ABSTRACT
Among 320 religious NGOs which hold a consultative status at ECOSOC (the Economic and Social Council at the UN), there are a few which are multi-religious and internationally working—as for example, Religions for Peace (RfP), the International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF), the United Religions Initiative (URI) and the World Parliament of the Religions. They work for common action in parallel fields as secular NGOs—for justice, peace, the integrity of life, as advocates for children, empowering women and youth, for the socially deprived—focusing specifically on freedom of religion and belief and overcoming prejudice against different cultures and traditions. But until now, comparatively little has been done for public and state education.
In my paper, I explore selected examples of activities in this field, namely the initiatives of the Peace Education Standing Commission (PESC) of Religions for Peace: the incorporation of interreligious studies in schools, curricula and teacher training, the possibilities of interreligious textbook development, the development of teaching material and media resources. Additionally, there are examples of informal learning within the context of cooperation among city authorities, schools and religious groups.
