“Education for Peace in a Multi-Religious World”: Celebrating World Human Rights Day

“There is no hope for peace without knowledge, which awakens us to our shared identity and connectedness as human beings”, said Mr. Anantanand Rambachan, Professor of Religion at St. Olaf College (US) and Columnist at Huffington Post. 

“Learning to Live Together” Implemented through Sports in Panama

The Ministry of Social Development (MIDES) of Panama through its Safe Social Development Office (ODSS), in partnership with various organizations, launched the official campaign of the ENFOCA Project which aims to train social workers and teachers in Sport Disciplines for Character Development and Personal Autonomy for Children and Adolescents.

1,500 Children to Be Reached by an Ethics Education Program in Schools in Tanzania

With the goal of reaching at least 1,500 children in Tanzanian schools, a Facilitators Training Workshop was organized by Arigatou International Geneva, in collaboration with the Global Network of Religions for Children (GNRC).

1st INSPIRE Implementation Jamboree – Leading Violence-Prevention Stakeholders Meet in Uganda

Under the theme “Advancing evidence-based action to end violence against children through INSPIRE dissemination, implementation and monitoring,” more than 150 professionals and representatives of organizations working to prevent violence against children met in for the 1st INSPIRE Implementation Jamboree in Kampala, Uganda.

36 new facilitators were trained in South Sumatra in the Learning to Live Together Programme

Paving the way towards ethics education for children and youth in Indonesia, 36 teachers from two schools in South Sumatra province have just become facilitators on the Learning to Live Together (LTLT) Programme, after following a Basic Training Workshop held from 27 to 29 September 2016, in Tanjung Enim city.

Teachers from Bukit Asam Senior High School and Bukit Asam Vocational School were trained on the concepts, resources and methodologies used to implement this intercultural and interfaith programme designed by Arigatou International.

A Handbook on Good Parenting -14 May 2010

*Handbook that shares principles and methods of parenting, including: being a good role model for your child through your words and actions, developing family mission statement, knowing your limits as a parent, and having fun with your children

A Selection of Tanzanian Folk Stories -1 June 2010

*Compilation of 30 stories narrated by elderly men and women from different ethnic tribes of Tanzania

Adaptation of the Learning Live Together Programme: Pilots in Lisbon and Nairobi

Following the calls from our network of educators for the adaptation of the Learning to Live Together (LTLT) Programme to middle childhood years, Arigatou International – Geneva is continuing the two-year process of adaptation of the Programme. The first two pilots in this process took place in Lisbon, Portugal, 8-10 February, and Nairobi, Kenya, 18-23 February.

Adapting the Learning to Live Together Programme to Middle Childhood Years

During the latest years, Arigatou International –Geneva has received a strong call from its network of educators to develop a new edition of the Learning to Live Together Programme for younger children. The Geneva office is responding to these requests by undertaking the task of coordinating a 2-year-long process of adapting the manual to the ages of 7 to 11.

An ENFOCA Manual for Character Development Was Launched in Panama

On 27 June 2017, the Ministry of Social Affairs in Panama, through its Office of Safe Social Development, launched the ENFOCA - Training For Character Development manual, a document that aims to support educators using arts and sports as a tool to nurture ethical values in youth in a comprehensive and systematic manner.

An international dialogue to prevent violent extremism through education

Policy-makers, experts, youth advocates, members of intergovernmental organizations and civil society from almost 70 different countries gathered together for the International Conference on Prevention of Violent Extremism through Education, held in New Delhi, India on 19 – 20 September 2016.

The conference had the purpose of raising awareness on the importance of education in the prevention of violent extremism (PVE) as well as identifying actions for the effective implementation of PVE activities. At the event, co-organized by UNESCO with the support of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Arigatou International Geneva also had the oportunity to join the dialogue and informally share some experiences about the Learning to Live Together (LTLT) Programme.

Aprender a Vivir Juntos en zonas de riesgo en El Salvador

Arigatou Internacional de Ginebra, en colaboración con el Centro Bartolomé de las Casas, organizó un taller de capacitación sobre cómo utilizar el programa Aprender a Vivir Juntos (AVJ) en San Salvador del 6 al 10 de febrero de 2017. El taller se centró en 28 facilitadores que trabajan en áreas de riesgo en los municipios de Mejicanos y Apopa, particularmente en las áreas de Montreal y Popotlán, muy afectadas por la violencia de las pandillas, y que están comprometidos a implementar sistemáticamente el AVJ en sus instituciones con niños y familias en la educación formal y no formal.

Arigatou International at the Core Group of Experts for Child-friendly Churches

Arigatou International was invited by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and UNICEF to join the Core Group of Experts called to contribute to the process of developing a set of Principles and Tools for Child-friendly Churches.

Arigatou International Geneva and URI partner for the well-being of children

Arigatou International Geneva Office and United Religions Initiative (URI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance their working cooperation to foster children's well-being in the world.

From left: Mussie Hailu, URI Director of Global Partnerships; Mrs. Maria Lucia Uribe Torre, Director of Arigatou International Geneva; and The Rev. Victor H. Kazanjian, Jr, Executive Director of URI.

