Welcome to the sixteenth
issue of Living Values e-News, the electronic newsletter of Living
Values .
Throughout human history
there have been times of peace, respect and freedom, and times of violence,
abuse, intolerance and discrimination. But it is clear that even when there
has not been war the seeds of conflict have often been taking root in people?s
minds, highlighting the need for real, well-founded peace among individuals,
groups and nations. In this context, the United Nations has been calling
for a Culture of Peace ? a set of values, attitudes, traditions, modes
of behaviour and ways of life based on such fundamentals as respect, equality,
freedom, justice, tolerance, cooperation, dialogue and understanding.
The United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is coordinating efforts for
a Culture of Peace and there can be no doubt of the role to be played in
this regard by education: that process by means of which individuals and
groups learn to develop the whole of their personal capacities, attitudes,
aptitudes and knowledge. Education must fulfill many aims but it fails
if its outcome is an individual who is intelligent, skilled and knowledgeable
but unable to live, work and get on with others. We must not just learn
about, for example, peace, respect and responsibility but also to be peaceful,
respectful and responsible. Achieving this requires that effective, broad-based
and meaningful values education has a time-tabled place at all levels within
the school curriculum. The materials and support that Living Values offers
to educators are intended to help make this possible and it is clear that
such an education is directly conducive to the development of the values
that a Culture of Peace depends on.
LVE is therefore pleased
to be working with UNESCO in this regard, as our lead story below explains
in greater detail, while stories such as that from Kenya clearly illustrate
the difference that values education can make to the life of an individual.
And it is in this way, individual by individual, that the firm foundations
of a lasting culture of peace are built.
The LVE website - at livingvalues.net
- warmly welcomes hearing from educators with one or two success stories
(or even not-so-successful stories!) of values activities that they've
tried in their classroom. So read on .... and, as ever, we hope that you'll
do more than just read: please also send us your news - and go out and
make some news!
LVE's series of Living
Values Activities books is published by Health Communications, Inc.
In each newsletter we bring into focus one of the values explored by LVE,
excerpting from this award-winning series selected ideas and activities
on each value. In the last edition the focus was on honesty;
this edition focuses on
humility.
A
person who embodies humility will make the effort to listen to and accept
others. The greater the acceptance of others, the more that person will
be held in high esteem, and the more that person will be listened to. One
word spoken in humility has the significance of a thousand words.
The word humility is not
being defined in this unit as meekness, self-abasement, nor eating humble
pie. The value of humility was chosen for inclusion in this Programme because
?living? this value allows one to be more stable in self-respect and hence
freer from the entrapment of arrogance. An antonym for humility is arrogance.
Arrogance, with its accompanying need for power, often results in insensitivity
and frequent upheavals. Imagine being able to negotiate the challenges
of the world, stable in self-respect?..
Reflection Points
from Living Values Activities for Young Adults, Humility Unit.
Humility is based on self-respect.
With self-respect there is knowledge
of one?s own strengths. With the balance of self-respect and humility there
is an acceptance and appreciation of one?s qualities from the inside.
Humility allows the self to
grow with dignity and integrity ? not needing the proof of an external
show.
Humility makes arrogance disappear.
Humility allows lightness in
the face of challenges.
Humility as a value ? at its
highest ? allows selflessness and dignity in working for a better world.
A person with humility listens
to and accepts others.
Humility is staying stable and
maintaining power on the inside and not needing to control others on the
outside.
Humility eliminates the possessiveness
that builds walls of arrogance.
Humility allows one to be great
in the hearts of others.
Humility creates an open mind
and recognition of the strengths of the self and others. Arrogance damages
or destroys valuing the uniqueness of others, and hence is a subtle violation
of their fundamental rights.
The tendency to impress, dominate
or limit the freedom of others in order to prove yourself diminishes the
inner experience of worth, dignity and peace of mind.
You can read an excerpt on humility
from Living Values: A Guidebook to stimulate thought; please click as indicated
below for activities on Humility for Parents, Children and Young Adults.
Young adults may wish to explore a few of the ideas with family or friends
while parents may wish to take up some of the activities with their children.
And do let
us know how you get on or if you've got other experiences or activities
you'd like to share!
"In
a dark hour of our century, during the final convulsions of the bloodiest
tragedy in the history of mankind, we saw a light shining over San Francisco.
When we became Members of the United Nations, we all undertook, before
our consciences, to feed that flame, to maintain it and to spread the ideals
it inspires."
