Call for Promoting Humanistic Education
Dr. Nasser Yousefi
Educator, The Peace School
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Correspondence: Dr. Nasser Yousefi (Email: yosofi.nasser@gmail.com)
Received: September 24, 2025
Accepted: December 15, 2025
Published: December 15, 2025
Abstract
This statement issues an urgent call from The Peace School’s Board of Directors and international Board of Advisors for a worldwide shift toward humanistic, democratic, peace-oriented, and rights-based education. While many educational initiatives endorse one of these ideals, the central argument here is that democracy, peacebuilding, and humanism must be intentionally integrated: democratic structures do not automatically produce peace, and peace-centred programs are not always democratic. Grounded in humanistic psychology and child-rights principles, the statement frames students as present-day rights-holders—seen, heard, and meaningfully involved in shaping their learning alongside educators, families, and communities. It proposes the formation of a Global Network of Humanistic School Advocates to coordinate collaboration among policymakers, educators, academics, and school leaders. The goal is practical and ethical: build learning environments that advance empathy, critical thinking, equity, nonviolence, sustainability, and respect for international human rights commitments, while reducing harmful competitive pressures that can narrow education into mere performance.
Keywords
Child Rights, Critical Thinking, Democratic Education, Education for Peace, Educational Equity, Global Network, Human Dignity, Humanistic Education, Inclusive Education, Nonviolence, Participation Rights, Peacebuilding, Rights-Based Education, Sustainability
Introduction
Education systems everywhere are being asked to do the impossible: raise academic achievement, protect mental health, strengthen social cohesion, and prepare young people for a world of accelerating conflict, misinformation, and ecological strain—while still somehow leaving room for joy, curiosity, and meaning. In that pressure cooker, “better schooling” is often reduced to metrics, compliance, and competition. Yet children are not spreadsheets with backpacks. They are people—rights-holders now, not merely future citizens in storage.
This statement from The Peace School’s Board of Directors and its international Board of Advisors advances a clear proposition: a credible education fit for the twenty-first century must be humanistic, democratic, peace-oriented, and rights-based—and these pillars must be pursued together. Democracy without peacebuilding can normalize adversarial cultures and social exclusion; peace programming without democratic participation can become top-down moral instruction; humanistic ideals without enforceable rights can remain aspirational rhetoric. The Peace School therefore frames its work as an open, collaborative educational philosophy rather than a proprietary model, inviting institutions worldwide to join a shared effort through a Global Network of Humanistic School Advocates.
Within this approach, humanistic education is not sentimentalism; it is a structured commitment to dignity, inclusion, and whole-person development across intellectual, social, cultural, and emotional life. Students are encouraged to cultivate empathy and critical inquiry, to speak and be heard, to participate in shaping learning content and community norms, and to pursue solutions to real problems with an ethic of nonviolence and human rights. Families and local communities are treated as partners rather than spectators. The overarching aim is straightforward and demanding: build educational environments that nurture minds and hearts while aligning everyday school practice with the universal principles articulated in child-rights and democratic-culture frameworks.
Main Text (Article)
Title: Call for Promoting Humanistic Education
Author: Dr. Nasser Yousefi
Dr. Nasser Yousefi is a psychologist and education specialist. He has been working with children for over three decades and for the past twenty years has been managing a humanistic school.
The Peace School’s Board of Advisors and Board of Directors are issuing an urgent call to promote humanistic, democratic, peace-oriented, and rights-based education worldwide.
We invite policymakers, educators, academics, and school leaders to join this important movement and become part of the Global Network of Humanistic School Advocates, a collaborative effort to advance inclusive and values-based education for all children.
Together, we can amplify this message, inspire change, and create a global community committed to education that nurtures both minds and hearts. We encourage all supporters to share this call within their communities and professional networks.
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We, as a group of experts in the field of child education and advisors at The Peace School, invite all educational institutions to join us in promoting democracy, peacebuilding, and humanism. The Peace School in Canada warmly invites all educational centers, professionals, organizations, and individuals who are passionate about fostering a culture of peace to engage in meaningful collaboration.
Though we are an independent school based in Ontario, Canada, we do not define ourselves by the walls of a building or the limited number of students in a remote corner of the world. The Peace School has officially introduced itself as a school rooted in humanistic psychology and an alternative, human-centred approach to education and committed to providing equitable and inclusive learning opportunities for all students, without discrimination.
Humanistic education is a pedagogical approach founded on respect for human dignity and the diverse individual, social, cultural, and group differences of all learners. It emphasizes the holistic development of each student within their closer and wider communities, while fostering empathy, freedom, and a sense of meaning in the learning journey. This approach views the child not merely as a recipient of knowledge but as a full and active human being. A child who needs to be seen, heard, and given space to thrive. In a humanistic system, students have the right to choose and participate in planning and shaping the content of their learning alongside educators, families, and their local communities.
