Adaptation of the Learning Live Together Programme to Middle Childhood: Pilots in Bucharest and San Salvador

A series of pilot workshops with young children are being held in different parts of the world, as part of the two-year process to adapt the Learning to Live Together Programme to middle childhood years. After reaching 70 children in Kenya and Portugal, two new workshops were held in Romania and El Salvador.

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.

Countering Segregation Through Values-based Education in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Since 2011, the Learning to Live Together (LTLT) Programme has been making headway in Bosnia and Herzegovina under the leadership of Ms. Ismeta Salihspahić, local GNRC Coordinator, and one of the main advocators of the Programme in the country. In the past couple of years, the Programme has reached more than 400 students annually, in six different schools, fostering solidarity and mutual understanding among children from different religious, ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

Cultivating Care in Educational Institutions: Symposium in Haifa

The issue of how to cultivate a culture of caring in educational settings, and what conceptions and practices are best suited to integrate caring into educational institutions, is complex and yet crucial to creating a peaceful and harmonious society and providing children with a holistic education. This topic led the discussions at the 2nd International Symposium, “Cultivating Caring in Educational Institutions: Conceptions and Practices”, organized by the Guerrand-Hermès Foundation for Peace (GHFP) and the Faculty of Education, University of Haifa, with the participation of Arigatou International - Geneva.

Facilitator Training Workshop in Bogotá, Colombia

Sixteen participants took part in a four-day Facilitator Training Workshop on the Learning to Live Together Programme, which was held in Bogotá from 16 to 19 August bringing together religious communities, formal education institutions, and representatives from civil society and faith-based organizations. This included the participation of representatives from 11 Buddhist, Christian, Islamic, and secular organizations.  

Learning to Live Together to Address Violence against Children and Discrimination in Macedonia

A diverse group of twenty-one teachers, school counselors, educators and social workers participated in a Facilitator Training Workshop on the Learning to Live Together (LTLT) Programme in Skopje, Macedonia, with the common aim to tackle violence and discrimination against children from different ethnic and national groups.

More than 1,300 Children and Youth Have Been Reached by Learning to Live Together in Tanzania

Following a Facilitator Training Workshop that took place at the end of 2017 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, over 1,300 children and youth from 17 madrasas, primary and secondary schools have been reached by the Learning to Live Together Programme.

During the workshop, 28 teachers and youth mentors who have been working with youth from the Global Network of Religions for Children (GNRC) Peace Clubs were trained on how to use the Learning to Live Together Programme in their schools and organizations. As a result, 900 children aged 12 to 17 have been reached by the systematic implementation of the Programme in 12 schools, and another 400 children have been reached through different activities based on the Programme that have been carried out by their teachers.

Preventing Violence Against Children by Promoting a Culture of Peace in Ecuador

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.

Promoting Learning to Live Together in Latin America and The Caribbean – A Story of Service and Conviction

Ms. Mercedes Román has been a key driving force in the implementation and dissemination of the Learning to Live Together Programme in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) since before it’s conception. She was part of the first group of experts, gathered by Arigatou International in 1998, to work on the launch of the Global Network of Religions for Children (GNRC), and has been working with Arigatou International ever since.

As GNRC Coordinator for Latin America, she conducted several test workshops in the region to try out what was then known as the Ethics Education Toolkit. After the launch of Learning to Live Together, she has conducted countless Facilitator Training Workshops in the region, as well as Europe.

Ms. Román has dedicated her life-work to serve the most vulnerable in our society, and to promote the rights of the child, to contribute to their full and sound development. Nowadays, she is the Senior Advisor for the GNRC in LAC and is also part of the group of experts working in the adaptation of the Learning to Live Together Programme to middle childhood years.

In this interview, she shares about her journey working with children and women in vulnerable situations, and how her family and religious background instilled in her a strong sense of justice, generosity and caring for the most needed members of society.

Putting Theory into Practice: First Outcomes After the Second International Train the Trainers

After participating in the Second International Train the Trainers in April 2017, the 27 new official trainers have been putting into practice all their learnings and moving ahead across a wide range of areas, designing new programs for facilitators, crafting projects to foster peacebuilding, interfaith collaboration, and children and youth participation, as well as working for the prevention of violence against children.

Summer Youth Camp for Interreligious Exchange in the Netherlands and Bulgaria

Over the summer, the United Religions Initiative (URI) - Europe and Arigatou International - Geneva partnered together to organize a youth camp involving children from the Netherlands and Bulgaria, between the ages of 12-17.

Tackling Bullying and Violence in Schools Through Value-based Education in Indonesia

The Learning to Live Together Programme (LTLT) was first introduced to Indonesia during a facilitator training workshop conducted by GNRC South Asia and Arigatou International – Geneva, in partnership with the Indonesian National Commission for UNESCO in 2012 and with the help of Ms. Wati Wardani and Mr. Fendra Kusmani. Since then, it has reached more than 1,000 children in more than 30 schools in the country.

The New Learning to Live Together Manual for Children Ages 6 to 11 is Available!

Nurturing ethical values and children’s spiritual development can make a difference in the lives of children, their families, and their communities. With this in mind and responding to the needs of our partners in the field, Arigatou International – Geneva adapted its Learning to Live Together program for the middle childhood years. After a two-year-long process, the adaptation of the program was launched on 23 November 2021, during the Transforming Education Symposium.

Third Online Course on Ethics Education for Children Reaches Educators from 32 Countries

Following the success of Arigatou International’s previous online courses, the third round of Ethics Education for Children: A Transformative Pedagogy for Learning to Live Together was conducted from 15-28 June 2021. Sixty-six participants from different countries joined the course, offering a diversity-rich environment that helped prompt fruitful dialogues and a diverse exchange of experiences.