn to put up with others".

Bishop Ralf Meister said something similar on one of the stages where a panel discussion took place later in the morning: "Plurality, diversity, is exhausting." Respect for others is a decisive factor, he emphasised.

This point is also discussed by the participants in Ingrid Lüdemann's workshop with the theme: "My Peace - new symbols for peace". Hanging on the wall are several fabric banners on which internationality, peace and understanding are graphically depicted. Initially, the discussion centres on various aspects of peace: Inner and outer peace, what does peace have to do with forgiveness, how can peace be actively shaped? And why does peace always require respect for others? Even when working together to create a symbol, it is important to overcome divisions and find a common path.

In the workshop with Tobias Schäfer-Sell entitled "Buen Vivir - Concrete utopias of a good life", participants will look at people and communities that have already successfully realised peace utopias. Initiatives for the common good economy, the way of life of the 'Amish' in North America, multi-generational houses and the Ecuadorian constitution, which enshrines the protection of nature in a special way, will be mentioned and discussed as examples. The step towards peace begins with small steps and children often have good ideas, the teachers know. The forum could offer them support if they incorporate this content into their lessons. "I found it encouraging because at my school I often have the feeling that I'm the only one who has such ideas in my head," says one workshop participant.

Two former ELM volunteers presented a practical example of peace work in their workshop. "Does voluntary service serve peace?" ask Carolin Schauer and Celine Junker, who each spent a year working in church or diaconal organisations in South Africa and Argentina respectively. If you equate peace work with understanding and a change of perspective, you can answer this question with a clear "yes"!