India: Committing to RiseUp4Peace, Ghaziabad educators advocate empathetic classroom practices to help students resist negative influences

Ghaziabad, India/09 October 2024: “We often tell students to ‘do the right thing,’ but this workshop helped me understand how to show them why it matters,” reflected a teacher from a school in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.

His words captured the essence of the RiseUp4Peace capacity boosting workshop held in collaboration with the Indirapuram Public School, where principals and teachers from 16 schools gathered to explore classroom strategies that nurture peace, inclusion, and empathy.

Led by UNODC Communications Officer Mr. Samarth Pathak and Global Peace Foundation Fellow Dr. Ashok Pandey, the discussions encouraged educators to go beyond traditional teaching methods. Instead of simply imparting rules, they were inspired to embed values like compassion, digital responsibility, and mental well-being into students’ everyday lives. For many, this meant reimagining their roles as more than just academic guides; they were now mentors shaping ethical, mindful citizens.

“Talking about peace and justice always felt abstract before,” shared Ms. Anupama Sharma, an educator. “But discussing real-world examples—whether it was digital safety or the importance of gender equality—helped me see how these values can become part of students’ everyday thinking.”

Participants reflected on ways to integrate discussions on empathy and fairness in lessons, as “even small conversations resonate deeply with students.”

Digital responsibility, especially in today’s screen-saturated world, emerged as a central theme. Educators shared their concerns about the effects of increased screen time, from distraction to rising anxiety among students. “We see these changes every day, but rarely do we discuss ways to address them in the classroom,” said Ms. Ruchi Tripathi, an educator.

Another area of focus was addressing risky behaviors and mental health challenges, both of which have become pressing concerns in schools.

“As teachers, we’re often seen as authority figures, but it’s important that we act as allies. We have a responsibility to create safe spaces for our students to discuss their pressures,” said Dr. Ashish Mittal, Vice Principal, Indirapuram Public School.

Educators discussed ways to nurture this quality, from organizing peer support groups to encouraging discussions on ethics and social justice with story-based activities. With fresh perspectives and practical strategies, they are equipped to engage students with values like integrity, lawfulness and responsibility.

RiseUp4Peace is an effort in this direction, as a coalition of educator partners committed to take these transformative insights into classrooms through sustained capacity building of educators, interactive students’ engagement and fostering cross-learning.

Join the RiseUp4Peace initiative:  t.ly/lh9T7

This activity contributes to SDG 4, SDG5, SDG 16 and SDG 17: https://sdg-tracker.org/

(Supported by RB23)