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May 2003
LVEP has grown considerably the past two years in Jamaica.
In 2003 the National Government, through the Ministry of Information, has
revitalized its National Values and Attitudes Consultation after 10 years. This
programme is facilitated through the Ministry of Information with the former
Minister of Education, Minister Burchell Whiteman as Director of Project.
The aim is to establish and sustain an institutional component in which
institutions operate within a values and attitude-based culture. The broader
society is targeted, with island-wide networking and training programmes
recommended to assist with changing the mindset, nurturing sense of self
and reinforcing wholesome values and positive attitudes.
Core Values for immediate focus:
Respect
Honesty and Truthfulness
Forgiveness and Tolerance
Peace and Love
Fairness
LVEP trainings held in Montego Bay and Negril
At the beginning of the year, LVEP, Inc. President, Professor
Edward Wondoloski was invited to Jamaica to facilitate trainings and workshops
for educators and business managers.
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| Negril
Educator Training |
Prof Ed,
Mrs Pike and 'Friend', Mandeville |
Sandals
Resort Training, Montego Bay |
Montego Bay (12 schools)
Educators from 12 Montego Bay Schools attended a two-day
training in January 2003: Cornwall College, Montego Bay Prep, Barracks Road
Primary, Chetwood Primary, Sam Sharpe Teachers' College, Cambridge Primary,
Heart Trust (Granville Vocational Training Centre), Farm Primary and Junior
High, Howard Cooke Primary, Mt Alvernia High, Hemmingay Prep School, Bethel
Primary.
Twenty-eight educators from these schools and the local Ministry of Education
attended a two-day training at Verney House Resort on 23-24 January 2003. This
was the culmination of two years of continuing contact with principals and
guidance counselors and faculty through workshops, personal visits and
conducting programs for students.
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| Prof Ed
"Values are caught not taught" |
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Add a dash
of enthusiasm and stir with love |
Negril (10 schools).
The beautiful Negril Cabins Resort offered complementary use
of their elegant conference facilities on 26-27 January 2003 to 25 educators and
several accompanying students from the following schools: Middlesex Corner
Primary, Kendal Primary, Little London High, Pell River Primary, Sandy Bay
Primary and Jr High, Mt Airy All-Age, Sheffield All Age, Negril All Age, Esher
Primary and Green Island Primary.
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Prof. Ed conducts workshop for educators in Negril |
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The beautiful and peaceful Negril Cabins Resort |
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Students? creative drama on ?Respect.? |
A group hug and ?we?ll feel all right? |
Living Values certificates to the happy graduates |
Meeting with Minister of Education
During Prof. Wondoloski?s visit we met with the new Minister
of Education, Maxine Henry Wilson, and the Assistant for the Youth Division, Dr.
Rhodd. Dr. Rhodd expressed an interest in developing a mentoring project in
Jamaica.
Prof. Ed,
Sharon Chambers and Dr. Rhodd
Negril Schools Enjoy Annual Peace Day
Peace Day, an annual event on the first Tuesday of March, is
sponsored by a national program called the PALS program (Peace and Love in
Schools). Special speakers give presentations on peace. Throughout the island
all communities, media, schools, businesses, etcetera, support this program and
the public is recommended to wear blue or display blue ribbons. Speakers are
invited to give presentations on peace in the schools.
Jamaica LVEP Coordinators visited two schools, Mt Airy and Negril All Age, to
present programs.
Living Values Media Programs
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| National
viewing on Channel 9 TVI as Prof. Ed is interviewed on early morning talk
show "Smile Jamaica" |
Prof. Ed in
hour long interview on
Radio RJR with popular interviewer Ian
Boyne |
LVEP participates in the
"One Love: Big Up the Youth Concerts"
Reggae artist, Abijah, along with American authors Robert and
Julia Roskind (The Gathering of the Healers and Rasta Heart: A Journey
Into One Love) hosted 12 concerts at schools around the island in January
and February.
They again toured Jamaica in May, hosting 20 ?One Love/Big Up the Youths
Concerts? throughout Jamaica. The concerts, which were free of charge, were held
at schools and colleges in Westmoreland, St. Ann's and the Kingston areas. All
musicians volunteered their time.
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Abijah entertains happy children at
Bethel Primary |
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Sharon Chambers opens One Program in Negril |
?The goal of the concerts is to encourage Jamaicans, beginning
with the youths, to be the first country to heal itself by individuals healing
their personal relationships through love and forgiveness,? says concert
organizer Robert Roskind.
?We ask every student attending to forgive as many people as
possible, as soon as possible, as much as possible. Our hope is that with
thousands of youths, and hundreds of thousands in the radio audience hearing
this message, it will begin a wave of One Love and forgiveness spreading over
the island.?
?This is not just a performance,? says Abijah, ?but we
reason with the youths as well. We encourage them to exercise love and
forgiveness in their lives.?
?Basically, what we are doing is bringing one of Jamaica?s greatest assets --
the conscious reggae artists -- to one of its greatest problems -- crime and
despair of its youths,? says Julia Roskind. ?We are only the catalysts
for this.?
The tour will also include a public benefit concert for the Swift Percel Boys &
Lyndon Girls Homes in Highgate, St.Mary, and a home for abandoned and abused
children.
