| Posted: Feb. 28 2010,09:59 |
If you wrote this report, you will find a button here that you may click
in order to make changes in the report.
|
Postal address of organization/institution
|
FLH, Next to Bldg.14, Jian Wai SOHO West area, 39 East 3rd-Ring Road, Chao Yang District, Beijing 100022, PRC
|
E-mail address of organization/institution
|
administrator@virtuesinus.com
|
Website address of organization/institution
|
www.virtuesinus.com
|
Telephone of organization/institution
|
(86 10) 58697540 ext. 807
|
PRIORITIES: All of the organization's domains of culture of peace activity |
EDUCATION FOR PEACE
|
TOP PRIORITY: The organization's most important culture of peace activity |
EDUCATION FOR PEACE
|
PARTNERSHIPS AND NETWORKS: What partnerships and networks does your organization participate in, thus strengthening the global movement for a culture of peace?
|
We partner with Moral Education Department of the Beijing Academy of Educational Science, We participate in
Education for Sustainable Development forums and conference on citizenship and Children's Spirituality. We also partner with over 90 kindergartens and primary schools to cultivate a culture of peace and unity in schools. We encourage and empower the teachers and leaders in our partner school to in turn partner with children's families to promote and cultivate a culture of peace and unity within the family and their living environment
|
ACTIONS: What activities have been undertaken by your organization to promote a culture of peace and nonviolence during the ten years of the Decade? If you already made a report in 2005, your information from 2005 will be included in the 2010 report.
|
We believe that in order to begin to change a culture, the best place to start is with children at their most formative stage of development. As such, we have developed a daily curriculum that aims to systematically develop in children the fundamental qualities necessary for establishing and maintaining a peaceful society. This curriculum, developed in 2003, is called the Virtues in Us Children's Character Education Program. It is developed for children 4-7 years old. It aims to first help the child to understand him/herself as a noble human being with latent capacities for love, unity, truthfulness, peacefulness, compassion, etc. The lessons, then endeavor to inspire the desire in children to learn and practice these qualities in their schools, families and their living environment.
In order to increase its effectiveness, the Virtues in Us program offers teachers a rich set of educational resource materials that are interactive, fun and engaging with songs, games, stories and activities that have all been especially designed to promote peacefulness in children (photo to be provided)
Through story characters, and the resource materials, the program aims to develop a global perspective in the child and an appreciation of different cultures, leading to a feeling of oneness and peace with others in different parts of the world.
To ensure that the curriculum is more than just another lesson children study and that it actually helps change the school culture, regular training workshops for teachers, school leaders and parents are offered. Through these workshops adults learn how to change themselves to nurture peacefulness in children and how to create a peaceful atmosphere of learning in their classrooms. They also learn skills and attitudes that will help them become more peaceful themselves and use peaceful ways to resolve conflicts at home and at work.
Subsequent to the trainings, our organization also provides ongoing observation and feedback to support teachers and schools in their efforts to cultivate and nurture culture of virtues in the school.
Since the general implementation of Virtues in Us program in 2006, we have held 14 intensive two week long teacher training workshops and a large number of information seminars and workshops for school leaders and parents (pictures to be emailed). Currently, the Virtues in Us program has been implemented in more than 90 kindergartens and primary schools across China. In these schools, over 28,000 children learn about the virtues of love, peacefulness, compassion and unity and take delight in practing these qualities.
In 2006, we held public concerts attended by thousands of children and parents to promote awareness of the importance of developing good character in children and its relationship with building a better, more peaceful world for the next generation (photo to be emailed). With the same objectives, we also held annual gatherings of schools leaders in 2008 and 2009and presented in conferences and forums on education and citizenship. (photo to be emailed) These activities will continue and expand in 2010 and beyond.
|
PROGRESS: Has your organization seen progress toward a culture of peace and nonviolence in your domain of action and in your constituency during the second half of the Decade? |
Yes.
The program has been very effective in developing a culture of peace and unity at schools, among the children, teachers and administrative staff. It is also positively influencing the families of the children, potentially resulting in change of culture to one of cooperation, unity and caring.
The teachers who go through the training program, become very committed to developing a new culture of virtues in themsleves, their school and their own families. The positive effects have been visible by everyone at the school and their respective environemnt. There is more cooperation at the school among the teachers. In their interaction with the children, teachers understand the harmful effects of using the language of competition. They actively try to replace competitive activities with cooperative ones, reducing conflict and violance as a result.
Children have the desire to use peaceful language to resolve conflicts and are more open to accept and go further to appreciate differences. Habits of blaming and labeling children as failures are slowly changing among the teachers. This is affecting children's attitude towards one another, helping to establish a positive atmosphere of learning and growth. They feel safe and trusted, in turn reducing previous violant defensive behaviors.
|
OBSTACLES: Has your organization faced any obstacles to implementing the culture of peace and nonviolence? If so, what were they?
|
Yes. Skepticism that change can happen. Feeling of helplessness and pessemism among school leaders and teachers that peaceful language can be effective to manage classrooms. The power of the virtues in changing one's mindset and culture is not something that can be clearly described by words. One needs to experience it to understand it. So, the initial growth and acceptance was slow. Shortage of fund and qualified resources has also slowed the pace of growth. Reaching parents, especially those in less educated rural areas and changing their mindset and habits are our ongoing challenge.
|
PLANS: What new engagements are planned by your organization in the short, medium and long term to promote a culture of peace and nonviolence?
|
- Expansion of implementation to more schools in rural towns across China
- Engaging parents and offering more accessible parent education
- Using media and internet to promote peaceful language and peaceful educational skills
- Cooperation with other educational organizations to reach more children
- Forming close collaborative relationships with governement educational agencies
- Integrating the Virtues in Us teacher training course with into a standard teacher training academic program at Chinese teacher training universities
|
GLOBAL MOVEMENT: How do you think the culture of peace and nonviolence could be strengthened and supported at the world level??
|
The most effective way to develop a new culture of peace and non-violance is through educating the young to have a positive self-concept and to a sense of higher meaning and purpose in life. Children need to understand that all human beings are capable of being "good", that a human being is the embodiment of virtues that he/she spend a life tiem to grow and develop in him/herself and others. With this self concept in place, they then need to learn the knowledge and skills so they are empowered to be peacemakers in their environment and live a meaningful life of service. When our youth have a positive concept of themselves, have the hope that the world can becoem a better place, have a strong sense of purpose and are enganged in active service to others, they feel fulfilled and happy. They will choose peaceful and non-violant ways to solve conflicts. We need to give our children positive self knowledge, hope, skills and a sense of mission. And support them with meaningful governement programs for them to engage in service. In this way, we prevent the problems we are facing in the world from happening again and again.
|
| Back to top |
|