Mr. Amintore Fanfani,
President of the Twentieth
Session of the UN General Assembly,
September, 1965
Australia:
LVE Teacher and Parent Training 14th to 16th June 2002,
Leura,
Blue Mountains, NSW
This two-day event for principals,
parents, Education Department officials, university lecturers and teachers
will offer two streams - one for teachers and one for parents - and make
use of reflective exercises, group discussions, structured information
sessions, scenario enactments and small group work. Commencing on the evening
of Friday 14th June, it will conclude after lunch on Sunday 16th June and
take place at the Brahma Kumaris' Centre for Spiritual Learning in the
midst of spectacular Blue Mountains bushland.
The content of the Teacher
Training stream will include:
Creating a vision of a values
based education setting;
Exploring the LVE Material;
Teaching the LVE Material;
Evaluating LVE (current research
in progress);
Support and networking; and
Implementation Strategies.
The parent stream will demonstrate
how a personal understanding of values, and how they influence behaviour,
is an important part of being a parent. Participants will have the opportunity
to explore and identify their own values in a non-threatening and safe
environment; methods to help put those values into practice, and values-based
parenting, will be profiled in the context of LVE.
Australia:
LVE Training 2nd to 5th May 2002, Frankston
South, near Melbourne, Victoria
A three and a half-day LVE Training will commence on the evening of Thursday 2nd May and conclude
after lunch on Sunday 5th May and be held at the Centre for Spiritual Learning
of the Brahma Kumaris at Frankston South, near Melbourne, Victoria. The
event aims to help educators:
Become acquainted with the Living
Values framework, within which values-based learning can be implemented;
Explore skills to create and
sustain a values-based atmosphere or ethos;
Explore ways in which values
can be expressed and modelled;
Work with teams to experience
values activities for students;
Learn techniques for active
listening and conflict resolution; and
Network with other educators
committed to positive self-development for students.
For further information, please
contact:
australia@livingvalues.net
| Phone: +61-3-49424060 | Fax: +61-3-49424061
British
Isles: LVE Train-the-Trainer 3rd to 7th April 2002, Nuneham
Courtenay, near Oxford
This European TTT is intended
for professional teachers, teacher trainers, education officials and psychologists
who already have skills in training adults or facilitating groups and for
facilitators for Parent Values Groups such as psychologists, parent educators
or teachers with facilitation skills and a background in psychology.
The facilitator will familiarise
professionals, who already have parent group experience, with the LVE Parent Values Group process and some additional parenting skills. The event
will take place at the Brahma Kumaris Global Retreat Centre, a few miles
outside Oxford.
British
Isles: Sixth Annual Oxford LVE TTT 24th to 28th July 2002,
Nuneham
Courtenay, near Oxford
The sixth annual International LVE Train-the-Trainer session will take place from 24th to 28th July 2002.
Held at the Brahma Kumaris Global Retreat Centre, a few miles outside Oxford,
it will begin at 5:30 pm on Wednesday 24th July and will conclude with
lunch on Sunday 28th July. People attending the LVE Train-the-Trainer
will include educators, teacher-trainers, education officials and psychologists.
The TTT is not a values conference; it is a workshop on how to implement LVE. Attendance at this TTT is by invitation only and, if you are interested
in attending, please contact the LVE Country Coordinator for your country
of residence.
Cambodia: LVE
Training March 2002, outside
Phnom Penh
UNESCO and LVE have planned
a two-and-a-half-day LVE training for March 2002 in one of the Khmer Rouge
communities several hours from Phnom Penh. UNESCO has been working very
successfully with former Khmer Rouge soldiers and their families for some
months now and is eager to have them participate in LVE.
Singapore:
LVE Educator Workshops 11th to 16th March 2002,
Singapore
From
11th to 13th March a workshop will be held for secondary one (equivalent
to Form 1) teachers of Raffles Girls Secondary School. This follows a successful
LVE Educator Workshop for the principal, vice principals, heads of departments
and interested teachers last March in implementing the School's aim of
using LVE philosophy and methodology to integrate values into its curriculum
at all levels.
From
13th to 16th March a three-day training will be held, mainly for
educators from schools in East Singapore.
The key trainer for both
events will be one of LVE's international lead trainers, Ms Sue Emery,
assisted by Ms Kana Gopal and Ms Rosa Tham, LVE lead trainers in Singapore.
