Tumbaco, a typical Ecuadorian town, located only 15 kilometers to the east of Quito, was the chosen venue to host a Facilitation Workshop on the Learning to Live Together Programme.
The group was composed of 22 participants from 11 different institutions, organizations and religious groups carrying out different programs for children and youth living in socially vulnerable conditions, belonging to dysfunctional families, and facing violence, abuse and addiction on daily basis.
The workshop, which was held from 22 to 25 February 2018, aimed at training teachers, educators, social workers, and volunteers to promote a culture of peace to help prevent violence against children and youth in educational institutions, religious communities, and community centers in different areas of Quito.
During the 3-days workshop, participants got familiar with the main concepts of Learning to Live Together, its methodology and framework. They reflected on the influence violence has on children and youth in their particular context, and the role that value-based education can play to prevent it.
Through the different activities, participants gain the knowledge and practical skills to design an ethics education program based on Learning to Live Together and customized to the needs and realities of the children they work with and their communities. In this way, participants could visualize how to integrate an ethics education program in their current projects, and design concrete plans to implement the program in a systematic way.
The Global Network of Religions for Children (GNRC) Ecuador, and Arigatou International Geneva will provide support to the creation of a local Community of Practice.
The workshop was facilitated by Learning to Live Together Trainers Ms. Mercedes Román, Senior Adviser for the GNRC Latin America and the Caribbean and Ms. Mónica Bernal, Family Therapist and Advisor; together with Ms. Maribel Leon, Director and Educator, Pastoral de la U.E. San Luis Gonzaga, and Mr. Marco Laguatasi, Educator and Coordinador of GNRC Ecuador, both Learning to Live Together Facilitators.
We thank GNRC for their support in co-organizing this workshop, the facilitators for their commitment and dedication, and the participants for their enthusiasm and friendly spirit of collaboration.