As
we move into the 21st century, the search for ways to improve the quality of
education is global. One area of focus has been that of values, attitudes, and
behavior and how to develop these aspects of character in a positive and
productive way. How do we empower individuals to choose their own set of
values? What kind of specialized training is necessary for educators to
integrate values into existing programs? How can values-based education
prepare students for lifelong learning in their communities?
The Call for Values
The call for values is currently echoing throughout every land, as
educators, parents and more and more children are increasingly concerned about
and affected by violence, growing social problems, the lack of respect for
each other and the world around them, and the lack of social cohesion. World
leaders struggle with a myriad of problems. Educators are, therefore, once
again being asked to address problems which have arisen within their
societies. As UNESCO's Commission, headed by Jacques Delors, reports in Learning:
The Treasure Within, "In confronting the many challenges that the
future holds in store, humankind sees in education an indispensable asset in
its attempt to attain the ideals of peace, freedom and social justice. The
Commission does not see education as a miracle cure or a magic formula opening
the door to a world in which all ideals will be attained, but as one of the
principal means available to foster a deeper and more harmonious form of human
development and thereby to reduce poverty, exclusion, ignorance, oppression
and war." Living Values Education
has been produced in response to the call for values.
LVE educators are creating caring, respectful environments where students feel safe and want to learn. Living Values Education Program is effective in decreasing violence and bullying, and creating safe, caring school climates which are conducive to quality learning. As educators, we are not only doing Living Values Education Program to improve student behavior and the school climate. We feel that the cognitive thinking skills and social and emotional skills that students are exposed to and asked to explore and develop will help them grow toward their potential, protect them from violence, and help them engage in the community with respect, confidence and purpose. What children and youth learn is later woven into the fabric of society. Education must have positive values at its heart and the resulting expression of them as its aim if we are to seek to create a better world for all
__________________________
Delors, Jacques, et al. Learning: The Treasure Within, Report to UNESCO of the
International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century. UNESCO
Publishing, 1996. ISBN 0 7306 9037 7
What Kind of Program Is LVEP?
Living Values Education Program is a comprehensive values education program. This innovative global program offers training, a practical methodology and a wide variety of experiential values activities to educators, facilitators, parents and caregivers to help them provide the opportunity for children and young adults to explore and develop universal values. Educators are asked to think about their values, use their creativity to see how they can incorporate values into their curriculum in a practical way, and create a values-based atmosphere. The curriculum includes Living Values Activities for peace, respect, love, cooperation, happiness, honesty, humility, responsibility, simplicity, tolerance, freedom and unity. Used in formal and informal settings, LVE also has special materials for use with children affected by war, children in difficult circumstances (street children) and youth in need of drug rehabilitation.
Designed to address the whole child/person, Living Values Activities build intrapersonal and interpersonal social and emotional skills and values-based perspectives and behaviors. Students are engaged in reflection, visualization, and artistic expression to draw out their ideas; cognitive and emotional skills grow as they are engaged in analyzing events and creating solutions. The approach is child-centered, flexible and interactive; adults act as facilitators. During LVEP training, educators are asked to create a values-based atmosphere in which all students can feel respected, valued, understood, loved and safe. Part of LVE educator excellence is viewed as modeling the values, respecting student opinions, and empowering children and young adults to enjoy learning and implementing values projects.
History
of Living Values
LVE was initially developed by educators for educators in consultation with the Education Cluster of UNICEF, New York , and the Brahma Kumaris. Twenty educators from five continents met at UNICEF Headquarters in New York in August of 1996 to discuss the needs of children around the world, their experiences of working with values, and how educators can integrate values to better prepare students for lifelong learning. Using Living Values : A Guidebook and the Convention on the Rights of the Child as a framework, the global educators identified and agreed upon the purpose and aims of values-based education worldwide — in both developed and developing countries.
