Shiv Nadar School Gurgaon Hosts Annual History for Peace Conference & Workshop, Empowering Educators and Students as Critical Thinkers and Conscious Citizens
Gurgaon – Shiv Nadar School, Gurgaon, in collaboration with History for Peace (an initiative of The Seagull Foundation for the Arts, Kolkata), recently organised Idea of Justice: Chapter 2, a two-day conference and workshop series. This program aimed to provide nourishment and enrichment and bring interesting and innovative ideas into the Social Science and Humanities classroom.
The motive of the conference and workshop is that today’s youth is growing in a complex and challenging world of economic inequality, environmental injustice and more, to help them understand these issues and equip them with the skills and knowledge they need to become active and engaged citizens.
The thought-provoking sessions contemplated and explored methods to empower young minds in cultivating ethics and consciousness, all while approaching every action from a perspective of social justice. Thus, equipping them to contribute to leaving this planet a better world.
The event saw the presence of dignitaries like Meena Megha Malhotra, Director of The Seagull Foundation for the Arts; Meenakshi Ganguly, Deputy Director of Human Rights Watch (Asia Division); Dr Janaki Nair, Writer, Ancient History Expert, Retired Professor JNU; Jerry Pinto, poet, writer, and editor, Romila Thapar, Professor Emerita of ancient history at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, among others.
The idea of justice is a fundamental concept debated and discussed by philosophers, legal scholars, and ordinary people for centuries. The opening address was facilitated by Col. Gopal Karunakaran (Retd.), CEO Shiv Nadar School, followed by Ms. Meena Megha Malhotra, Director of The Seagull Foundation for the Arts. There were a series of interactive workshops created both for students and educators. The educators’ workshops aimed to equip them with the tools and perspectives necessary to foster critical thinking and empathy while helping them understand how to enable conflict resolution among students peacefully. The children’s workshop provided them with tools to become active and conscious citizens.