We are a democratic, peace-oriented, rights-based and humanistic school.
Yet we believe that being democratic alone does not guarantee peace, and peace-centred systems are not always inherently democratic. That’s why we emphasize the importance of uniting three guiding principles: democracy, peacebuilding, and humanism. Together, they can lead us to a better world.
The Peace School’s Board of Directors and its international Board of Advisors (comprised of some of the most respected experts in the field) believe that our vision and programs should not be confined to our school alone, but need to actively engage and collaborate with like-minded institutions and organizations.
Our educational philosophy is open to all schools and learning institutions.
We do not see our work as being in competition with any educational organization. Rather, we genuinely invite all institutions, professionals, and educational leaders worldwide to join us in promoting schools that are peaceful, humanistic, and democratic.
What Can Humanistic Schools Offer?
We want to prepare the world to be a better place for everyone.
We empower students to practice empathy, compassion, cooperation, and love for humanity. We go beyond memorization, helping students engage with learning that is shaped by life. We respect individual needs while prioritizing collective well-being.
We empower students to ask questions, think critically, create boldly, and seek just solutions to real-life challenges.
We practice equity and fairness with all students, in both content and relationships. We free students from the stress of competition, comparison, grading, and the obsession with individual success at any cost.
We give students the chance to speak, express opinions, pursue dreams, and take part in shaping their own educational journey.
We invite families to be active participants in shaping content, organizing curriculum, and co building progressive education.
We prepare learners to lead lives based on nonviolence, sustainability, and respect for all international human rights and peace treaties.
We believe this vision can lead us to a future where policymakers and global leaders put human dignity and collective well-being at the heart of every plan and policy.
We deeply believe in the transformative power of education to build a peaceful future. And to reach that future, we must begin today, together.
Join Us
We invite you to be a part of this movement.
Contact us
info@thepeaceschool.com
Share your skills, your expertise, your passion.
Together, we can build the schools and the future, the future the world truly needs.
Names of Experts, Alphabetically Arranged:
Clements, Je’anna, Author and expert on peace and democracy education. South Africa Dowling, Georga, Professional in Early Childhood Education. Ireland
Dunn, Theresa, Peace Professional & Community. Canada
Dr. Firth, Rhiannon, Professor of Sociology of Education , England
Fisher, Hannah, an international film programmer. Canada
Fransham, Richard, Lead Education Specialist and Director of Uniting for Children and Youth. Canada
Groiss, Gabriel, Lead Specialist in Democratic Education. Germany
Graner, Henning, Lead Specialist in Democratic Education. Germany
Heidari, Vida, Children’s art specialist. Canada
Ibrahim, Iman, Author, Expert in Life Coaching, Leadership and Conflict Resolution, Canada
Jacobsen, Scott Douglas, Author, editor‑in‑chief and publisher. Canada
Jelenic, Shalie, practitioner of yoga philosophy. Canada
Dr. Mansouri, Arash, entrepreneur and technology leader. Canada
Dr. Moreno-Romero, Charlie, Lead Specialist in Democratic Education, Estonia
Dr. Müller, Frank J., Professor of Inclusive Education. Germany
Parcher, Simon, President, Humanist Perspectives Magazine. Canada
Dr. Robertson, Lloyd Hawkeye, Lead Professor of Counselling Psychology. Canada Uesugi, Yuko, Global and Bilingual Education Expert. Japan
Yousefi, Baran, Health Policy and Management Specialist. Canada
Dr. Yousefi, Nasser, Specialist in Humanistic education. Canada
Note: This statement draws upon the theoretical perspectives of prominent psychologists and humanistic education scholars, including Carol Rogers, Abraham Maslow, Paulo Freire, and Loris Malaguzzi.
Discussion
This statement presents humanistic education as a practical response to current educational and social pressures: polarization, violence, inequity, and systems that reward competition over community. Its central contribution is the insistence that democracy, peacebuilding, and humanism should be treated as an integrated framework rather than separate agendas. Participation without dignity can become coercive; peace without rights can become silence; humanism without civic structure can remain personal rather than institutional.
The Peace School’s proposed global network functions as an organizing mechanism for shared standards, mutual learning, and coordinated advocacy. By emphasizing student voice, family participation, nonviolence, inclusion without discrimination, and whole-child development, the call reframes schooling as a human rights project with measurable ethical obligations. The list of international advisors also signals an intent to build legitimacy through expertise and cross-cultural engagement, while maintaining a non-competitive, collaborative posture toward other educational institutions.
