Pedagogy of Hope
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A peaceful globe today and tomorrow
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"Being responsible for peace means acting to overcome the flaws and injustices which continue to prevent us from achieving an egalitarian world. Because a planet eroded by division is a planet which knows no peace."
Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO
Today we face serious problems such as ecocide, global warming, diminishing non-renewable natural resources and the dangerous consequences of their unequal distribution. The world faces acute economic problems of a structural nature. We are also witnessing war in Europe and facing its consequences in our societies.
Pedagogy of hope means that we cannot deprive young people of hope, even if we ourselves feel frustrated and hopeless at times. We must rebel against hopelessness and cynicism. It is understandable and completely normal to have feelings of hopelessness in the midst of large problems and conflicts around us. But we have to keep searching for thoughts, actions and companions that activate the feeling of hope inside our hearts and minds.
Some people claim that they feel more hopeful about the future when they know they are doing something that makes the world better, even on a very small scale. You can talk with young people about non-governmental organisations and peaceful activism and active citizenship and find ways to influence the future of the society. Participating in decision making and politics can be motivating for some young people. You can also tell young people about local political youth organisations and youth boards. Knowing that young people can make a difference and actively take part in public life can give seeds of hope to many young people.
Everyone reacts to global crises differently. We never fully know what the young people we are working with are going through in their personal lives and how the crises are affecting them. If we can take care of ourselves, we have more resources for being safe and compassionate adults for the young people we meet at work. When the times are darker, it is especially important to take good care of ourselves and interact with compassion with the people we meet.
The good thing is that we don’t have to cultivate hope alone. If we sometimes feel hopeless about the state of the world, there are probably other people somewhere who can see and feel hope in a similar situation. Maybe we can be hopeful in turn and keep the torch of hope burning together.