In Brazil over 500 street educators have taken the LVEP training since September of 2003, and have served more than 10,000 street children. They are using all three of LVEP?s Living Values Activities for Street Children books. Rodrigo Brito, LVE Coordinator for the trainings for street educators reports: ?Educators of institutions caring for at-risk children and street children, with a strong history of violence in their lives, were trained. As initial results, educators report a significant improvement in almost all behaviour items included in the evaluation: groups of teens with a history of permanent conflict have achieved for the first time being able to discuss their differences, cooperate with each other and love each other. The youth are interested in continuing the programme. The improvement in self-esteem of the children, and a new attitude in the educators, are very much visible.?

Verqu?ia Greg?io shared her experience working with some of the most aggressive and violent street youth, 16 to 20 years old, in Sao Vicente, Brazil, at FEBEM, an institution for delinquent minors. ?Just after the first lesson we could feel a lighter atmosphere at the place. And since that moment, the young men always asked for the continuity of the Programme, saying, in their way of expressing themselves: ?? these classes came to bring us some peace??, ??after you, mistress, began with these lessons, the prison became lighter ?? As the boys were making contact with the activities of the Programme, one could notice better cooperation and understanding among them and between them and the professionals. The feeling of revolt, previously always present, began to extinguish and one could see clearly the boys feeling safer and more self-confident. The other people working with these young men (psychologists, social workers, educators, directors and even security agents) said that the boys were experiencing real transformation. Although we have worked with the programme only for two months, applying three lessons per week, the progress of the boys showed evidence of how much the Programme brings effective results.?

Marilda Fonseca, Coordinator for Obra Social de Par?uia S? Mateus Ap?tolo reports: ?In March 2004, another educator and I were looking for training possibilities to help teenagers in the street situation. It was then we made contact with Living Values Education, and went to the presentation workshop. During the training programme we had the opportunity to look inside ourselves and realize that the first change would have to be our change, to feel that we were valuable, and so, equipped with this powerful ?weapon? that is the educational presence in the students life, we accepted the challenge of applying the Living Values Activities with the children and teenagers. Each one in his unit has reproduced what he or she had lived and felt in the training programme. In one group of young girls with a history of very intense violence, the group stopped beating each other, before that we were obliged everyday to stop a struggle among them. In the Cr?hes we implemented the Peace Corner. When the children were not well they were invited to go there and receive love. This has changed the feeling of punishment and the educators changed to see the child as a being in process of developing as he/she really is; we saw that all the educators became involved in the perception that the children need love and that we can transform them through love. In 2005 the Living Values Programme for Street Children has been incorporated in the planning of Obra Social with the goal of implementing it in all units of the organization; each unit has advanced in its own rhythm, some more, others less, but all of them with fantastic experiences of change. In all of our meetings we are now using the songs and some dynamics of LVEP, and the results are surprising. We find that the educators changed their view in relation to their own lives and also in relation to their students, they are now more receptive and nurturing. We are meeting every month, all the educators already trained in LVEP, 26 new educators, 9 of our organization and others from NGOs in our region that have been trained. We, from the Obra Social de S? Mateus, define the LVE Programme as a proposal characterized by simplicity, inexpensive to apply, only demanding good will from those who apply it. Those who receive it gain peace, love and the possibility of recognizing him or herself as a very important being for our humanity.?

?Africans have this thing called UBUNTU. It is about the essence of being human ? it is part of the gift that Africa will give the world. It embraces hospitality, caring about others, being able to go the extra mile for the sake of others. We believe that a person is a person through other persons, that my humanity is caught up, bound up, inextricably, with yours. When I dehumanise you, I inexorably dehumanise myself.?

Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Recognising the rich heritage of positive human values found within African societies, LVE does not seek to impose values so much as to draw on and reinforce those which already exist in every individual and every society. Local educators are encouraged to adapt LVEP resource materials and activities to ensure relevance to different cultural contexts and environments.

Training seminars took place in Burundi in April 2005 and in Rwanda in May 2005 (full reports can be found on the relevant country web pages). At the beginning of each seminar, participants (who included educators in the widest sense ? teachers, inspectors, religious leaders, representatives of Ministries, UN Agencies and NGOs working with street children) reflected on the special, unique values of their country: values that have defined the character of its people and given pride to the nation. It was agreed that these values are essential for the future but are quickly being lost to materialistic, individualistic values.

