• Brazil: Wonderful Results with Street Children with Living Values Education
• Greece: LVE on the Island of Chios
• Israel: When Values Become the Path – a Program for Entire Communities
• Kuwait: LVE Grade 5 Students Draw Conclusions After Testing the Effects of Positivity on Plants
• Mauritius: Indian Ocean Islands Unite through Silence
• Suriname: Living Values for Everyone from the Concierge to Professors
• United States: Living Values Education for 20,000 Children in Florida
• Venezuela: The Magic of Living Values
• Vietnam: Living Values Telecasts Nationwide
• Vietnam: LVE Program for Drug Rehabilitation the Most Effective in the Country
Welcome to the thirty-second issue of Living Values e-News, the electronic newsletter of the Association for Living Values Education International.
It is wonderful to receive news from so many of you. There are many new LVE events and trainings around the world. Suriname, New Zealand and the Czech Republic have recently held LVEP trainings for the first time in their countries and received enthusiastic responses. They were held with cooperation LVE-style: Loes in Suriname with the help of the team there and Belen from Venezuela; Sherman Ng, new to LVE, with the cooperation of Trish from Vietnam and Sally from Australia; and Yambi Mwesigwa, new to LVE, with the cooperation of Suzanne from Greece. A few weeks ago I received a new translation, a copy of the Living Values Activities for Children Ages 3-7 in Serbian. Zana did a beautiful job. Kalle in Estonia and the team in Vietnam are having good results with Living Values Activities for Drug Rehabilitation. Yomi in Nigeria is doing a series of LVE workshops and trainings in cooperation with another organization on Values for Positive Citizenship. And, an LVE team in Iran is implementing LVEP in several schools. Congratulations to all of you, and the educators with whom you work.
It is a special time in the world, and I feel that a new era for Living Values Education has come. There is certainly a need in the world, recently highlighted by more frequent killing in schools. I think the main thing holding LVE back is the lack of research documenting results. However, some information is very easy to document if the whole school is implementing LVEP as almost all schools collect data. Recently, a whole school in California did LVE; the school is in a gang area and there were many problems with discipline and violence. When the principal filled out the Whole School Indicator form, it was easy to share results back with everyone and easy for them to see their own success. In just one semester, there was a 69% decrease in suspensions.
Assessments can help schools see what is successful, and encourage them to keep up their good work. While some teachers and schools may initially do LVE to improve student behavior and the school climate, there is a larger purpose. As educators, we are also doing this as we feel 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 values – and respect, confidence and purpose. To see or use our assessment forms, please contact lve@livingvalues.net.
ALIVE, the Association for Living Values Education International, and the LVE Association of South Africa will be hosting the Living Values Educational international annual meetings in South Africa from 3 to 11 July 2008. It promises to be a series of worthwhile and rewarding events, including an international LVE Educator Workshop and a two-day conference. We hope that the LVE Focal Points and representatives from each LVE Associate around the world will be able to join us for the Annual Meeting and General Assembly from 7 to 9 July.
I would also like to share with you a few thoughts from ALIVE’s new president, Pilar Quera Colomina:
“Education today means sharing a space for coming together that includes respect, trust, and where actions include commitment. If we view this from the perspective of formal education, change arises when entering this shared dialogue. A space for relating and learning is created which questions the framework we have been using up to now – including the old system of authority, power and control.
It seems to me that we are currently going through a shift of paradigm in reference to the culture that has dominated up to now, with its patriarchal culture and its reflection on obsolete scholastic content and methods. We need to tie this change to the transformation of education. Let us strive for an education that promotes being the best people we can be instead of persisting with the mentality that “everything goes." We are currently more and more aware that in order to educate, the effort of the community is needed to create people who grow and who become enriched in continued educative spaces.
To presently educate we must outline three important aspects: reflecting on who I am (identity), on our belonging (collective, schools, families, districts) and how we contribute (participation), all tied to the planetary vision of the world, to the “theoretical – practical” relation, to the feelings of brotherhood, to respect and care of oneself, of others, and of relationships.
One of the main reasons there is so much fear in our society is that we spend most of our time listening to negative news of violence and conflicts. Make it a goal to change the subject and speak about what life offers you. It is important to create hope and enthusiasm for the future and a more positive vision of the present reality. This is how we promote peace.
