Research and activism about girls’ education for global democracy: The case of the campaign ‘Etna, Volcano of Peace’, Catania, Italy

Abstract

According to a progressive interpretation of human development, girls' education should form an integral part of a full democratic system. Nevertheless, girls' education is threatened and attacked in many ways in current societies, be they authoritarian or democratic societies, developing or developed ones. In this article the two authors, both educators and researchers in education in Catania, Sicily, introduce their educational activities regarding the defence and promotion of girls' education for development and social change. Three activities are at the core of their current, local and global commitment to the issue: continual seminars on Intercultural Geo-History (with a special focus on the ongoing wars), operating simultaneous Skype connections (the so-called 'Orbital Classroom'); the Intercultural Prayer Against War; and the campaign 'Etna, Volcano of Peace'. The article provides some details and describes partial successes of these educational activities led by a consistent group of girls, and explains how the activities relate to both interculturalism and global democracy theory.