Many children and youth in these countries have been afflicted by violence, resulting in a general lack of respect toward themselves, adults, and society. There are growing problems of street children, ex-child soldiers, orphans and so on. LVE is establishing partnerships with Ministries of Education, UN Agencies and NGOs so that the Living Values Education can be integrated into already existing projects, school curricula etc. Additionally, the Swiss Association for Living Values has obtained the generous support of a number of foundations in Switzerland. A strategy is currently being developed to support the ongoing training of teachers in values-based education throughout the region.

Children and adults enjoyed a Living Values Education Summer Camp for the second year in Hungary. Zsofia Fried, the LVE Coordinator for Hungary, reports: ?This summer from 11 to 17 July, two teachers from the B?yai J?os primary school in ?d and their husbands organized a very successful Living Values summer camp for the second time. This year, 22 eleven- and twelve-year olds attended. One of the teacher?s husbands taught yoga. The colourful and attractive programme included LVEP activities focused on peace and respect, yoga lessons, creative art lessons and free-time activities. Some of the activities the children enjoyed the most were, having a secret friend (they wrote positive letters to them, gave small presents etc.), conflict resolution techniques, drama playing (they did the united Colours of the Rainbow), peace poem writing, and learning the song "Ebony and Ivory" by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder. At the end of the camp each student received a certificate with some praising sentences. Both students and teachers loved being together and it is to be continued. . . .?

Rula Kahil, the LVE Coordinator for Lebanon, was asked by one of the Lebanese TV channels, Future TV, to talk about LVEP on one of their programmes. The programme, AAELATY (My Family), deals with different issues that relate to parents, couples and children. Rula agreed to do a small section called ?ideas and suggestions? once a week for eight minutes. The plan is to introduce specific skills used in LVEP that can help parents and children communicate positively and in values-based ways. Children will role-model skills while Rula comments on what the audience sees in the studio. Four episodes have been done so far and two of them broadcast. The first two episodes explained the nature of LVEP and what is happening worldwide. Four more episodes were shot focusing on the importance of active listening and conflict mediation. The audience saw mothers and children acting out the skills of focus. Suggestions were given to mothers concerning the skills; the children interviewed gave input to the parents on what they want from the adults. The coming episodes will cover skills from Living Values Parent Groups: A Facilitator Guide. Some will focus on ?Positive and Moral Discipline?, ?Time to Be?, ?Time Out? etc. Children will continue to be involved in the programme as they are the connection to the adults, the audience.

Another milestone occurring in Lebanon was the inclusion of LVEP in a diploma course for teachers. University instructor Marlene Najjar attended an LVEP session a year ago in the southern part of Lebanon. After many meetings with Rula Kahil, she introduced the Programme as part of her course for teaching diploma students at Balamand University in the north of Lebanon. According to Marlene, the rationale behind including LVEP was: ?Students who are attending the course (Ed. 227) are to become future teachers. Their attitudes, behaviour and awareness will have a strong impact on the children/students when they start their career. Through the values research that was incorporated in the course given in the academic year 2004-2005, those students had the chance to reflect on different values and produce activities that reinforced their understanding and reflection on values education. Taking LVEP as a model, we focused on two of its aims:

1. Deepening ?understanding, motivation, and responsibility with regard to making positive personal and social choices?.

2. Inspiring ?individuals to choose their own personal, social, moral, and spiritual values and be aware of practical methods for developing and deepening them?.

Among the variety of activities provided by LVEP, lessons taught focused on social skill activities that require teachers to teach and model conflict resolution skills. Through those activities students were asked to look at prejudices and generate positive responses in social interactions.?

According to Marlene, her students deeply grappled with the reflection points that are in the Living Values Education Activity books along with the activities under each of the values. Her students did a variety of activities. Some examples: On Simplicity, students deeply reflected and interviewed others. They decided, ?Our conclusion is to abandon all that we have and avoid having more than what we need and use. The more we have the more complicated our lives will be. We do not need to buy jewellery to be happy; I can reuse what I have to make simple things.? In order to prove their point, students made necklaces and bracelets, frames and bags out of sticks and matches! On Happiness, a group of students interviewed different people from different backgrounds on the streets and at the university. They asked each person the question ?What is happiness for you?? They concluded that happiness is relative depending on the situation and case.

A Regional Conference and three-day training course on Values Education for a Global Culture was held at the International Conference Centre in Grand Bay, Mauritius from 13th to 16th July 2005. Hosted by the Mauritius Institute of Education (MIE), in collaboration with the Association for Living Values Education International (ALIVE) and ALIVE Mauritius, the Conference was opened by the newly-appointed Minister of Education and Human Resources and drew an audience of several hundred dignitaries, educationists and concerned members of society. Distinguished speakers included Rokhaya Diawara, on behalf of UNESCO-Breda, Senegal, and members of the International Advisory Committee of ALIVE International. The Conference provided a wonderful prelude to the three-day training in which some 80 overseas delegates participated, coming from China, France, Hungary, India, Israel, Lebanon, Madagascar, Senegal, Seychelles, Spain, Switzerland, South Africa, UK and USA, in addition to a tremendous group of local educators.

