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Higher Education for Openness, Peace, and Empathy (HOPE)

Professor Konstantinos Petridis, Hellenic Mediterranean University, Greece

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Our Motivation

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To make Universities safe paces for everyone to speak, make a dialogue, and search for conflict resolution pedagogies.

Promote peace education principles through the Erasmus Program values: inclusion, diversity, and democratic values.

Make European Higher Education a strong science diplomacy tool.

Identify how international collaboration can promote & support peace all over the planet.

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What did we discover?

  • When people do not communicate, the hate and the misinformation rules.
  • There are pedagogies for conflict resolution applied in the classroom so do not exclude anyone.
  • The Higher Education is doing few things to Institutionalize these pedagogies and offer training for staff and students on how to deal in conflict situations.
  • HMU realized this: IMPACT, and HOPE projects to make something different.

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The HOPE Project

  • Approved Capacity Building for Higher Education (2025 call).
  • November 2025 – November 2028.
  • 3 European Partners and 7 Israeli Colleges & SMEs.
  • Coordinating Institution: HMU (Greece)
  • Aim to develop actions and academic programs to lower the communication gap between different religious groups within the Israeli academic community.

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The Minor Program

  • Part A: Foundations of Peace & Conflict Studies.
  • Part B: Soft Skills Linked to Peace Education.
  • Part C: Technology, Ethics and Peacebuilding.
  • Part D: Approaches to resolve conflict situtaions.
  • Part E: Thesis Project.
  • Duration: 2 semesters (60 ECTS).
  • Delivery Format: Hybrid.

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How to Collaborate with us

  • Particpate in the staff & student trainings.
  • Contribute to the Colloguial Talks for Peace.
  • Contact: Professor Konstantinos Petridis, HMU. Greece.

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