Expressive Arts Programs
Arts are a vital complement to conflict resolution skill-building. When we couple arts activities with discussions that build conflict resolution skills, the skills can be more tangible and reflection can deepen. These third graders explored anger when upset feelings weren’t actually erupting; they used writing to befriend anger. Students tried out new ideas: that anger sends a message that we can pay attention to, and that we can learn to express anger’s message constructively. By interlacing the lesson with songs and creative writing, the skills themselves were anchored in a multi-faceted way.
Expressive arts include a panoply of activities like drama, dance, musical theatre, graphic art, visual art, performance art; music, and creative writing to name the most common forms. All of these artistic endeavors offer opportunities for conflict discovery – a process of reflection and increasing awareness about one’s orientations to and reactions to conflict.
Art has the power to connect people and build community. In addition to developing an affirmative classroom climate, activities with music, storytelling, creative movement, poetry, and dramatics can help students gain deeper understanding of social situations, reinforce important social messages, and provide direct opportunities to practice skills relating to conflict resolution. Assignments in drawing, painting, and sculpting, as well, can be structured to explore the dynamics of relationships. Over the past two decades, in particular, songwriters, poets, and conflict resolution trainers have been devising new material to explore peace building creatively.
Videos of Possible Interest
- Restorative Justice Arts Initiative
- Inspirational Quote from Bill Kreidler
- Recess Redone – The Power of Play
- Conflict Resolution Flashmob dances to “We Can Work it Out”
- Ring the Bells music video
- Lions International Peace Poster Contest
- In the Harmony
- Another Bully Busters Song
- In a Responsive Classroom
- PeaceJam Juniors
- Talk It Out – Bronx Intl High School Peer Mediator Music Video
- Conflict Resolution Educational Gaming: Behind the Scenes with Cool School and Harmony Island
- Playing and Practicing Peace in Baltimore
- Kids rap – conflict resolution and respect
- Peer Mediators as Change Writers
See MORE VIDEOS...
Sample Catalog Resources
Below you'll find a randomized listing of up to 20 related items (we may have more...) drawn from our Resource Catalog.
Resource Title | Description | Links |
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Jabbertalk: a methodology for international youth work | An international collection of groupwork methods and activities, collected by volunteers from the EU-based Don Bosco Youth-Net. Presented as a 114-page pdf divided into activity categories including new games, teamwork, oral expression, non-verbal expression, dance expression, manual expression, musical expression, sherborne, values, behavior-communication-groups, evaluation techniques, and working with video. "All methods in the manual have been tested for years, because they are games which have been played for decades on Don Bosco playgrounds, oratorios, youth clubs, and summer camps." | |
Interpersonal skills for dealing with conflict: Respect and support in action | Powerpoint presentation introducing interpersonal skills proven successful in dealing with conflict. | |
Ideas for using emotion cards: Citizenship education for young people with special needs | 5-page pdf document which presents a number of images of different emotional states. The cards can be used with particular lessons or to allow children to show how they feel about specific situations. | |
Peace new birth, number 3 | Newsletter of the Peace Education Centers of Armenis - Peace new birth, number 3 | |
Peace bridges: Newsletter of Peace Education Centers, issue #9, 2007 | Ninth edition of the Newsletter of the Peace Education Centers of Armenis | |
Arts, Creativity and Intercultural Conflict Resolution Literature and Resource Review | This 121-page literature and resource review was developed in 2004 and 2005 by the CRANE (Conflict Resolution, Arts and iNtercultural Experience) project at the University of British Columbia. The materials are clustered around the 4 broad themes of global change, innovations in conflict resolution theory and practice, growth and development of arts-based approaches and application of arts-based approaches to conflict resolution across cultures. | |
Communication for competency | Word document exploring nonverbal and verbal communication with emphasis on direct and indirect language, with exercises. | |
The Art of Peacemaking: A Guide to Integrating CR Education into Youth Arts Program | This resource guide provides information and tools that introduce arts teachers to conflict resolution skills and processes. The guide also contains various arts-based exercises that can be used to introduce conflict resolution concepts to young people in the classroom. These exercises serve merely as a starting point; arts teachers are encouraged to develop their own activities that will work best within the settings in which they teach. Because this guide wad developed after four years of the Partnership's initiative to integrate conflict resolution into arts programs, it contains descriptions of how arts organizations have integrated conflict resolution into their work with youth, schools, and other community organizations. (Author) | |