The greatest wealth is to know how to appreciate what we have, and who we are. We build and rebuild values from the diverse experiences that we go through. Values guide and show our character to us. They determine our choices, define our way of thinking, seeing, feeling, behaving, and our way of living. They are the treasures of our lives. When they are based on spiritual principles, they show dignity and determine the direction of the person, creating a feeling of self-confidence, freedom, respect and generosity towards all manifestation of life.
Our aim is for joint experience to serve us to investigate and question the learning paradigm that generates and allows the advancement of the enrichment of the being, a paradigm that creates a sustainable culture of peace and cooperation. After all, wisdom doesn´t necessarily arrive with age but is rather a gift of the experience.”
The LVE Web site – at http://www.livingvalues.net – warmly welcomes hearing from educators with one or two success stories (or even not-so-successful stories!) of values activities and approaches 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!
With warmest wishes,
The Editor
News and Success Stories from Around the World
BRAZIL
Wonderful Results with Street Children with Living Values Education
A Living Values for Street Children training program was held in Olinda/Recife from November 1-9. This included a training of educators, training of trainers, as well as offering of two public speeches.
Forty very enthusiastic educators were trained, among them fifteen people from the local governmental agency for street/at risk people, and six from the police, facilitators of the police education program for drug prevention in the schools.
The public speeches were attended predominantly by police officers. The police band performed a musical presentation for the participants at the end of the educators training, with the presence of a representative of the "Social Defense Secretariat" of Pernambuco state.
Rio de Janeiro
An introductory presentation of Living Values for Street Children was held in Rio de Janeiro November 29 as part of the launching of LVSC in this state. Forty people from governmental agencies and NGOs dealing with street/at risk children were present, coming also from the towns around Rio de Janeiro city. A training program will be organized in the coming months.
Values Education in the Assistance Processes for Delinquent Minors
Regional meetings are being organized in the state of São Paulo, bringing together governmental agencies, departments and NGOs, to discuss and implement the decentralization, and reinforce the process for assistance to delinquent minors through "socio-educational measures" which can be applied without incarcerating adolescents. The first took place September 21 in Santos, with 200 participants from nine towns of the region, and the second, November 30 in São José dos Campos, with 300 participants from several neighbouring towns.
At the end of both meetings, participants stated the intention of including a program for Values Education and Active Listening in the "socio-educational" processes of Liberdade Assistida - "Assisted Freedom", Prestação de Serviços à Comunidade - "Rending of Services to Community" and Internação (when the minors stay in Fundação CASA during a period of time) and in the regular schools.
Wonders of Fundhas
Fundhas organized their "First Conference of Children and Adolescents of Living Values Program of the Central Unit of Fundhas." The president, the secretary, etc. of the conference, all were children.
Directors, educators and other professionals of Fundhas were present.
The fifty-six children present discussed the following themes, in groups:
1- What are values?
2- Which values do you know from the LVE Program? And what is their importance to society?
3- Do children develop more social and emotional abilities for a just and positive society as a result of the values? Justify.
4- How often do you apply the values, with whom and where? Give examples.
5- What has changed for you after knowing values?
6- Have the values made a difference in your life? How?
7- Have your parents learned the values and are they applying them at home? Has anything changed at home?
Some of their answers:
... the importance for society is to learn how to live together with one another in peace and with all other values
... in order that the world becomes more cheerful without drug sellers
... we can pass the values to other people, and be
... to appreciate the families, the people and not have prejudice
... almost everything changed, the way of life, the way of talking to others, the fights and quarrels, began to have more respect
... they think that the parents are using values, with fewer quarrels, becoming more calm, creating more friendship and joy at home
At the end, a Letter of Intention was written and signed by the children, the directors and professionals of Fundhas and the LV representative. It will be sent to the local Committee for Children and Adolescent Rights (the institution for coordination of all programs, agencies and institutions dealing with children, mainly at risk), etc.
Results
Fundhas presented their report about LVE activity in the first semester and the results:
... We find that the implementation of the program has been done in a very positive way, we already notice changes in attitudes and behaviour, in the relationship between the children for better, and we received feedback from the families reporting that the atmosphere at home has improved, as well. There has also been a reduction in student absenteeism.
Additional positive aspects being observed include:
- No student suspensions this semester for poor behavior or breaking the rules.
- The tolerance level of the professionals has increased, as well as the listening.
- The atmosphere within this institution is one of cooperation now.
- If relationship problems arise, students stop by themselves and reflect within their group to determine the best method of intervention.
- In the "Multifamily Group" (group of parents in Fundhas) some parents are rediscovering the wisdom regarding the necessity of living in harmony and with respect. They are living and interacting with love.
