Arigatou International in collaboration with Sarvodaya, Walpola Rahula Institute, and End Violence Against Children are organising today a roundtable discussion on Strengthening Families to Foster Values and Nurture Spirituality in Early Childhood for the Prevention of Violence Against Children – The Role of Religious Communities.

The objectives of the roundtable discussion are:
1. Reflect on the state of violence against children in Sri Lanka, particularly in the family setting and its effects on early childhood development;
2. Identify the environmental and societal factors related to poverty and violence that hinder or foster the ability and possibilities for positive parenting;
3. Discuss the role of religious communities in challenging cultural and social norms that justify violence, as well as their role supporting families in nurturing values and spirituality in children;
4. Share good practices from religious communities and civil society organizations that help preventing and addressing violence against children in the family context, particularly in areas that were affected by the civil war.

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On 13 August, Shanti Ashram held a dialogue with young people and members of the Interfaith Council on Ethics Education for Children on the topic of global citizenship. Around 20 youth from Tamil Nadu gathered to share their views on what global citizenship means for them and how they can respond to the challenges it poses. The inter-generational dialogue was an opportunity to reflect together, to share what it means to be a global citizen in a world that has become increasingly more interdependent and yet a world where exclusion, racism,segregation and extremism are rising.

Young people today need to help shaping the world and creating new narratives of mutual understanding and respect. We have an ethical obligation to make their voices heard and create spaces for them to become the voices of inclusion, empathy, and solidarity.

In this video, Mrs. Maria Lucia Uribe, Director of Arigatou International Geneva shared her views on the dialogue as she meets again with some of the youth to reflect on ways to take the dialogue out of the inner circle.

Thank you Covai Post for the video and for helping create spaces for children and young people! Special thanks to Shanti Ashram and Dr. Vinu Aram for the leadership.

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On 10 August, a roundtable discussion was organised in Delhi, India by Shanti Ashram in collaboration with Arigatou International Geneva, Gandhi Darshan, and Focolare Movement on the topic on Building Cohesive Societies in Multicultural Contexts - the role of children and youth for the prevention of violence. Panelists reflected on the need to foster education that promotes learning to live together, the role of informal education through implicit teaching, and of teachers as role models in schools. The importance of ensuring education challenges violent structures that sustain injustice and developing critical thinking in children and youth was also discussed.

Panelists reflected on the intersections between religious and secular communities, learning from one another, and finding the "glue" that can bring us together and make our societies cohesive.

The roundtable ended with a call for action and collaboration between the 30 child-based organisations that were present.

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EDUCACIÓN ÉTICA Y FAMILIAS

Del panel de discusión "El rol de la Educación Ética para fortalecer a las familias y fomentar la espiritualidad en los niños y niñas" el Prof. Enrique Palmeyro – Director de Scholas Occurrentes, destaca que:

"La alegría del Evangelio nos invita a un compromiso con la realidad"

Mira la intervención del Prof. Palmeyro
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoYn8FClNg8

Lee el reporte del panel (versión en Inglés)
https://ethicseducationforchildren.org/images/documents/EE-Panel_Panama11MAY.pdf

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ETHICS EDUCATION AND FAMILIES

From the panel discussion "Role of Ethics Education in strengthening families and nurturing spirituality in children" Dr. Anantanand Rambachan – Professor of Religion, Philosophy and Asian Studies at Saint Olaf College, Minnesota, USA, emphasises that:

"Religious traditions need to learn from studies on Child Development and Child Psychology (...) to distinguish practices that foster children and families from those that dehumanize and violate the wellbeing of the child"

Watch Dr. Rambachan's intervention:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5lsEuxH4Gc&t=1s

Read the report of the panel:
https://ethicseducationforchildren.org/images/documents/EE-Panel_Panama11MAY.pdf

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