We like to think of Trainers as the greatest advocators of the Learning to Live Together Programme.They make possible the dissemination of ethics education by training facilitators, furthering reflections on the importance of values-based education in societies, and by fostering transformations in their communities.
This award is designed to recognize the work of a committed trainer who has empowered Learning to Live Together facilitators, who role-models the values that the Learning to Live Together stands for and whose commitment and passion have made a difference in the community.
Array
(
[name_of_applicant] => Ana Žnidarec Čučković
[email] => anaznidarec@aol.com
[name_of_organization] => University of Kinesiology
[country] => Croatia
[city] => Zagreb
[please_explain_how_you_have_conducted_trainings_on_the_learning_to_live_together_programme_600_words_] => LTLT Programme is in my professional and personal life for more than 5 years. Before I gain Basic Training certificate, I discovered the Arigatou International web page with publications and I had strong recommendation from my colleague Angeliki Arony who was already involved in Programme and sharing her experience. The core of the Programme was and is holistic for my understanding and I embrace it in my daily work. Back then I was school advisor (pedagog) working in school with 1200 pupils. Interactions on daily bases were challenging and this Programme provided me with the needed answers. First I used parts of the manual, but as soon as I gained basic education - I started with building the whole picture. These days, it is integrated in my curriculum and it is introduces to the students of the University of Kinesiology as well as in my work with NGOs with adults and children in non-formal education.
[how_have_you_used_the_ltlt_ethics_education_framework_400_words_] => Key conceptual elements of the EEF can be viewed separately but together they are sending “strong message“! They are helping me to recreate to my students the diversity of the contexts and ethical decisions. They are bringing up the experience and open ways of creating new ones but built on the dignity and respect for all and especially children. This brings us to another dimension of the EEF and that is possibility to comprehend global and plural society directions.
[explain_how_the_conducted_trainings_have_been_sensitive_to_the_local_context_400_words_] => Local context is important to consider in so many levels. From the visible things like language, gestures, rituals, building and space to the one that it is not so obvious but is in the “air“ of everyday life like political, social and other situations and habitus. Trainings allow and enable participants to integrate all that they find crucial and important not only for them but for the children they are working with dealing with what they have towards transformative actions that will and are changing the realities. It is all happening in a process that cherish diversity and opens dialogue.
[how_has_the_conducted_trainings_impacted_the_trained_facilitators_400_words_] => In a transformative way!! I was a witness on how people can obviously change in front of me. Like the ray of light from the bulb of the revelations. Understanding and transformative pedagogy are some of the factors that allow the facilitators to reflect on metacognitive levels and disseminate.
[please_give_some_examples_to_show_your_resourcefulness_and_creativity_to_organize_trainings_of_facilitators_600_words_] => In my case - I needed to spread out of my main facility so I created a cooperation with NGOs. While I was doing trainings in school or now at the University - I needed to find space and time to combine some parts of the LTLT with main curriculum that should be delivered to students. For eg. what does Pedagogy - Kinesiology and LTLT have in common? Well - as it turned out - many core connections were made by the students. The methodology was so much interesting to them that we modified many lessons into the ones that deliver same outcomes but through different way (more physical activity way). Values are going hand in hand with Olympic ones and we needed to determine the context to check for understanding and application. So resourcefulness goes beyond me because some students used their creativity and imagination and they created the conditions to have some more workshops after the regular seminars. Now I am building a strong connection with NGO that will help to disseminate LTLT Programme to different part of Croatia and I am happy for that!!
[how_have_you_provided_mentorship_and_guidance_to_trained_facilitators_400_words_] => Mentorship and the guidance are 2 important things that were there from the beginning. LTLT Programme contains interconnection in the process and I was mentored and guided from others as I was mentoring and guiding others. It is the support that is nurtured all the way again in many levels. I will never forget empowerment through on line course I was one of the facilitators - critical friends, conscious ones - directed to mutual understanding and process oriented!!
[how_has_the_learning_to_live_together_programme_influenced_a_positive_transformation_in_you_in_a_personal_and_professional_level_400_words_] => It has!! My level of competence, transversal and intercultural one has significantly changed - transformation key is in the process of the Programme that touches all the parts of your mind, heart and it can be measurably by observed by the projects, by the influence, by the many things that were the outcome from this process and it is ongoing and sustainable. It strengthened me in the life long learning path and I am so grateful!