If Jamaica is successful in lowering its crime rate, divorce rate, accident
rate, etc. in the next two years, "One Love" will become Jamaica's message to
the world.
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Local priest and Abijah at Columbus Prep, St Annes Bay |
New principal at Bethel Primary demonstrating One Love |
Number of Sites Using Living Values Education
Total number of sites
22
Impact
Success Story for Peace Day:
?Negril School Forgives Thief on Peace
Day?
Negril, Jamaica. Tuesday, 4 March 2003. Children who
had eagerly awaited participation in their Peace Day celebration at Negril All
Age School, West End, were disappointed because their Peace Day program was
cancelled as a result of a robbery the night before at the school.
When invited guests, LVEP Coordinators Sharon Parris-Chambers and Chirya Risely,
arrived to share Peace Day with the school they were not aware that Mrs.
Wedderburn had cancelled the performance due to a general feeling of low morale.
Chirya offered to talk to the children to uplift their spirits. They were asked
to recall what they had learned from a prior visit of the guests last year, when
they had shared Living Values concepts. Some children replied, ?Soar like an
eagle!? ?Why flap your wings like a chicken??, ?You can float high up in your
balloon!? She reminded the children of the National Values & Attitudes program,
and shared the values to be learned nationwide: respect, peace, love, tolerance,
forgiveness, honesty, truthfulness and fairness.
The school?s
motto for Peace Day was
Chirya asked the students of Mt. Airy to repeat and reflect
on ?Let peace begin with me?. There was a significant reduction in the sadness
and tension amongst the students. Spirits were raised when Ms. Jean Brown,
teacher, led the children and guests in singing peace songs.
Mrs. Wedderburn closed the short program by asking the children to forgive the
thief who robbed the school of its belongings and in effect tried to rob
them of Peace Day.
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| Songs for
Peace |
Reflections
on Peace |
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SUCCESS STORIES from the ?One Love?
Concerts
Bullies:
At each concert, bullies were asked to come forward.
At first they were reluctant (people started pointing them out in the crowd)
until they were reminded that Bob Marley was once a bully -- a gang leader
called Tuff Gong. Then some of the other elder Rastas reasoned with Bob and
transformed him into a messenger of love -- the role God had created for him
(and everyone). The bullies were asked to come forward and commit to now being a
"leader of love" and then, to the applause of the school, many agree and get a
prize.
Statistics: Robert
Roskind: ?The murder rate has been dropping dramatically, almost 15%, (now 26%)
since our tour in January and February. We have no way of knowing what, if any,
of this drop may be due to our efforts but if only one crime is eliminated,
we?re being effective.?
Essay Contests:
Each participating school is invited to discuss One Love
and hold an essay contest before the concert on "How I can increase One Love in
my life." The winner from each grade will read their one page essay at the
concert and be given a prize. After each concert the ongoing effort of
increasing One Love on the campus will be turned over to the student, staff and
faculty of each school, who will be invited to keep the momentum going and
thereby make their school into an example of a "society" healing itself with
love and forgiveness. LVEP will be participating in the follow-up.
?What does one love
mean?" (notes from Damion Campbell:)
- Love others
- Love the self - self respect
- "Do unto others."
- A stitch in time saves nine. Taking care and economical maintenance of
everything.
- Loving everyone the same.
- Loving God
- Unity - United we stand, departed (divided) we fall! We are like a big
hart (heart) broken up so lets unite
- Peace and Happiness
- Universal love
- 'Feeling all right'
- Brotherhood
Promises for Good Behaviour:
To prepare students for the Abijah/Roskind concerts, LVEP
Coordinators visited Mt Airy, Sheffield and Negril All-Age schools in May. Mrs
Guthrie, principal at Mt Airy had scheduled all six formers to come together for
a 90-minute class. Here are some of the promises these 6th formers wrote to
practice for the week leading up to their One Love concert in Negril:
?I promise this week not to get angry? - Samar Jackson
?I will take my sister for a walk and buy her something new.?
- Ameisha Odette Livingston
?Do unto others (so) they they will do to us.? - Julius Henry
?I will not tease or cause any sorrow to anyone.? - Chinsee
Camilea Cerice Higgins
?I will share with everyone.? - Patrian Collie
?I will share and look out for others and have self respect.?
- Shadi Smith
?My promise is to love, help and have one heart to others so
they will do unto me, also to teach people to have 'one heart'.?
?I promise with all my heart to stay away from trouble. And
help others to stay away from trouble. I promise to follow our morning lesson by
looking people in the eyes and smiling with all the other advice you gave me.
Now I know what one love means. It means all the values of life.? - Suzanna
Brooks
?I promise to share with others and have peace and love.? -
Kemar
?I promise to stop tef. (Thiefing or stealing).? -Julius B
?I promise to love others.? - Christina Daye
?I promise to make peace.? - Ewaine Campbell
?What I would like to do this week is to love everyone that's
what God want us to do, live loving.? - Tina Thompson
?I promise not to keep malice with others.? - Petrice
?I promise to share what ever I have with others.? - Tunar
?I promise to love everyone equally.? - J. Janice Henry
?I promise to share.? - Sasha McDowell
?I promise not to say anything bad about anyone.? -- Damion
Campbell
Shhhhh! We
value silence!
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