A Special Project on the island of Chios
Selected teachers at ten nursery and primary schools are implementing LVE on the island of Chios with the leadership of Sofia Tanaini and other teachers.
Introduction – Goals:
A child who is able to communicate, express feelings and thoughts, find ways of resolving the conflicts s/he experiences, is much more free to exploit his/ her abilities, and invest his /her energy in creative goals, being at the same time more competent to get over life difficulties. Keeping these thoughts in mind, the ten-school team started the planning of the programme. The first goal was for the teachers of the team to get to know each other and feel the group dynamics themselves with a view to setting common objectives. Then, the differences between the schools and age of students were brought up and there were various suggestions in regard with ways and activities to bring students and teachers closer. This procedure lasted for a whole year and proved to be very important, as communication and feedback invigorated teachers themselves both mentally and emotionally and contributed to the realization of our goals. In the each of the ten schools, one or two teachers are involved with LVE. We hope that in time all the teachers at each school will be involved.
Our Goals for the Children: to get to know themselves and the world around them in a better way and acquire certain communication skills.
to bond together, recognise that each is different, important and unique, explore advantages and disadvantages to cooperation and promote it.
to acquire self-knowledge, identify their abilities, desires, traits, appreciate themselves and get recognition from others.
to understand that getting older and changing is a process common to living creatures, but different pace-wise for each of us.
to explore similarities and differences among people of different teams, realise that differences enrich life and learn how important mutual tolerance and respect are.
to understand the importance of effective communication, get training in skills that promote true relationships, control impulse, and get used to getting in each other's position.
to learn to control impulsive reactions when under pressure and resolve differences in ways different from those of anger, aggression, and submission.
to set realistic personal goals.
to learn to evaluate their training and their progress in it.
Our common goal was to give emphasis to socialization, verbal expression, a cooperative spirit and team work. Informing and sensitising their family and close environment were first priorities. This meant that we were concerned to get the parents and community involved. Cooperation with local authorities and organizations not only contributed to the success of the programme but also gave adults the chance to examine their own emotional life as well as that of their children.
Evaluation
A systematic evaluation of the programme proved to be a hard procedure. While the aims concerned mainly emotional processes, we do not have the suitable tools and sufficient education to reliably comment on the possible emotional changes on the part of the kids. However, because the whole procedure was for us also, an unpredictable journey in the land of emotion, the degree to which we were involved did not permit us to objectively evaluate what had occurred. In general, we could say that in the part of expressing and handling emotions, the change in the attitude of the children in terms of being able to talk about their feelings was obvious. And in the field of self-image, we saw “low profile” children demand more space and change the pattern of their behaviour with the rest of the children. It is true that such programmes are hard to evaluate, since their results emerge gradually in the future. What became clear, is the necessity of such programmes, that address not only the gnostic part but also their emotional world. The programme gave students the chance to ask themselves questions and have fun in an original way. They expressed their feelings, got to know each other, discussed, realised the importance of human relationships and became more competent in handling conflict and delaying gratification. The children started exploring and trusting each other, talked and expressed their preferences, emotions and the difficulties they faced. They learnt to respect the rules they set. They discovered hidden abilities and grew more confident.
The local community needs initiatives that will promote new values and interests and bring up subjects to discuss and explore. In this framework, the opening of the school to society and the benefit of the impact, brings students and parents closer. Apparently, parents were the immediate recipients of their changes and emotions. In the programme, there was no bad, mediocre or good student. There was the painter, the story-teller, the actor/actress... Self-involved kids overlooked their needs for the benefit of the team. Children with learning difficulties surprised everyone with their host of knowledge, vocabulary and drama skills. Children's contact with emotion and its expression by means of their thoughts and desires is an issue of life-long education. However, it's now time to take a first step and realise that emotion is a prevalent element in their life, the key to both a “normal” social life and the conquest of knowledge itself. Only when we as teachers realise that emotional intelligence should have its place in our everyday learning process will children have the chance to live in a school that respects their differences and their personal needs.
ISRAEL When Values Become the Path – A Program for Entire Communities
LVE Israel is seeking to approach more and more people as quickly as possible. They have created entire model LVE schools for the past five years so people can see the difference, as well as in kindergartens.
They find teachers working with kindergarten children have an open heart.