[please_explain_how_you_exemplify_a_strong_role_model_of_the_principles_of_learning_to_live_together_400_words_] => Role model is about competences and here I mean attitudes, skills, knowledge and values that are interwoven all the way through LTLT. Awareness of the influence of the teacher/facilitator is the crucial one which reaches critical consciousness and all its reach in action.
[explain_how_you_act_as_an_ambassador_and_advocator_of_the_learning_to_live_together_programme_in_your_local_context_600_words_] => Here I strive to advocate LTLT Programme in all possible levels. From small children in non formal settings (like streets) to the main state institutions.
My daily practice and lifestyle are the best advocates of advocacy as well as works that testify to efforts. Authenticity is what we are striving together with everyday plunging into the process and learning from others.
[video_link] => https://youtu.be/XRcksOiIQuA
[formFiles] => stdClass Object
(
[_isComplex] => 1
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)
Name: Ana Žnidarec Čučković
Organization: University of Kinesiology
Location: Croatia
Please explain how you have conducted trainings on the Learning to Live Together Programme. (600 words)
LTLT Programme is in my professional and personal life for more than 5 years. Before I gain Basic Training certificate, I discovered the Arigatou International web page with publications and I had strong recommendation from my colleague Angeliki Arony who was already involved in Programme and sharing her experience. The core of the Programme was and is holistic for my understanding and I embrace it in my daily work. Back then I was school advisor (pedagog) working in school with 1200 pupils. Interactions on daily bases were challenging and this Programme provided me with the needed answers. First I used parts of the manual, but as soon as I gained basic education - I started with building the whole picture. These days, it is integrated in my curriculum and it is introduces to the students of the University of Kinesiology as well as in my work with NGOs with adults and children in non-formal education.
How have you used the LTLT Ethics Education Framework? (400 words)
Key conceptual elements of the EEF can be viewed separately but together they are sending “strong message“! They are helping me to recreate to my students the diversity of the contexts and ethical decisions. They are bringing up the experience and open ways of creating new ones but built on the dignity and respect for all and especially children. This brings us to another dimension of the EEF and that is possibility to comprehend global and plural society directions.
Explain how the conducted trainings have been sensitive to the local context. (400 words)
Local context is important to consider in so many levels. From the visible things like language, gestures, rituals, building and space to the one that it is not so obvious but is in the “air“ of everyday life like political, social and other situations and habitus. Trainings allow and enable participants to integrate all that they find crucial and important not only for them but for the children they are working with dealing with what they have towards transformative actions that will and are changing the realities. It is all happening in a process that cherish diversity and opens dialogue.
How has the conducted trainings impacted the trained facilitators? (400 words)
In a transformative way!! I was a witness on how people can obviously change in front of me. Like the ray of light from the bulb of the revelations. Understanding and transformative pedagogy are some of the factors that allow the facilitators to reflect on metacognitive levels and disseminate.
Please give some examples to show your resourcefulness and creativity to organize trainings of facilitators. (600 words)
In my case - I needed to spread out of my main facility so I created a cooperation with NGOs. While I was doing trainings in school or now at the University - I needed to find space and time to combine some parts of the LTLT with main curriculum that should be delivered to students. For eg. what does Pedagogy - Kinesiology and LTLT have in common? Well - as it turned out - many core connections were made by the students. The methodology was so much interesting to them that we modified many lessons into the ones that deliver same outcomes but through different way (more physical activity way). Values are going hand in hand with Olympic ones and we needed to determine the context to check for understanding and application. So resourcefulness goes beyond me because some students used their creativity and imagination and they created the conditions to have some more workshops after the regular seminars. Now I am building a strong connection with NGO that will help to disseminate LTLT Programme to different part of Croatia and I am happy for that!!
How have you provided mentorship and guidance to trained facilitators? (400 words)
Mentorship and the guidance are 2 important things that were there from the beginning. LTLT Programme contains interconnection in the process and I was mentored and guided from others as I was mentoring and guiding others. It is the support that is nurtured all the way again in many levels. I will never forget empowerment through on line course I was one of the facilitators - critical friends, conscious ones - directed to mutual understanding and process oriented!!
