Symposium: Citizenship Competencies in the Midst of a Violent Political Conflict:

In this article, Enrique Chaux considers the effect that an environment replete with violent political conflict has on children. He cites literature that points to higher levels of aggressive and violent behaviors among children in these settings. Then he examines the case of Colombia and an educational initiative that attempted to foster stronger citizenship competencies among its students. The program, Aulas en Paz, experienced success in lowering aggressive behaviors in students and increasing citizenship competencies among its participants.

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Enrique Chaux is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia. He leads a research group that studies conflicts, aggression, and bullying as well as the development of socioemotional competencies that promote peaceful relationships among children and adolescents. He led the design and evaluation of Aulas en Paz (Classrooms in Peace), a school-based multicomponent program for the promotion of peaceful relationships and the prevention of aggression. He also led the teams that designed the Colombian National Test of Citizenship Competencies and took part in the team designing the Latin American component of the IEA international test of civic education. Chaux has written several articles and books about aggression, citizenship competencies, and peaceful relationships.