On a sunny January morning in Limassol, the hall of Leventio Lyceum slowly filled with the sound of chairs scraping, quiet conversations, and the slightly nervous energy that always comes before something new. It was 16 January 2025, and 32 students were about to spend six hours doing something many of them had never experienced before: putting their opinions “on trial” in front of their peers.
The workshop brought together three big ideas – climate change, active citizenship, and peace-making – under one bold statement:
“This house believes that climate justice is a prerequisite for sustainable peace.”
For many, it was the first time they’d seen those words in the same sentence: climate and peace.
Setting the Stage
The team from CITizenact didn’t begin with heavy theory. Instead, they started with something simple: how to express an opinion and how to disagree without attacking the person in front of you.
They walked the students through the basics of debate — how to build an argument, how to listen for what others are really saying, and how to respond in a way that moves the conversation forward rather than shutting it down. You could feel the group slowly leaning in. This wasn’t going to be a lecture; it was an invitation.
Once everyone understood the ground rules, the heart of the activity was introduced: a Mock Trial-style debate built around movement.
One step forward, one step back
Each student was given time to think alone first. No shouting, no rushing – just a few quiet minutes to ask themselves:
- Do I believe climate justice really matters for peace?
- Why?
- What would I say if someone strongly disagrees with me?
Then the debate began.
Those who wanted to speak took a step forward and shared their argument: a concern about inequality, a reference to global conflicts, a question about responsibility. After each contribution, something interesting happened: the room moved.
- If a student agreed with the argument, they took one step forward.
- If they disagreed, they took one step back – and one of them had to voice a rebuttal.
From outside, it must have looked a little like a dance. A line of young people shifting forwards and backwards, closer and further, as ideas travelled across the room. But inside the circle, something deeper was happening: students were watching their positions shift, not just in space, but in their minds.
Some found themselves unexpectedly stepping back from arguments they thought they agreed with. Others realised they were standing closer than they expected to people they rarely talk to at school. The debate wasn’t happening only in words; it was written in distance.
When the room stops moving
The debate continued until there were no more new arguments left, only silence and a room full of people standing in different places.
That’s when the second part began.
The facilitators didn’t ask, “Who won?”
Instead, they asked:
- How did it feel to stand where you stood?
- Did you notice who you were close to? Who you were far from?
- Did you move at any point? Why?
Some students admitted they hadn’t stepped forward earlier because they didn’t feel confident enough to speak. Others realised they had been influenced by friends rather than by the arguments themselves. A few noticed that while they started with a strong opinion, they ended up somewhere more nuanced.
The conversation turned from climate justice to something more subtle: how we decide what we believe, how we show it, and how much we are willing to listen.
More than just a debate
By the end of the six hours, the Mock Trial had become more than a debate exercise. It was:
- a mirror for how young people relate to powerful ideas,
- a way to see agreement and disagreement physically,
- a reminder that peace is not just about ending war, but about how we treat each other when we disagree.
Many students said they had never thought of climate change as an issue of justice before, or as something that could destabilise peace in different parts of the world. Others said the movement aspect helped them feel the debate, not just think it.
Above all, they appreciated that the workshop didn’t ask them to memorise answers, but to try themselves out — their voices, their doubts, their courage to step forward or backward.
Why This Matter
For CitizenACT, this piloting of the Mock Trial tool wasn’t just a test of a method. It was proof that when you give young people space to think, move, and speak freely, they will engage with complex topics like climate justice and peace in ways that are thoughtful, honest, and deeply human.
On that day in Limassol, in the hall of Leventio Lyceum, peace education didn’t look like a textbook. It looked like a group of students taking one step forward, one step back, and learning, with each step, what they stand for.
“The Missing Peace” project is co-funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ Program (Pr. Nr.: KA220-YOU-055CD22D).
Reference:
- The Missing Peace – WP4.A3. – Piloting reports.