USA:
Educators' Reunion and Retreat 6th to 12th August 2002,
Haines
Falls, NY
This year marks the fourth
year of Living Values Teachers' Retreats in the USA and 6th to 8th August
are dedicated to bringing together all the special people who have been
a part of the first three years in a sharing of stories, resources, and
ideas.
A Retreat for educators wishing
to find out more about LVE will then be held from 8th to 11th August,
followed by a Train-the-Trainer (TTT) session on Monday 12th August.
Living Values is
now officially part of the global movement for a culture of peace in the
framework of the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-violence
for the Children of the World, which is being coordinated by UNESCO.
The Global Movement for a
Culture of Peace was initiated by the United Nations in the context of
the International Year for the Culture of Peace (2000) and is now being
developed in the framework of the International Decade for a Culture of
Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World (2001-2010).
LVE is proud to be recognised,
in the context of the U.N. Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture
of Peace, as an actor contributing to the movement for a culture of peace,
which already involves 75 million individuals and about 1,800 international,
national and local organizations.
To support the movement,
UNESCO has developed an interactive public web site at http://www.unesco.org/cp
. Following recent discussions between representatives of LVE, the UNESCO
Culture of Peace Coordination Unit and the UNESCO section for Early Childhood
and Family Education, Living Values was invited to become part of the Culture
of Peace website and there is a link from it to LVE's website. Do keep
an eye on the website for updates over the months and years ahead!
In this context, UNESCO has
just launched a drawing and painting contest to promote a Culture of Peace
among young children. "Draw me Peace", open to all children aged 4 to 7,
offers the opportunity to appreciate children's vision and listen to their
views on self-respect and respect for others, on sharing, tolerance, war
and peace, and reconciliation. Teachers and educators are invited to help
children create a story in pictures around six themes:
respect for all life;
non-violence;
sharing;
listening to understand;
preserving the planet; and
tolerance and solidarity.
Information on the contest (including
downloadable versions of the contest documents in Arabic, Chinese, English,
French, Russian and Spanish) can be found online at
http://www.unesco.org/education/painting/
And please don't forget to
send us your drawings and stories too! We'll then feature them in the "Children
Participate" section of the LVE website
Cambodia
Educators, Social Workers and the Khmer Rouge
In January 2002,
a group of 21 educators and social workers attended a three day LVE training
in Phnom Penh. The training was organised by 'Youth for Peace'. Coming
from different organisations which work with youth and women many of the
participants concluded at the end of the training that they were eager
to use LVE activities in their organisations.
LVE has worked closely with
the UNESCO office in Phnom Penh since early 2000 and, after UNESCO had
completed the Khmer translation of the LVE Activities books and Educators'
Guide, a five-day TTT was held in Phnom Penh in May 2001. Building on this
teamwork, planning is now underway for a ten-day LVE Children-Affected-by-War
training to be held in a community of former Khmer Rouge Soldiers in September
2002 with the collaboration of UNESCO.
Spread over three
days in December 2001 and January 2002, a Train-the-Trainer seminar was
conducted in Costa Rica by Pilar Quera, who specially came from Spain where
she is the national Living Values Education Coordinator, and Valeriane Bernard, local
Living Values Education Coordinator in Costa Rica. The 21 participants were a multi-professional
group and included teachers, sociologists and social workers all working
in different institutions related to teaching and human development.
The first day was centred
on exploring perceptions of values, on acquiring positive attitudes, creating
a positive atmosphere in the classroom and developing capacities to deal
with change. The remaining two days covered themes such as: how to develop
values in one's own life and put them into practice in the classroom, how
to include values in the curriculum and plan for each day and there was
also the chance to experiment with a few activities designed to create
an inner experience of values.
The training went very well
and was very interesting; the participants were very active and enjoyed
the atmosphere of peace that was created during the seminar. Support groups
have now been organized to generate ideas and help coordinate the development
of LVE in Costa Rica.
USA
Training co-sponsored by Miami-Dade County
Public School System
A Living Values
in-service training programme was held on 17th January 2002 for teachers
in the Miami-Dade County Public School system which, with over 400 schools
and 20,000 teachers, is the fourth largest public school system in the
USA. The training session was co-sponsored by the school system, marking
the first time a major public school system in the USA collaborated with
the Living Values to sponsor an educator training. Approximately 100 teachers
participated and received continuing education credits toward their state
teacher certification requirements.
