Everyday Peace in an East German International School (A Pilot Study)

We report a classroom pilot that translated Encounter Theory into three structured activities, namely Privilege Walk, Sleepyville, and Believers, implemented in a culturally diverse international school in eastern Germany. Using brief pre/post surveys and ethnographic observation, we reflect on what promoted inclusion, empathy, and nonviolent engagement, and what generated resistance. Embodied exercises appeared to open empathic perspectives; role-play sometimes amplified identity tensions without careful framing. Across sessions, we observed more cross-group conversation and stronger endorsement of nonviolent civic engagement. We argue for peace education that is empirically informed yet context-sensitive: designed, sequenced, and mediated to avoid backfire while cultivating “everyday peace” through small, relational shifts.