Methods
This is an authored public-policy commentary grounded in publicly available reporting and institutional indicators. It underwent light editorial review for clarity, grammar, and house style, with targeted verification of major institutional claims where source documents were identifiable.
Data Availability
No datasets were generated or analyzed for this article. Claims and contextual indicators are drawn from publicly available institutional publications and reporting.
References
United Nations. (1989). Convention on the Rights of the Child. Treaty Series, 1577, 3.
UNESCO, Futures of Education Report – Reimagining our futures together: A new social contract for education, 2021
Council of Europe, Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture, 2016
UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Report on the right to education – Securing the right to education: advances
Journal & Article Details
Publisher: In-Sight Publishing
Web Domain: http://www.in-sightpublishing.com
Location: Fort Langley, Township of Langley, British Columbia, Canada
Journal: In-Sight: Interviews
Review Status: Non-Peer-Reviewed
Access: Electronic/Digital & Open Access
Fees: None (Free)
Volume Numbering: 13
Issue Numbering: 4
Section: B
Theme Type: Discipline
Theme Premise: Human Rights/Social Policy
Individual Publication Date: December 15, 2025
Issue Publication Date: January 1, 2026
Author(s): Dr. Nasser Yousefi
Word Count: 972
Image Credits: Nasser Yousefi
ISSN: 2369-6885
Acknowledgements
None stated.
Author Contributions
Dr. Nasser Yousefi wrote the article as sole author. Light editorial review and formatting were applied for house style.
Competing Interests
The author declares no competing interests.
License & Copyright
In-Sight Publishing by Scott Douglas Jacobsen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
© Scott Douglas Jacobsen and In-Sight Publishing 2012–Present.
Unauthorized use or duplication of material without express permission from Scott Douglas Jacobsen is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links must use full credit to Scott Douglas Jacobsen and In-Sight Publishing with direction to the original content.
Supplementary Information
Below are various citation formats for Call for Promoting Humanistic Education (Dr. Nasser Yousefi, December 15, 2025).
American Medical Association (AMA 11th Edition)
Yousefi N. Call for Promoting Humanistic Education. December 15, 2025;13(4). http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/call-for-promoting-humanistic-education
American Psychological Association (APA 7th Edition)
Yousefi, N. (2025, December 15). Call for promoting humanistic education. In-Sight: Interviews, 13(4). In-Sight Publishing. http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/call-for-promoting-humanistic-education
Brazilian National Standards (ABNT)
YOUSEFI, N. Call for Promoting Humanistic Education. In-Sight: Interviews, Fort Langley, v. 13, n. 4, 15 dez. 2025. Disponível em: http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/call-for-promoting-humanistic-education
Chicago/Turabian, Author-Date (17th Edition)
Yousefi, Nasser. 2025. “Call for Promoting Humanistic Education.” In-Sight: Interviews 13 (4). http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/call-for-promoting-humanistic-education.
Chicago/Turabian, Notes & Bibliography (17th Edition)
Yousefi, Nasser. “Call for Promoting Humanistic Education.” In-Sight: Interviews 13, no. 4 (December 15, 2025). http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/call-for-promoting-humanistic-education.
Harvard
Yousefi, N. (2025) ‘Call for Promoting Humanistic Education’, In-Sight: Interviews, 13(4), 15 December. Available at: http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/call-for-promoting-humanistic-education.
Harvard (Australian)
Yousefi, N 2025, ‘Call for Promoting Humanistic Education’, In-Sight: Interviews, vol. 13, no. 4, 15 December, viewed 15 December 2025, http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/call-for-promoting-humanistic-education.
Modern Language Association (MLA, 9th Edition)
Yousefi, Nasser. “Call for Promoting Humanistic Education.” In-Sight: Interviews, vol. 13, no. 4, 2025, http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/call-for-promoting-humanistic-education.
Vancouver/ICMJE
Yousefi N. Call for promoting humanistic education [Internet]. 2025 Dec 15;13(4). Available from: http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/call-for-promoting-humanistic-education
Note on Formatting
This document follows an adapted Nature-style research-article format tailored for public-facing analysis and commentary: Abstract, Keywords, Introduction, Main Text (Article), and Discussion, followed by transparency sections (Methods, Data Availability, References, and publication metadata).
#ChildRights #criticalThinking #DemocraticEducation #EducationForPeace #EducationalEquity #GlobalNetwork #humanDignity #HumanisticEducation #inclusiveEducation #Nonviolence #ParticipationRights #Peacebuilding #RightsBasedEducation #sustainability
