Training for Trainers: Integrating Peace Education in Youth Work

This 10 month program for started in August 2025 with an online course including four webinars, followed by a training course in The Netherlands. The participants then followed another four webinars over a six month period and implemented a workshop in their area. The second training took place in Hungary in April 2026. And in the last months the participants implement another workshop, before we wrap up the program together online.

We brought together a group of people working with youth residing in Greece, Italy, Spain, Hungary and The Netherlands, with different ethnic and religious backgrounds, and age ranging from 24 to 64.

The first training in The Netherlands was from September 27- October 2nd, in the village of Sint Oedenrode. Six days of learning, reflection, and connection — exploring how to bring peace education into youth work in practical and inspiring ways. We explored the personal and interpersonal dimensions of peace, the two first directions of The Peace Compass.
Many tools were shared and practiced such as:
💖 Setting boundaries, practicing self-care and having a compassionate inner dialogue, transforming one’s inner critic.
🤝 The Two Hands of Nonviolence, Nonviolent Communication, and Restorative Justice.
🌍 The Privilege Walk, De Five D’s of de-escalation
🧠Models like the Kolb cycle, to design workshop sessions, facilitating workshops & giving feedback and sharing best practices
🕊️ We also learned about sociocracy and the Culture of Peace through the Peace Please game, that we played on the 1st day and with the people from the Peace Path in Eindhoven.
✨ And on the last day we explored next steps and committed to carry this learning forward.
🫶 This training was more than professional development — it was a journey of self-reflection, community, and empowerment. We look forward to continue this journey!

Here you can see the program.

Below are pictures of our first training.

The second training in Hungary was from the 7th till the 11th of April, in the village of Tereny. This time we focused on the third and fourth direction of The Peace Compass: peace in our society & culture and peace with the earth. We also gave participants the opportunity to facilitate workshops in trios and receive feedback from each other. This full program really boosted people’s confidence to implement peace education activities and return home with even more tools and experiences.
🎨We worked again with the Kolb learning cycle and the Head Hart Hands model to design workshop sessions
🌍Drawing inspiration from deep ecologist Joanna Macy, we structured the training around the Spiral of The Work that Reconnects: grounding in gratitude, honoring the pain of the world, seeing with new eyes and going forth.
🤝Participant workshops ranged from connecting self-care to caring for nature, participatory museums, story telling, food waste & scarcity and involving youth in working on climate change.
💖 We practiced how to give constructive feedback
🕊️ We got the see very local examples of peace work at a biological farm and a green school
🐾 We learned to look at things from a non-human perspective and ‘deep time’
📢 And we analysed how to set-up an effective nonviolent action campaign
🔥Despite the busy program, the evenings were used to play games and have a camp fire, and some participants even made delicious Easter bread and tiramisu!
🫶 It was amazing to have the chance to meet with the same group twice and deepen the connection and commitment to peace. This was truly a wonderful opportunity of practice, mutual support, empowerment, and solidarity.
🙏 Thank you everyone for this co-creation!

Below are some pictures of the 2nd training.