Living Values continues
to yield good results in Kenya as can be seen from the following comments
from teachers implementing LVE with students Ages 8-14:
?After learning and practising
the value of responsibility, I?ve personally noted a lot of changes in
the way children in class behave. For example, before we learned this value
children in class used to tear their exercise books and litter the class
all the time. Work on this value has changed them a great deal. Now you
can hardly see pieces of paper littered around the class. Children have
also learned to work on their own, e.g. when the teacher is away a child
may start asking others questions. This is done in a very orderly way.
The bright children in the class have taken the responsibility of helping
the weak ones.?
Cillia
Wambeti Mogune, The Kings School, Nairobi; age of students: 11-12
?I happened to get a class
that had a few dishonest and naughty pupils. There were a lot of breakages
and incidences of things going missing (food, money, pencils, etc.). It
wasn?t easy to know who had done it and once you have named the person,
you will be threatened to be mishandled by the group. So I started talking
about the value of honesty. I wrote it on the blackboard in one of the
corners every morning before class started in the form of stories and small
plays. After a couple of weeks we witnessed three incidents where things
got lost. Funnily enough, the ones who took those things would return and
place them somewhere in class where they could now be found easily. Later
on they would come to me to say they are sorry for what they did and they
would not repeat the same mistake.?
Isabel Kinuthia, Hospital Hill School, Nairobi; age of students: 13
?The students become easy
to handle. Instead of seeking attention, they become friendly. Their academic
status improves. They are generally happy. There is less bullying and less
enjoyment in the failures of others. Occasionally, they will attend their
churches.?
Nellias
Muranga, General Kago Primary School, Thika; age of students: 11-13
?The children are practising
the values both at school and at home. I get reports from parents complimenting
their children about how their behaviour has changed. When a child does
anything which is not Living Values-based, they usually remind him/her
to do the right thing. They have given themselves names like Peace, Love,
Honesty and so on.?
Milly
Musisi Mtumbe, Shah Lalji Nangpar Academy, Nairobi; age of students: 5-11
?The pupils I have been sharing
with show a lot of interest and enthusiasm. They acquire self-esteem and
portray an open-minded approach to issues. In some instances the difficult
ones are willing to come out and be noticed in a positive way.?
Isabel Kinuthia, Hospital Hill School, Nairobi; age of students: 13
?One day I thought I would
make the class experience the peacefulness in silence. I had cautioned
them but some were still bothersome and noise-making. I chose to take them
to a quiet corner at the end of the school field. I instructed them to
reflect and get lost in their own thoughts. No one was supposed to talk
to their partners. After some minutes we came together and had a beautiful
sharing of how they felt about being in a quiet environment. They gave
different suggestions and experiences. The bottom line was that they all
did appreciate the quiet atmosphere. When it was time to go back to class
they moved quietly and by the time I got to class they were quietly seated
and organized. Throughout that week most of the children had a very calm
week. Thank you Living Values.?
Isabel Kinuthia, Hospital Hill School, Nairobi; age of students: 13
?After teaching the value
of love in my class I have noticed a very big change. Children never had
this value in them before. They used to abuse one another and beat one
another whenever one wronged the other. But after teaching this value,
I have realized that they now have love for one another. They do not abuse,
beat or annoy one another. I have seen them sharing even different things
in class without discrimination. They now do not have that hatred they
used to have towards one another.?
Selly Lenjo, The Kings School, Nairobi; age of students: 9-11
?After learning and practising
the value of honesty, I have seen a great positive change in the children.
A big percentage of the class now are free to tell the truth even if it
may sound negative; even if the truth may result in punishment, they don?t
hold it back.?
Edith Mbunigu, The Kings School, Nairobi; age of students: 8-10
?While teaching the value
of humility I have noted changes in the behaviour of the children. My pupils
have developed a sense of using courteous words always; for example when
a visitor enters the class they will all stand and greet the visitor with
kind words.?
Eunice Ngugi, The Kings School, Nairobi; age of students: 7-9
?My class was focusing on
the value of peace. As we went through the Programme, I noted a lot of
change in the area of cooperation. Children are now working in groups peacefully,
especially when doing revision work. A lot of change has also been noted
outside the classroom e.g. during break and lunch times. The pupils have
formed social groups where they sit and share stories or play games. One
parent has reported a change in her son who has turned to be honest. This
has created peace in the family and even at school.?
