Learning about peace through the Board Game for Peace: Peace Generation Aceh celebrates Earth Care Day 2026
Banda Aceh – Amid a series of commemorative activities for Earth Day, World Environment Day, and World Oceans Day held during Earth Care Day 2026 at Kami KITA Community Center in Banda Aceh on Saturday (June 6, 2026), one activity corner drew the attention of children, teenagers, and adult visitors alike. The activity was Board Game for Peace (BGFP), organized by Peace Generation Indonesia Chapter Aceh (PeaceGen Aceh).
Unlike games designed solely for entertainment, Board Game for Peace serves as an educational medium that encourages participants to learn about the values of peace, tolerance, cooperation, empathy, and social responsibility through an engaging and enjoyable approach. Amid the growing social challenges faced by today’s younger generation, game-based learning has emerged as an effective alternative for instilling positive values without appearing overly didactic.
During the event, visitors enthusiastically participated in various educational game sessions facilitated by PeaceGen Aceh volunteers. Children and teenagers gathered in small groups to discuss, make decisions, and overcome challenges presented throughout the games. The atmosphere was not only competitive but also highly collaborative. Participants learned that success is not always determined by individual abilities, but by the capacity to work together and appreciate differences.
Board Game for Peace itself is a learning method developed to convey messages of peace in a creative way. Through gameplay, participants are invited to explore social situations commonly encountered in everyday life. They learn to recognize conflicts, seek collective solutions, and understand the importance of effective communication in building harmonious relationships.
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PeaceGen Aceh’s participation in Earth Care Day 2026 demonstrates the strong connection between environmental issues and peacebuilding efforts. A healthy environment requires communities that can coexist peacefully. Likewise, sustainable peace depends on collective awareness to protect nature and the resources that serve as our shared living space.
From a social education perspective, activities such as Board Game for Peace play a strategic role in shaping the character of young people. Peace education is often perceived as a theoretical subject taught in classrooms or discussion forums. However, through a game-based approach, participants experience the learning process firsthand. They do not merely hear about the importance of tolerance and cooperation they actively practice these values in realistic, though simulated, situations.
Interestingly, most participants reported gaining new experiences through the games. They not only enjoyed the activities but also absorbed the moral messages embedded within them. The interactions fostered during gameplay encouraged participants to become more open to others’ opinions and more appreciative of the diverse backgrounds represented in the group.
The presence of Board Game for Peace at Earth Care Day also reflects a shift in approaches to education and community development. Today’s youth live in a fast-paced, highly visual digital era. As a result, delivering social messages requires methods that are creative, participatory, and relevant to their lives. Board games provide an effective medium by combining learning, play, and reflection in a single experience.
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More broadly, this initiative can be viewed as part of a larger effort to cultivate a culture of peace in Aceh. As a region with a long history of conflict and peacebuilding, Aceh possesses valuable experience in fostering social reconciliation. The values of peace that have been championed over the years must continue to be passed on to younger generations so that they become not merely a part of history, but a living culture practiced in everyday life.
In this context, organizations such as PeaceGen Aceh play a crucial role. Through various peace education programs, the organization seeks to create inclusive learning spaces for the community. Its approaches extend beyond seminars and formal training sessions to include creative media such as games, public campaigns, and community-based activities.
Earth Care Day 2026 served as an ideal platform for bringing together a variety of important issues within a collaborative space. In addition to environmental education, the event featured discussions on waste management, sustainable lifestyles, environmentally friendly creative economies, and peace education. This collaboration highlights the reality that future challenges cannot be addressed through isolated sectors alone, but require cross-community and cross-disciplinary cooperation.
From a social analysis perspective, Board Game for Peace teaches an important lesson: peace does not emerge instantly. Rather, it is the result of a long process of learning, dialogue, and the consistent practice of positive values in daily life. When children and young people are encouraged to discuss, listen, appreciate differences, and collaborate in solving problems, they are effectively being prepared to become peacebuilders and agents of change in the future.
Furthermore, participants’ engagement in the games demonstrates that character education does not have to take place in formal settings. Simple and enjoyable activities often leave a deeper and more lasting impression. Messages conveyed through direct experience tend to be more easily understood and remembered than those delivered through one-way instruction alone.
