Mobile Arts for Peace (MAP): Informing the National Curriculum and Youth Policy for Peacebuilding in Kyrgyzstan, Rwanda, Indonesia and Nepal is an Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) project that aims to provide a comparative approach on the use of interdisciplinary arts-based practices for peacebuilding in Kyrgyzstan, Rwanda, Indonesia and Nepal. It is a collaborative project between researchers, policymakers, cultural artists and practitioners, grassroots Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and youth in each four partner countries. 

MAP has the overall goals of, first, influencing curricula and approaches to working with in- and out-of-school youth; and second, creating structures and modes of communication between youth and policymakers from the local to global. MAP has co-produced this project with partners in Kyrgyzstan (Foundation for Tolerance International), Rwanda (the Institute of Research for Dialogue and Peace, University of Rwanda, and Uyisenga Ni Imanzi), Indonesia (Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia), Nepal (Tribhuvan University and the Human Rights Film Center) and the UK (University of Lincoln, The Open University, and University College, London).

MAP aims to generate qualitative and quantitative data using arts-based, research-as-practice and participatory action research methodologies to critically analyse the use of the arts to meaningfully engage youth in peacebuilding and youth policy processes across diverse contexts.  

MAP researches with youth, educators, cultural artists, CSO workers, and policymakers to address the gap between needs assessment, curricula development, policy intent and youth priorities. It will aim to scale-up arts-based peacebuilding initiatives and leverage greater policy influence, while also accelerating the scope and depth of this network by building in a comparative learning and mentoring approach for South-South knowledge exchange across linguistic divides. 

MAP will co-produce challenge-led research responding to the SDG Global Challenges to improve understanding on the effective engagement of children and youth in policymaking processes related to issues and needs identified by young people in Phase One/Phase Two small grants. Additionally, to provide insights into the adaption of cultural forms for dialogic purposes; enhance creativity and strengthen capacity through the strategic development of curricula, training, innovative methods, analysis and evaluation with and for children and youth; and provide a robust framework for peacebuilding and arts-based education in conflict and post-conflict settings.

MAP in Nepal aims to provide a comparative approach on the use of interdisciplinary arts-based practices for peace building in Nepal.

MAP operates across three core components:

a) project design and delivery;

b) research;

c) Arts-based practice.

Glimpse of MAP project

This project aims to empower children in post-conflict settings to articulate their interpretations and shared communications of civic national values through their creation of a performance arts-based ‘scheme of work’ as a process of transformative learning for supporting local and global Civil Service Organizations (CSOs) in reducing poverty and advancing education for all, as part of the peace-building process.

AIM of the MAP:

The project has four central aims:

1. Explore how children in post-conflict settings interpret civic national values by their own conceptions, actions and reflections, supported in their application of varied performance arts-based tools and techniques for their shared communications.
2. Empower children in post-conflict settings to develop and advance their thinking about the past; the present and future possibilities of peace building through theories of ‘reflection’.
3. Examine the perspectives of teachers on ‘civic national values’ including the varied ways they pass these narratives to their learners.
4. Facilitate our research partners to continuously analyze, reflect and conceptualize their understandings and shared communications of civic national values for advancing future policy making through a performance arts-based ‘scheme of work’ that can be applied locally, nationally and internationally in comparative contexts.

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MAP Team for Nepal

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Project Location in Nepal:

MAP is being implementing in three district of Nepal that is Makwanpur ( Bagmati province), Palpa (Lumbini Province) and Kanchanpur (Sudurpachim Province).