The agreement was signed on December 18, 2019 by The Rev. Victor H. Kazanjian, Jr, Executive Director of URI, and Mrs. Maria Lucia Uribe Torre, Director of Arigatou International Geneva.

The two organizations have agreed to the following preliminary and overarching areas of cooperation:

• Collaborate to promote education for learning to live together, enhancing interfaith collaboration and action both within their constituencies and outside;
• Work together to advocate for children and youth participation in fostering learning to live together and encouraging global citizenship;
• Jointly organize training workshops on the Learning to Live Together Programme for URI Cooperation Circle members;
• Support the implementation of the Learning to Live Together Programme with children and youth.
  About Arigatou International.

About URI

URI (United Religions Initiative) is a global grassroots interfaith network that cultivates peace and justice by engaging people to bridge religious and cultural differences and work together for the good of their communities and the world. The purpose of URI is to promote enduring, daily interfaith cooperation, to end religiously-motivated violence, and to create cultures of peace, justice, and healing for the Earth and all living beings. URI has UN NGO consultative status with both the Economic and Social Council of the UN, and with the Department of Global Communications of the UN.

URI envisions a world at peace, sustained by engaged and interconnected communities committed to respect for diversity, nonviolent resolution of conflict, and social, political, economic, and environmental justice.

URI implements its mission through local and global initiatives that build the capacity of its 1,035 member groups and organizations in 108 countries, called Cooperation Circles, to engage in community action such as conflict resolution and reconciliation, environmental sustainability, education, women’s empowerment, youth and children’s programs, advocacy for human rights, and promoting a culture of peace and interfaith harmony.

www.uri.org 

About Arigatou International

Arigatou International is an international, non-profit organization committed to building a better world for children. Arigatou International is “All for Children,” and draws on universal principles of common good to offer compelling new ways for people of diverse religious and cultural backgrounds to come together to address children’s issues.

An initiator and sustainer of partnership-based initiatives to secure child rights and foster children's well-being, Arigatou International seeks to maximize the potential of interfaith cooperation, and always strives to empower and involve children and youth.

Holding special consultative status with UN-ECOSOC and consultative status with UNICEF, Arigatou International liaises and works jointly with UN agencies and other NGOs to foster cooperation within a rights-based approach to the profound issues faced by children and youth today. In 2008, Arigatou International and its Global Network of Religions for Children, in collaboration with UNESCO and UNICEF, launched Learning to Live Together – An Intercultural and Interfaith Programme for Ethics Education.

Learning to Live Together is a programme for educators (teachers, youth leaders, social workers) to nurture ethical values in children and youth that will help them strengthen their identities and critical thinking, ability to make well-grounded decisions, to respect and work with people of other cultures and religions, and to foster their individual and collective responsibilities in a global community.

Learning to Live Together has been implemented in more than 30 countries and benefited more than 400,000 children and youth. More than 1,200 facilitators have been trained on how to use the manual.

For further information please contact:

Arigatou International Geneva

Email: geneva(at)arigatouinternational.org 

www.ethicseducationforchildren.org 

Arigatou International Geneva at the Parliament of World’s Religions

Arigatou International Geneva attended the Parliament of World’s Religions that took place in Salt Lake City, United States from 15-19 October 2015.

The Parliament has been held once every five years since 1893 and is the world’s oldest, largest and most inclusive interfaith event for the global interfaith movement.

Arigatou International Geneva presents at ADEA Triennale 2017

From 14 to 17 March 2017, Arigatou International attended the Association for Development of Education in Africa (ADEA)'s Triennale 2017 in Dakar, Senegal, under the theme “Revitalizing education towards the 2030 Global Agenda and Africa’s Agenda 2063”.

Basic Training Workshop Reaches 17 Institutions in India

A Basic Training Workshop on the Learning to Live Together (LTLT) Programme was conducted in Coimbatore, India from 19 to 20 March 2018 by Shanti Ashram, bringing together 34 teachers from 17 institutions.

Building a Culture of Peace - Learning to Live Together in Dominican Republic

The Global Network of Religions for Children, GNRC, Dominican Republic in collaboration with Arigatou International Geneva, organized a Basic Training Workshop on how to use the Learning to Live Together (LTLT) Programme.

The workshop took place in San Victor, Moca from 3 to 6 June 2015 and targeted 30 educators from faith-based organizations, working directly with children, that are committed to implement the LTLT systematically in their organizations.

Challenging Discrimination and Xenophobia with Education: A Discussion in Light of the 39th Human Rights Council Session

Education can be a tool for refugee or migrant children to integrate into their new host societies, and has the potential to empower them to lead a joyful and fruitful life. It is with this idea in mind that a panel discussion on Empowering Youth Through Education: Challenging Xenophobia, Discrimination, and Exclusion among Youth in Europe was held, reflecting on the role of education in fostering more inclusive societies and empowering youth.

Collaboration and Trainings with the International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA)

Arigatou International - Geneva, in collaboration with UNESCO International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA) is developing a program on “Youth Empowerment for Peace and Resilience Building and Prevention of Violent Extremism in Sahel Countries through Teacher Development” in Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, and Senegal.