How has the Learning to Live Together Programme influenced a positive transformation in you, in a personal and professional level? (400 words)
It has!! My level of competence, transversal and intercultural one has significantly changed - transformation key is in the process of the Programme that touches all the parts of your mind, heart and it can be measurably by observed by the projects, by the influence, by the many things that were the outcome from this process and it is ongoing and sustainable. It strengthened me in the life long learning path and I am so grateful!
Please explain how you exemplify a strong role-model of the principles of Learning to Live Together. (400 words)
Role model is about competences and here I mean attitudes, skills, knowledge and values that are interwoven all the way through LTLT. Awareness of the influence of the teacher/facilitator is the crucial one which reaches critical consciousness and all its reach in action.
Explain how you act as an ambassador and advocator of the Learning to Live Together Programme in your local context. (600 words)
Here I strive to advocate LTLT Programme in all possible levels. From small children in non formal settings (like streets) to the main state institutions.
My daily practice and lifestyle are the best advocates of advocacy as well as works that testify to efforts. Authenticity is what we are striving together with everyday plunging into the process and learning from others.
Please explain how you have conducted trainings on the Learning to Live Together Programme. (600 words)
LTLT Programme is in my professional and personal life for more than 5 years. Before I gain Basic Training certificate, I discovered the Arigatou International web page with publications and I had strong recommendation from my colleague Angeliki Arony who was already involved in Programme and sharing her experience. The core of the Programme was and is holistic for my understanding and I embrace it in my daily work. Back then I was school advisor (pedagog) working in school with 1200 pupils. Interactions on daily bases were challenging and this Programme provided me with the needed answers. First I used parts of the manual, but as soon as I gained basic education - I started with building the whole picture. These days, it is integrated in my curriculum and it is introduces to the students of the University of Kinesiology as well as in my work with NGOs with adults and children in non-formal education.
How have you used the LTLT Ethics Education Framework? (400 words)
Key conceptual elements of the EEF can be viewed separately but together they are sending “strong message“! They are helping me to recreate to my students the diversity of the contexts and ethical decisions. They are bringing up the experience and open ways of creating new ones but built on the dignity and respect for all and especially children. This brings us to another dimension of the EEF and that is possibility to comprehend global and plural society directions.
Explain how the conducted trainings have been sensitive to the local context. (400 words)
Local context is important to consider in so many levels. From the visible things like language, gestures, rituals, building and space to the one that it is not so obvious but is in the “air“ of everyday life like political, social and other situations and habitus. Trainings allow and enable participants to integrate all that they find crucial and important not only for them but for the children they are working with dealing with what they have towards transformative actions that will and are changing the realities. It is all happening in a process that cherish diversity and opens dialogue.
How has the conducted trainings impacted the trained facilitators? (400 words)
In a transformative way!! I was a witness on how people can obviously change in front of me. Like the ray of light from the bulb of the revelations. Understanding and transformative pedagogy are some of the factors that allow the facilitators to reflect on metacognitive levels and disseminate.
Please give some examples to show your resourcefulness and creativity to organize trainings of facilitators. (600 words)
In my case - I needed to spread out of my main facility so I created a cooperation with NGOs. While I was doing trainings in school or now at the University - I needed to find space and time to combine some parts of the LTLT with main curriculum that should be delivered to students. For eg. what does Pedagogy - Kinesiology and LTLT have in common? Well - as it turned out - many core connections were made by the students. The methodology was so much interesting to them that we modified many lessons into the ones that deliver same outcomes but through different way (more physical activity way). Values are going hand in hand with Olympic ones and we needed to determine the context to check for understanding and application. So resourcefulness goes beyond me because some students used their creativity and imagination and they created the conditions to have some more workshops after the regular seminars. Now I am building a strong connection with NGO that will help to disseminate LTLT Programme to different part of Croatia and I am happy for that!!
How have you provided mentorship and guidance to trained facilitators? (400 words)
Mentorship and the guidance are 2 important things that were there from the beginning. LTLT Programme contains interconnection in the process and I was mentored and guided from others as I was mentoring and guiding others. It is the support that is nurtured all the way again in many levels. I will never forget empowerment through on line course I was one of the facilitators - critical friends, conscious ones - directed to mutual understanding and process oriented!!
