being a peacemaker in a complex world

ages 16-25 | Course 7

Being a peacemaker in a complex world is designed to teach biblical peacemaking alongside the hot topics

young people are facing. By understanding their personal worldview, and that of others,

students will be equipped to be peacemakers in a complex world.

who’s this for and what’s it about?

Years 11 or 12 and young adults

ages 16-25 | Course 7

Leah, Jairus and Chris teach peacemaking and worldview thinking to help students engage with conflict and “hot topics”.

Video presenters, animations, interactive activities, reflective journal.

Theme: Connecting how our world shapes us, peacemaking principles and the hot issues and conflicts facing older teens and young adults

students will learn…

foundational peacemaking principles

Students will learn what conflict is, where it comes from, and a basic framework they can use in any conflict situation.

how to think critically with a Christian worldview

Students will come to understand how we are shaped and formed by our culture, our stories and our experiences. They will consider what it means to think through the lens of a Christian perspective on life.

to connect these concepts to complex life issues

Students will then apply these peacemaking and worldview concepts to a range of challenging issues which they encounter in their lives.

course content

This course takes a different approach to any of the other PeaceWiseKids or PeaceWiseYouth courses, by introducing two unique additional elements to the core biblical peacemaking tools and principles: Christian worldview thinking and direct engagement with “hot topics” of the day.

The Christian worldview content is provided by noted author and speaker Chris Parker, author of The Frog and the Fish.

launch webinar unpacking “Being a peacemaker in a complex world”

  • welcome and introduction (start to 4:46)
  • overall vision, course, context and content and how to teach it (4:47 to 14:09)
  • sampler of the lesson on “discussing controversial topics” (14:10 to 21:48)
  • Chris Parker on why teaching worldview to our young people matters (21:52 to 31:38)
  • vision for where this course can go and further options for you to use it (31:39 to 45:35)

course structure

There are two modules:

Module One: Foundational peacemaking principles

  • 4 topics
  • grounds students in the concepts and tools they need to apply peacemaking principles in everyday life

Module Two: Peacemaking in a world of complex issues

  • 8 topics, of which you need to do a minimum of 4 topics – though we encourage doing all 8
  • allows students to engage in the hot topics they’re experiencing and prepares them for living in a complex world as a peacemaker
  • integrates both biblical peacemaking concepts and Christian worldview thinking as students engage with the different issues for each topic

topics covered

Module 1

Foundational peacemaking principles
Module 2

Peacemaking in a world of complex issues
Topic 5
Technology and social media
Topic 6
Identity
Topic 1
What is conflict and how do I respond to it?
Topic 7
Mental health
Topic 2
How do I address my part in a conflict?
Topic 8
Grace
Topic 3
How can I best address what the other person did?
Topic 9
Justice and judgments
Topic 4
How can we restore our relationship?
Topic 10
Addictions
Topic 11
Discussing controversial topics
Topic 12
Forgiveness

where do I teach it?

In schools: typically as part of Christian Growth, Christian Studies or as an elective in Year 11 or Year 12.

In colleges: the course is extremely well suited for gap year input or Christian foundation style subjects, especially given its integrative treatment of biblical peacemaking, Christian worldview and “hot topics” within the one course.

In churches: suitable for small group study over 8-12 weeks – both for young adults as well as for youth leaders wanting to prepare to use PeaceWiseKids or earlier PeaceWiseYouth courses with younger members of the church.

course details at a glance

4 core plus 4-8 electives

number of lessons

  • Four core lessons make up Module 1
  • Eight electives topics make up Module 2.

For Module 2, the 8 different topics can be done in any order, but you need to do a minimum of 4 of the Module 2 topics to adequately teach the course.

Approximately 50 minutes

lesson length

An example lesson breakup would be…

  • 20 minutes of video content (including discussion questions)
  • 15-20 minutes of teacher directed activities
  • 10-15 minutes of personal reflection using the journal

Video + class interaction + reflection

course format

  • Online stimulus videos including discussion questions
  • Teacher directed lessons
  • Personal reflective journal for each student

12 months

how long can I use it?

Purchase of this course provides the user with a 12 month licence to use all course content.

For schools and home schools, the 12 months runs on the school year of the country in question (e.g. Jan to Dec in Australia and New Zealand, Sep to Aug for the US)

free trial content – take a closer look at the course

Check out a sample video, lesson plan and the student journal below.

the benefits of a whole of school approach

See how Melton Christian College built a culture of peace

For schools, there is the unique opportunity to have everyone in the school using the same language, concepts and relational principles.

This is because:

  • there are courses available from Kindergarten through to the end of school
  • all courses are mapped to Australian Curriculum outcomes,
  • all courses have the same core underlying framework and topics – but adjusted to different age levels and with different themes and ways of presenting the content.

This means those teaching the principles can share the same core concepts and tools across multiple age groups, and there is consistency of learning at all age levels. There is the development of a “common language” within the School

For example, a school could run the program in both primary and high school, or across multiple year groups in either, and the students and staff will all be “on the same page” with what is being learned.

Note that within schools, there is also the option for PeaceWise to deliver Everyday Peacemaking for Schools training for all staff, as well as parent seminars.

This opens up the prospect of building a healthy relational “culture” with the whole community and facilitates a “whole of school” approach.

get started

Hit one of the buttons below to get started – and please feel free to reach out to us if you need help.

For larger groups like schools, we highly recommend you contact us before you buy so we answer any questions about the course and help you make sure you pick the right resources for your students. 😉

For schools, we also have package pricing for whole of school purchases.