Abstract:
This master's thesis, entitled "Education for a Culture of Peace: A Practical Approach to Social Transformation," analyzes urgent issues in the Brazilian educational landscape, marked by high rates of school violence, social inequalities, and multiple forms of intolerance. In a context where peace building becomes essential for educational and social transformation, the educational context faces challenges such as exclusion, prejudice, and difficulties in promoting peaceful and inclusive coexistence. Data from the Ministry of Human Rights indicate a 254% increase in cases of school violence between 2013 and 2023, rising from 3,700 to 13,100 occurrences, including 2,200 cases of self-inflicted violence, which highlights the seriousness and complexity of the problems experienced by the school community in Brazil. The study aims to investigate strategies that integrate pedagogical practices and theological principles to strengthen the culture of nonviolence in the educational environment, promoting inclusion, respect for diversity, and commitment to social justice. This is a qualitative research study of a bibliographical nature and case study, conducted through publications and records existing on websites and blogs, using academic document analysis and dialogue wit teachers/managers of peacemaking training practices. It collected existing data applied in projects such as the "Out of the Box Collective" and recorded data, using content analysis techniques to process the information. It adopts an interdisciplinary perspective that articulates education, theology, and peace studies, examining how
values such as compassion, justice, and reconciliation can be incorporated into pedagogical practices that respect religious diversity and the secular nature of the State. It is based on the contributions of Johan Galtung, Paulo Freire, Edgar Morin, Maria Montessori, Leonardo Boff, and Nei Alberto Salles Filho, whose approaches
dialogue to propose innovative solutions to school violence. The research is justified by the urgent need to develop concrete alternatives for promoting more inclusive and transformative school environments. The results offer theoretical and practical support for strengthening teacher training, guiding effective educational policies, and consolidating pedagogical practices that promote universal ethical values, reaffirming the relevance of education for peace in the contemporary Brazilian context.
