MEETINGS AND VIEWS ON CONFLICT MEDIATION AND RESTORATIVE JUSTICE IN THE CONTEXT OF PUBLIC EDUCATION IN CEARÁ Cristiane Carvalho Holanda, Francisca Regilânia Ferreira Lima, Jéssica Araújo da Silva, Maria Cristiane Lopes da Silva, Sinara Mota Neves de Almeida

Abstract

The proposal for restorative justice and conflict mediation in the context of public schools in the state of Ceará is presented as methodologies to assist teachers in their pedagogical practice in discussing conflicts, preventing violence, and strengthening a culture of peace. In this sense, the objective of this article is to present a little of the history felt and experienced in public education in Ceará in the implementation of these methodologies within municipal and state networks, through the lessons learned by educators along the way. In Brazil, we are experiencing conflict mediation methodologies in practice in various segments of society and having the opportunity to take a new look at the way we work with human relations. We understand that restorative justice is a paradigm shift that generates new practices not only in the justice system, but also in education. In 1999, pacifists from around the world in The Hague (Holland) declared, with the consent of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the decade of education for peace. In Ceará, precisely at the end of this decade, we felt the need to continue this trajectory and build the Generation of Peace Program, with the illustrious presence of Edgar Morin, having a technical cooperation agreement signed by the Ceará State Department of Education (Seduc-CE), the Ceará State University (Uece) and UNESCO. Starting in 2009, actions aimed at school mediation began at the Fortaleza Municipal Department of Education (SME), in partnership with the Federal University of Ceará (UFC) and the Ceará Public Prosecutor's Office (MPCE) (ALMEIDA, 2009). In 2010, Seduc-CE started the Generation of Peace Program with actions aimed at conflict prevention within its network and created Agenda 22, which consisted of holding educational activities, such as: marches, talent shows, lectures, among others, strengthening the culture of peace. In 2013, in partnership with the MPCE, Seduc-CE and the non-governmental organization (NGO) Terre des Hommes, the School Mediation and Restorative Practices Program was launched. These actions were strengthened with the enactment of several national and international legal frameworks. Also in 2013, the School Mediation project was launched at the Horizonte Department of Education, and its coordination was created in 2018. In Fortaleza, the Mediation Cell was implemented that same year. In 2016, the State Forum for Restorative Justice, Mediation and Culture of Peace was created in the state of Ceará, with an inter-institutional partnership between public and private agencies and civil society. With the support of this forum and the coordination of the vice-governor's office, 16 courses for facilitators of Peacebuilding Circles were held by Professor Cristiane Holanda and other professionals, with the technical-pedagogical support of Jéssica Araújo. In 2017, the MPCE, the vice-governor's office, Seduc and the SMEs of Ceará began the process of implementing Conflict Mediation and Culture of Peace Cells in the state, with more than 40 municipalities currently implementing these methodologies. The panorama of public policies for restorative practices and conflict mediation in Ceará has proven to be increasingly challenging due to the context of violence that affects our adolescents, making it necessary to enact a legal norm with a budget allocated to the execution of projects, with the aim of implementing the policy and continuing the work carried out, in addition to the need to prepare professionals from the Rights Guarantee Network in the training of these methodologies and in the execution of work with a restorative focus to deal with this reality.