Emotionally intelligent citizens: a challenge for educational actors in the mitigation of school violence

Ciudadanos emocionalmente inteligentes: un reto para los actores educativos en la mitigación de la violencia escolar

Introduction. A fundamental aspect of this study is the approach to the theoretical constructs of emotional intelligence from the social and communicative component in the educational context of school violence. One of the determining factors in addressing school violence has been that, in Colombia, emotional intelligence has been working generically, ignoring the individual's communicative processes, which leads to the absence of a clear proposal that allows confronting and mitigating this phenomenon.

Methodology. This article was based on a reflective analysis of literature, focused on the dynamics of relationships from the communicative component of emotional intelligence and its effect on the mitigation of school violence related to cultural and racial segregation in the situation of refugees, displacement and migration under the light of relevant authors and recent research; making a tour of the scientific literature in the approach to school violence, denoting various elements of the social component, which intervene in the communicative dimension of emotional intelligence, such as a safe and welcoming environment, positive intra and interpersonal relationships; which favors the development of skills in communication, emotional management and empathy, highlighting the importance of promoting harmonious relationships between students and teachers, based on effective communication and adequate conflict resolution, in order to mitigate violence at school.

Results. Migration, refugees, and displaced persons have been a constant part of humanity's history and continue to be a reality worldwide. The protection and care of these people continue to be a challenge for the international community and educational actors. On the other hand, school violence is a phenomenon that affects schools in all societies; therefore, it is an issue that gains value in terms of the importance of its mitigation when designing curricular plans and strategies that conceive a comprehensive education.

Discussion and conclusions. Emotional intelligence plays a key role in school coexistence and violence prevention. Educational programs must include teaching socio-emotional skills early so students develop them properly and learn to live peacefully in their school environment.