As well as making a significant contribution to values education in Africa, the event highlighted the very substantial ongoing values education work in Mauritius. Mila Ramgoolam, a pillar of strength for LVE in Mauritius, reports on some of the outcomes:

• MIE, the sole national provider of teacher education and an independent non-profit institution, is to become the seat of the Association for Living Values Education of Mauritius (ALIVE, Mauritius).

• The MIE will set up a Department for Living Values Education in order: to contribute to the meeting of national, regional and global needs in this regard and provide enhanced values-based learning opportunities for literacy and numeracy for all: to provide training of teachers in the use of varied LVEP methodologies; to promote a culture of multi-culturalism in mixed ability classrooms; to promote citizenship for the digital age; and, to integrate values in all formal school curricula.

• MIE will cooperate with the Ministry of Education and Human Resources, PSSA, BEC, School Management, PTAs and other partners to; increase participation in LVE programmes; address specific socio-economic and health issues, such as drug abuse, exploitation of the vulnerable, alcoholism, sex and gender-related issues and economic depravity; enhance support for LVE in the wider community; and, encourage teachers and parents to become role models for Living Values Education.

• ALIVE Mauritius will seek to collaborate with international organisations including UNESCO-BREDA to establish a regional values education network.

• ALIVE Mauritius proposes, in the first instance, to work in close partnership with the University of South Africa, which has already established a Department of Values Education.

Heartfelt thanks from the Living Values Education team to the MIE and all its staff for their initiative, vision, hard work and diligence, without which the events would not have been the great success they were!

The LVE team in the Philippines recently sent an update on activities there: ?While LVEP has been implemented in the Philippines since 1999, a new phase began in 2003 with the collaborative effort of the Coalition for Better Education (CBE), the Archdiocese of Cebu through its Superintendent for Catholic Schools, the Institute for Peace and Values-Centred Leadership (IPVCL), the Federation of PTAs of Cebu Catholic Schools (FPTACCS) and the Brahma Kumaris. The partnership among these institutions has given birth to ALIVE, Advocates for Living Values Education, Inc. Their work is currently primarily centred in Cebu City, Southern Philippines. With the active cooperation, zeal, enthusiasm and interest of these organizers, a strong foundation of LVEP in Cebu City has been established.

The ALIVE Philippines team has given many LVEP Educator Trainings. 324 teachers have been trained from a variety of universities and schools. 926 people were involved in community-based LVEP trainings, including student teachers, caregivers, student council officers, student leaders, academic support staff and administrative and sales staff. One outgrowth of training about 400 practice teachers (fourth-year college students) of Cebu Normal University was that they organized themselves to conduct follow-ups and generate updates. They elected their own officers and called themselves ACTIVE, the Association of Concerned Teachers in Values Education, Cebu.

More than 2,500 parents participated in LVEP Parent Workshops. And approximately 8,000 participants and public viewers were involved in four events in 2004 and 2005: an International Day of Peace programme, which included a parade; a United National Day Programme: Pasko sa Plaza Programme with the Cebu City Government; and a programme called Feeding Body, Mind and Spirit. The latter programme was held on the grounds of the Cebu Normal University in cooperation with RCCPC, the Gochinghai Foundation and Rotaract.

Additionally, just this September and October there was a special LVEP Training for School Administrators and an U.N. International Day of Peace Programme was sponsored by LVEP ALIVE ? Cebu. At the latter, ten colleges and universities, both public and private, participated in a Peace Rally and programme. An International Values Boulevard was constructed along one of the busiest streets of Cebu City. The names of values were written boldly on the concrete walls fronting the Cebu Normal University. It was a beautiful sight, and a magical event.?

Prof Ed Wondoloski, the President of LVEP, Inc. in the USA visited Warsaw this summer. On 28 August, the Polish LVE team hosted a half-day session with Professor Wondoloski titled ?Sincere Intentions in Education.? The group of educators who attended came from schools, non-profit foundations for children and an actors? college. Health professionals and media representatives also attended. The session included an introductory section on the purpose and context of LVEP as well as a workshop on values. The meeting ended with dinner during which the participants exchanged their views about LVEP and planned how to implement the programme more widely in Poland. The Living Values Education series of books has recently been published in Polish.

