Educating Cities are spaces of peace and opportunities. Local governments in the network work hard and long to create cities that exude safety and well-being, where rights are guaranteed and opportunities are created for all. Public policies geared owards boosting access to education, health, work, culture, sport, recreation and participation are a sign of this, as are rocesses of inclusion and social cohesion, the design of safe and friendly urban environments, and harmonious living.
However, our cities are also the scene of social tensions where various types of violence jeopardise harmonious living, peace of mind and safety on our streets. Socioeconomic and cultural inequalities are among the main causes of this violence, which threatens people’s freedom and well-being. Some of its manifestations are more visible than others, but we need to identify them all and provide resources to prevent and combat them.
Fighting against inequalities is one way of doing this.
Meanwhile, education is a highly important tool that lets us transmit key values to build spaces and cities of peace, such as the importance of respect, social justice and dialogue.
Therefore, implementing public policies, programmes and citizen initiatives which foster equal opportunities, convey attitudes and values for harmonious living, generate critical thinking, and ensure the well-being and development of all people is a passionate commitment to transforming cultures of violence into cultures of peace, which all Educating Cities share.
Therefore, the slogan chosen for the International Day of the Educating City 2022, thanks to a consultation process with all members, is ‘The Educating City is a city of peace and opportunities’. With this celebration, we intend to mobilise all social agents in your cities so that they join efforts to promote peace, coexistence, solidarity and inclusion. The Day intends to be a dynamic and participatory event that promotes dialogue and raises awareness on all the opportunities that the municipality offers, contributing to the creation of new synergies.