Philippines

The experience of decades of violent conflict has created trauma, distrust, prejudice, and stereotypes. These are deeply rooted in the Philippine society. Media reporting about violent incidents is often sensationalized, reproduces prejudice, and fuels the conflict. Many schools lack the capacity to educate their students about the history and context of the conflict which makes them vulnerable to manipulation and radicalization. We believe that a thorough understanding of the conflict context paves the way for overcoming social division and finding sustainable and inclusive solutions.

We work together with the media and higher education institutions to increase the availability of quality information about the conflicts. More diverse and nuanced media coverage, combined with education about peace, conflict, and non-violence will lead to a better understanding of peace needs and the action required to meet them. In our peace education and media projects, we address - amongst other issues - structural violence and conflict dynamics, the history of Mindanao and the Philippines as well as the injustices that were and are experienced by the marginalized peoples of Mindanao - Muslims, Indigenous Peoples, and the poor.

Our projects range from drafting syllabi and teaching guides on topics such as conflict sensitive journalism, to developing films on contemporary conflict issues for public screenings and discussion. In these projects we work together with a variety of actors: universities and teachers, government institutions, media practitioners, NGOs, CSOs, and film-makers.