A beautiful retreat centre built in the style of an old monastery and set in rolling wooded hills above Lake Geneva provided the atmosphere for a personal journey of exploration during a weekend training course in values-based education offered by a team of Living Values Education trainers with experience not only in local Swiss schools but also in France, Costa Rica and West Africa.

Guest facilitator Neil Hawkes, board member of ALIVE and one of the founders of Living Values Education, has a wealth of experience as a teacher, principal, chief education adviser and Local Education Authority officer in the United Kingdom. He has developed an educational philosophy that seeks to empower the teacher and the school through a process of reflection that emphasises success and quality. Neil is quick to emphasise that values-based education promotes high standards whilst developing the individual qualities of adults and pupils.

Overflowing with enthusiasm and humour, Neil illustrated a variety of ways of implementing values education in schools. Participants especially appreciated a session on ?Being a Values Educator? which focused on the importance of taking time out for the self (of ?being? as much as ?doing?), of reflecting on and developing personal qualities, and recognising that the educator, as much as the student, needs to be loved, valued and understood.

The educators of Kasem Pittaya School decided to apply for the annual royal award offered by the Ministry of Education after two years of implementing Living Values Education Programme. The story began with all the teachers from the school attending a three-day LVEP Educator Training at Kasem Bundit University in April 2003. The school began to integrate LVEP school-wide in May 2003. The principal set up a Living Values Education room for students and arranged extra hours for each class to come in and take LVEP lessons. After two years, the school was evaluated according to the criteria set up by a committee from the Ministry. Student performance in morality had improved at a high level and they achieved the required standard in this area and in many others. The school was given the annual Royal Award for 2005 by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn on June 13, 2005. The Principal said LVEP had contributed a very important part in uplifting teachers, students and the general atmosphere of the school.

Ms. Ratri Kamkiti, the school?s head of Academic Affairs, reported: ?Due to LVEP, the students? moral behaviour has improved. They became better persons and can live with others happily and peacefully. There?s no more fighting in the school. They learned to forgive and act calmly. They are better in terms of honesty, tolerance, cooperation and compassion, and they have good manners. They have more respect for seniors, juniors, friends, parents and teachers. They became more enthusiastic to learn. All the students love the LVEP lessons and enjoy themselves a lot in taking part in LVEP activities.?

Ms. Ratri Kamkiti also told the following story: ?The conflict resolution technique proved to be effective. There were two girls who disliked each other for some time; this soon escalated into a fight. They beat each other in a restroom and so I used the conflict resolution method with them. Now they no longer fight and have become close friends. They are together most of the time now.?

Ms. Sriwan Saifah, the Principal of Kasem Pittaya School, indicated improvement in all areas on the whole school indicator form. There were gains in student attendance, student tardiness, the transient rate, and teacher attendance. There were academic gains in reading, language and math. On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being outstanding, she rated the school before implementing LVEP as 5 in school climate, 6 in student courtesy, 5 in caring and respect, and 6 in staff cooperation. After one year, the respective ratings were 7, 7, 8 and 8. After two years of implementing LVEP, the ratings were 8 in school climate, 8 in student courtesy, 9 in caring and respect, and 9 in staff cooperation. She noted that the school would like to share this experience and greatly appreciates LVEP?s benefits for children, society and the world at large.

Trish Summerfield, who heads the LVE team in Vietnam, facilitated the first two-day training for parents and caregivers to be held in Vietnam. It took place on 14th and 15th October 2005 and she reported: ?The changes in attitude and reduction in stress levels right from the first morning were very evident. Parents commented following the training that they felt that they gained valuable tools to use with their children and that they would listen to their children and use 'Timeout' instead of physically beating the children (a common method of discipline here). We plan to facilitate regular trainings for parents in Hanoi.?

Please also send us:

• your success stories in using Living Values for the Impact section of our Web site;

• photographs for the News section of our Web site; and

• students only, your stories, experiences, feelings and inspirations about Living Values for the Children Participate section of our Web site.

Anyone within your organization can subscribe to Living Values e-News by sending a message to subscribe@livingvalues.net with the following text in the subject line: subscribe newsletter

If you have any questions about this newsletter, please contact news@livingvalues.net

Let us know what you think about Living Values e-News. Please contact us with your questions and comments about Living Values: An Educational Program, as follows:

feedback  |  content  |  training  |  news  |  webmaster

We'd like to share your comments with other readers, so please let us know if you want your comments kept confidential and we will then omit your name. 

Please visit Living Values Education's Web site at www.livingvalues.net

TO REMOVE YOURSELF FROM OUR E-MAIL LIST:

Kindly send a message to remove@livingvalues.net with the following text in the subject line: unsubscribe