Human rights, conflict transformation, and peace building: The state, NGOs, social movements, and civil society---the struggle for power, social justice and social change

The purpose of this inquiry was to investigate the role, experiences and perceptions of popular educators actively involved in civil society, non-governmental organizations, and social movements to bring about social transformation. This research answered questions regarding the causes of the conflict, the learning experiences of popular educators, and their educational strategies.;Conflict perspective guides this research. This study filled the gap in the research by including the voices of popular educators regarding their actions that promote just peace. In this inductive study, the data collection methods include participant observation, interviews and self-report, focus groups, artifacts, and archival document analysis. For its data analysis, this research used open coding from which themes emerged and a grounded theory was generated, which shed new light upon the phenomenon.;Data analysis reveals that there are historical and social problems that lead to conflict, dissent, repression, and armed hostilities. Using a human rights-based social change framework that promotes social justice, popular educators working at the grassroots level promote sustainable peace. Examples of such activities include advocacy, development work, relief work for survivors of human rights violations and armed conflict, welfare, and volunteer community service, such as interfaith sports and dance activities and environmental protection. These activities promote social justice, human rights, inter-ethnic and interfaith understanding, environmental concern, and the cessation of the culture of war.;These findings have implications for policy, research and practitioners. Funding agencies may consider providing more assistance to civil-society projects that promote social justice. As practitioners, popular educators must not focus on abstract concepts. Rather, they must continue to respond to actually existing contexts grounded on the historical, economic, political, and cultural situations and needs. The Ty spiral development model grounded on the data will be useful for policy makers, academicians, and practitioners when they conduct social analysis with a view to engage in concrete actions that promote social transformation. This research argues that ordinary people working at the grassroots level matter, as they are the ones who struggle against injustice to bring about positive social change.