Anne Mueni, The Kings School, Nairobi; age of students: 10-12
?Students have gained courage
and can confront issues affecting them without fear. They have realized
who they are and through the value of freedom they have become confident
in matters affecting them, be it at home, school or within the community
where they are living. As an educator, the value of freedom has brought
me closer to the students. They can now share their experiences with me
without fear, hence promoting good relationships with their parents and
further making themselves known to their parents without fear of intimidation.?
Keya
John, The Kings School, Nairobi; age of students: 13
Living Values e-News
received this report from Ms. Kwok Yuen-wah, the Headmistress of
Jimmy's International Nursery
and Kindergarten in Hong Kong:
"In line with the new approach
of educating the whole person, in 2000 we began to adopt Living Values Education
activities in our classrooms. The traditionally serious
way of teaching moral education was put aside and replaced by a happy learning
atmosphere. Teaching activities took a number of forms: in class, children
learned cooperatively through games, singing, dancing and imagination exercises
that matched the teaching themes; outside the classroom, children, teachers
and parents jointly took part in activities that care for our environment
so that LVE was introduced not only in the family but also to the community;
outside the school, we helped children to be aware of their personal and
social responsibilities, as well as their values regarding justice, when
we had our picnic in the Zoological and Botanical Gardens in the autumn.
We firmly believe that learning
is more effective when it takes place in a happy and active atmosphere.
Hence, we tried hard to create a good learning environment and opportunities
for the children to put Living Values into practice. We also benefited
from the input of our headmistress and our teachers in developing additional
values activities. The teaching activities are interlocking to allow the
children continuously to build on what they have learned and to enhance
their personal values.
In the past, teaching and
learning relied very heavily on textbooks. The teaching method used to
be like preaching and was led by the teacher. Today, our teaching philosophy
is to let the children taste a variety of learning experiences and to learn
in an atmosphere that is happy, self-initiated and reflective. The activities
of Living Values Education fit in very well with our concept.
Through various activities that suit the lesson themes, the children would
have a chance to understand what they themselves like and to develop their
talents. They acquire knowledge through practice and learning to learn.
We endorse the creation of a learning atmosphere that is values-based.
It can ensure that values education succeeds and is not only beneficial
for children but also enjoyable. We also firmly believe that as long as
children enjoy learning, they will continue to search for knowledge on
their own initiative and will practise the spirit of life-long learning.
Miss Lam, a teacher of our
nursery class, said: 'I think Living Values Education is
very meaningful, because from a series of LVE activities a child can build
a personal character that is good and positive. Children also learn to
improve their social and communication skills. These are two very important
ingredients for the growth of a person and young children must be able
to receive such education as early as possible to help character formation.'
Miss Yim, a teacher of our
upper class, observed: 'The Programme is most helpful to children as, through
its activities, they begin to be concerned about themselves as well as
others. They also begin to be aware of things that are changing around
them. Naturally, children are different and such differences will affect
their ability to learn and to understand.'
Mrs. Chan, a parent, said:
'I have discovered that there is improvement in my son?s behaviour and
social skills. It must be the good work of Living Values Education.'
Another parent, Mrs. Chang,
noted: 'My girl is only four years old but she understands that each individual
has personal responsibilities. For example, Daddy and Mummy have to go
to work every day and children have to go to school daily. We are surprised
that through the activities she understands more about the meaning of responsibility
and can fulfill what she has promised.'
In addition, at a parents'
meeting, some parents mentioned that their children are very much aware
of their responsibilities towards their own affairs at home and are concerned
about things around them. From the above examples, we can see the effectiveness
of Living Values Education.?
A training was conducted
in Rajasthan at the Brahma Kumaris' Academy for a Better World by LVE trainers Dipti from South Africa, Mila from Mauritius, Vivien from Mexico
and Suman from India. Held from 11th to 16th January, the training attracted
over 40 teachers from all over India and two from Mauritius, all of whom
left full full of enthusiasm to implement LVE in their respective schools.
Suman also conducted a training in LVE program in Udaipur, Rajasthan on
28th and 29th January for local B. Ed college students.
Submit
your
News
Please send
us your success stories in using Living Values for the Impact
section of our website; photographs for the News
section of our website; and students only, your stories, experiences, feelings
and inspirations about Living Values for the Children
Participate section of our website.
Hard copies of text and/or images may also be sent to the Living Values
Office in New York:
Living Values Education
Office for the United Nations,
866 UN Plaza, Suite 436, New York, NY 10017 USA
Fax: +1 (212) 504 2798
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