Because the country is at war, it is challenging to talk about peace with the Ministry of Formal Education. However, LVE Israel feels strongly that everyone must work together in unity not only during times of need, but at all times – for everyday life, not just during a time of war. They have created a program of values, which includes an additional one of “inner peace.” Each school explores inner peace and then selects six values of their choice. In the last eighteen months, this project was piloted in the cities of Natania and Raanana – within community settings, schools and government. Twenty to thirty cities now want to participate; they have already signed contracts to begin in August. Due to the increased interest, there is a great need to train new trainers and bring more volunteers on board. There are plans to train coordinators from primary and high schools in Raanana to assist with this project.
In addition, LVE Israel has been invited to train youth leaders, instructors in the Regional Council of Modiim in August. They also continue to give support and training to two primary schools in Lod, one for the Arab population. As well, LVE Israel works with the Ministry of Health.
KUWAIT LVE Grade 5 Students Draw Conclusions After Testing the Effects of Positivity on Plants
The teachers at the Kuwait American School, which implements LVEP school-wide, gave some of Masaru Emoto's water images to a Grade 5 class as part of their science work. The students conducted a controlled experiment on the growth of plants using happy, positive water and ordinary tap water. The plants receiving the happy water grew 8cms taller than the plants that received tap water! The children's conclusions - when you are positive to water, it helps plants to grow taller. We are 75% water, so, if we are positive and happy to one another, we'll grow tall too! Amazing!
The principal of the school, Peter Williams also reported: “Our non verbal standardised scores have improved over three years thanks to the values approach.”
MAURITIUS Indian OceanIslands Unite through Silence
ALIVE Mauritius, in collaboration with the Mauritius Institute of Education recently organized a three day training for sixty educators and individuals from other sectors to practise and impart values in their daily life as well as their workplace. Participants from Mauritius, the Republic of Madagascar, Mayotte Island, Rodrigues and Reunion Island particularly appreciated the workshop, “Use of Silence: a New Language” which gave them time to digest the training material and see how all the elements were interlinked. Participant comments included:
“In this restless world, the process of diving deep within oneself helps us to progress, realign ourselves with our inner force and hence, focus better.”
“Silence helps us to find and connect with the child within.”
“The skill of giving ourselves a moment of silence before beginning any sort of work helps us to better perform and to have a deeper experience.”
“Silence is the long-lost-and-now-found language that allows values to emerge, be expressed and experienced.”
Facilitator Frances Burkhalter from Switzerland, remarked, “Silence helps me create ties with my inner values, with my inner wisdom and, hence, my fortune. Silence helps me discover the immense potential dormant in me and fills me up with self confidence and enthusiasm. With humility, I then share this power with everybody. Besides, silence allows the potential in others to emerge and grow spontaneously. Finally, silence aids the thinking process, makes thoughts crystal clear, thus making it easy to bring them into action.”
Although the picture created during the workshop of the “Tree of Silence” identifies growth attributes in French, most qualities are readily recognisable in English. La rencontre entre l’océan et le ciel means: The meeting between the ocean and sky.
Plans are being formulated to facilitate inter-island communication through the creation of an ALIVE INDIAN OCEAN website, an exchange forum, inter-island meetings, a secretariat for the Indian Ocean listing available facilitators, as well as an annual meeting of the “Values Family.”
SURINAME Living Values Education For Everyone From the Concierge to Professors
Surinam held its first LVE Educator Training in January. Louise Bemmel, the LVE Coordinator reported: “Forty-one contented and brightly smiling faces were in evidence at the end of our educator training. The group was a mixed one: there were educators from private and public schools, representing levels ranging from kindergarten to university, a therapist, a psychologist, media and parents. The AlphaMax Academy who took the initiative was present with their full staff, including the concierge. Belen Romero, the LVE Coordinator from Venezuela who led the training, did a very good job and many participants plan to use the material in their respective workplaces.
The opening was made an official event by United Nations representative, Mr. O. Jones addressing the participants. He beautifully and touchingly shared his own experiences from around the world, having witnessed the effect of a value-based school system: how violence can change to a peaceful atmosphere, where children felt safe.
During the second part of the day, activities were videotaped for the evening news. One participant was also in charge of this medium and enthusiastically shared her feelings, ‘Everyone should know about this!’ The Living Values core team which prepared the program was really satisfied with the result, enthusiasm and promises for application of what the participants had learned.
UNITED STATES
Living Values Education for 20,000 Children in Florida
ACES, the Aventura City of Excellence School, Florida, has been a model LVE school for five years. It was recently named a finalist in the National School of Character competition. One of the advantages of having an LVE model school is that people can visit it to see what LVE looks and feels like! A visit from personnel of an organization that serves at-risk children, Family Central, Inc., resulted in a collaboration with LVEP, Inc., which will allow 20,000 additional children in three counties to receive Living Values Education.