Conflict styles | Powerpoint presentation which defines conflict style, outlines two key dimensions of conflict style, (concern for self and concern for others) and discusses verbal styles of avoidance, competition and compromise. | |
Exploring emotional literacy through visual the arts: With embedded literacy and numeracy skills | 21-page PDF document created to "enable staff who are not Arts practitioners to carry out this [art based] work. They are designed as individual projects but can equally be extended into small group activities ... The aim is to encourage the young person to express visually emotions that are difficult to articulate verbally." Projects include: Making masks (expressing feelings using facial expressions); Abstract art (expressing feelings using colors and shapes); Designing a chair (expressing how I feel about myself); Creating a book (expressing how I feel, exploring what I know about an issue in my life); and Drawing a neighborhood map (exploring safe and unsafe areas where I live). | |
Theater and CRE | Powerpoint presentation exploring the use of theater arts in conflict resolution education. | |
Speak Truth to Power: Human Rights Defenders Who are Changing Our World | The Speak Truth To Power curriculum (296 page PDF) introduces general human rights issues through the stories of some remarkable people working in the field, and urges students to become personally involved in the protection of human rights. The curriculum is based on a book written by Kerry Kennedy that lead to a dramatic production by Ariel Dorfman (the play script is included in the curriculum). It is illustrated with a series of photographic portraits of human rights defenders by the late Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Eddie Adams. Various editions of Speak Truth to Power have been produced, with this one drawing input from the Chicago Public Schools and Chicago Teachers Union. Also available are Cambodian, Italian, and South African editions, and an edition developed in New York State.The focus of the learning activities varies based on the age-group of students you are working with. In pre-kindergarten through grade 3, human rights learning focuses on respect for self, parents, teachers and others. In grades 4–6 the focus moves to social responsibility, citizenship, and distinguishing wants and needs from rights. For grades 7 and 8, the focus shifts to introducing and enhancing specific human rights. At the high school level, grades 9–12, the focus expands to include human rights as universal standards, integration of human rights into personal awareness, and behavior. | |
Drama for Conflict Transformation Toolkit: Youth Theater for Peace | Youth leaders and adult facilitators can use the Drama for Conflict Transformation Toolkit to create a customized training agenda based on their needs, timetable, and cultural context. Across Kyrgyzstan, youth participants in the Youth Theater for Peace (YTP) program are using the Drama for Conflict Transformation methodology introduced in the toolkit to create community conversation about conflict issues. Since 2010, participants have collaborated with more than 50,000 audience members to talk about solutions to bullying in schools, labor migration, bride kidnapping, resource scarcity, and substance abuse. | |
Peace new birth, number 8 | Newsletter of the Peace Education Centers of Armenis - Peace new birth, number 8 | |
Talking stick, The and The tree of gratefulness: Autumn -- thankfulness at harvest time | 7-page PDF lesson plan which helps students, "to use nature as a means of expressing respect and gratitude." Projects include creating and using a talking stick. | |
Nonverbal communication card game: Gesture version | Word document with instructions for game in which groups identify nonverbal gestures. | |
Kids Working It Out Resource Appendix | A listing of books, publications and websites provided in the appendix to Tricia S. Jones and Randy O. Compton (Eds.) 2003 book Kids Working It Out: Stories and Strategies for Making Peace in Our Schools. | |
Hip-Hop artists: Lesson and activity excerpted from the Tanenbaum curriculum COEXIST | 5-page PDF lesson plan in which students (grade 6-12), "will learn about stereotypes as well as how to identify and challenge their own biases. Students will also make connections to religion as an important aspect of identity and an influence within the realm of Hip-Hop." | |
Iconic communication activity | Word document which presents iconic communication activity taken from M. Remland's, "Gesture and Movement as Iconic Communication Activity." | |
Nonverbal communication card game: Voice version | Word document which describes a nonverbal communication game using the voice only, counting from one to ten to express emotions. |