Family Central, Inc. oversees more than $60 million dollars annually in child care and services to needy families in South Florida. Between January 15th and February 15th Family Central, Inc. accomplished an intake of more than 3,500 families needing child care, food stamps, or other social services. The level of need is increasing daily in the USA, and at the same time it is increasingly difficult for individuals and families to access needed services. Family Central serves as an important link between governments, funders, service providers, and families in need. Family Central, Inc.: “We are honored to provide information and training on Living Values Education to support child care providers and pre-K educators as they introduce character education into their curriculum.”
In Florida, character education is required to be included in child care and voluntary pre-K programs, although this regulation has rarely been enforced. Family Central is unique in taking the leadership to see that technical assistance in character education is provided to child care providers. Child care workers who participate in LVE training offered by Family Central's coaches will be eligible to receive continuing education units toward their required annual in-service hours. Moreover, these CEUs will be at no charge to the worker (other trainings require a fee to be paid.) We are also contemplating the possibility of some kind of "certification" as a "character educator" that would add to the professionalization of the child care worker.
Trainers from the Florida LVE team of LVEP, Inc., the national LVE association for the USA, led by Dr. Kathleen Shea, are working with Family Central to bring values education to more than 20,000 children in South Florida. An introduction to LVEP was presented to more than 50 Child Care Program Directors on January 17. A two-day TTT was held for forty-seven "coaches" (trainers and technical assistance providers) from Family Central, Inc. on January 24-25th. These coaches were trained to provide a six-hour training program to more than 1,000 South Florida pre-school child care workers in whose care are more than 20,000 children.
A demonstration site has been identified where the intention is to fully implement LVEP. This is the Village Methodist Early Childhood Center. This center serves about 100 children, from infants to 5-year olds and is directed by a young woman who has trained as a Montessori teacher, and who has deep roots in the global peace movement from her native country, Costa Rica. We hope that this center will become the "ACES" of early childhood. Others were similarly inspired: one of the educators plans to move to Maryland sometime next year, and is planning to open a child care program centered around Living Values Education.
A follow up training is planned for April 2008 to assess progress and provide additional support to coaches using the program.
A very successful LVE training concluded in April with sixty Special Education Educators in Cumaná, Estado Sucre. They all work for the governmental Educational System, “Dirección de Educación Especial, Zona Educativa Estado Sucre.” They were very happy with the training and evaluations rated all sections very positively. Participants reflected on their own personal values and the importance of getting in touch with them. The sharing of experiences was very important for all, as stated in the evaluation, because it made them realize how deep a value or lack thereof can be imprinted in our lives. They loved the activities, especially the mind mapping of the values and the active listening activity, after which they all agreed that this is a real art and must become a constant in their lives. As most participants were parents, they also agreed that these tools will help them with the upbringing of their children. As usual with the magic of Living Values, it was a wonderful and rewarding experience for everyone. Both participants and the facilitator are looking forward to a follow-up session soon.
February 2007 saw the completion of a series of 52 Living Values programs each of 45 minutes duration broadcast on the national education channel twice weekly throughout 2007. Since mid 2007, the programs were also aired weekly on the youth channel and the Vietnamese International Channel that is broadcast worldwide.
Much positive feedback was received by email and letter. One particularly touching letter was from a girl who lived in a rural area in the North of Vietnam. She wrote to the TV station that her home life was miserable; her father was an alcoholic who regularly beat her mother, and her mother frequently shouted at her and her siblings. The girl wrote that she had wanted to take her own life as she did not feel any hope for the future. Following watching the LVEP program on TV, she has been able to use the tools the program provided to create something positive out of her situation and she has begun to encourage her friends to watch the program.
In 2008, it is anticipated ten television programs featuring Living Values will be telecast throughout Vietnam.
VIETNAM LVE for Drug Rehabilitation the Most Effective in the Country
A month ago, the Vietnamese Ministry of Labor shared some positive results about the program's implementation in the drug rehabilitation centres in Vietnam. They reported that while there were various other programs used in the centres, they have found that Living Values Activities for Drug Rehabilitation works best and want to use it nationwide in all drug Centres and with all new staff. They report that to date about 25% of the government’s drug rehabilitation centres have had some training in LV Activities for Young Adults and are planning future trainings.
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