How has the Learning to Live Together Programme influenced a positive transformation in you, in a personal and professional level? (400 words)
It has!! My level of competence, transversal and intercultural one has significantly changed - transformation key is in the process of the Programme that touches all the parts of your mind, heart and it can be measurably by observed by the projects, by the influence, by the many things that were the outcome from this process and it is ongoing and sustainable. It strengthened me in the life long learning path and I am so grateful!
Please explain how you exemplify a strong role-model of the principles of Learning to Live Together. (400 words)
Role model is about competences and here I mean attitudes, skills, knowledge and values that are interwoven all the way through LTLT. Awareness of the influence of the teacher/facilitator is the crucial one which reaches critical consciousness and all its reach in action.
Explain how you act as an ambassador and advocator of the Learning to Live Together Programme in your local context. (600 words)
Here I strive to advocate LTLT Programme in all possible levels. From small children in non formal settings (like streets) to the main state institutions.
My daily practice and lifestyle are the best advocates of advocacy as well as works that testify to efforts. Authenticity is what we are striving together with everyday plunging into the process and learning from others.
Array
(
[name_of_applicant] => Laura Molnar
[email] => molnar_laura@hotmail.com
[name_of_organization] => Sol Mentis Association
[country] => Romania
[city] => Bucharest
[please_explain_how_you_have_conducted_trainings_on_the_learning_to_live_together_programme_600_words_] => LTLT was implemented in Romanian schools by Sol Mentis Association through a memorandum of cooperation with AI Geneva office and N.C. of UNESCO Romania. The LTLT training for teachers was accredited by our Ministry of Education in March 2014. then more than 1400 teachers, schools inspectors and counsellors have been trained. Inside Sol Mentis Association, I had the responsibility to coordinate the LTLT program to find partners, to organize trainings and to coordinate the LTLT programs implementation in the country and the mentorship program for teachers, as trainings follow up.
[how_have_you_used_the_ltlt_ethics_education_framework_400_words_] => The Ethics Education framework was explained during the trainings. Providing a new approach for our teachers, based on putting the children in the centre and building horizontal relationships with them, it needed to be consolidated through our mentorship program offered to our community of practice and through projects for students, implemented in schools from different areas of the country like „Me, in the word diversity” where students had opportunity to present but also learn from their colleagues about different cultures and religions.
Were provided also trainings for teachers to teach them how to stimulate children’s’ participation and critical thinking, but also how to create a save learning environment. Space for understanding interconnectedness and gain critical consciousness was created also among teachers in our practice community, underlining the importance of being role model for children
[explain_how_the_conducted_trainings_have_been_sensitive_to_the_local_context_400_words_] => I chose to organize part of the trainings in the disadvantaged areas, with poor training opportunities for teachers and children and in areas with minorities: Reghin, Bistrita (Hungarians and Roma; Orthodox, Baptist, Catholic), Constanta (Turkish, Ukrainians, Moldavians). Trainings addressed the local issues and provided respect for others coming from different ethnical and religious background. Teachers didn’t learned also the importance of having a no discriminative attitude, but also to pay more attention on the group dynamic, not only on the lesson content. Through our projects in schools on Eradicating poverty, students gained empathy and social responsibility for disadvantaged children. We registered lots of students’ initiatives in this sense.
[how_has_the_conducted_trainings_impacted_the_trained_facilitators_400_words_] => The feedbacks received from teachers who participated to our training were very positive, mentioning not only the originality of the approach, but also the flexibility of the method and its large applicability in practice. Some of them recognized that they were never active in courses and that our training was the first one who build a safe learning environment which allowed them to be able to speak in public. Most of the teachers mentioned the training changed their perspective on children and on the way they have to treat children – more empathetic with their real needs, listen them more, having more responsibility for their attitude and words and including all students equally in activities, even encouraging their active participation in different projects for the community .
[please_give_some_examples_to_show_your_resourcefulness_and_creativity_to_organize_trainings_of_facilitators_600_words_] => I don’t think the methods or resources I use are original, however I tried to integrate in the course, the most effective ones I learned from different sources. What I bring new is the large variety of examples took from my practice. Working a lot with teachers and children in different schools, we are able to provide examples of the most effective ways we found to solve problems or we can show specific contexts from Romanian reality, where LTLT approach can make a difference, motivating this way teachers to implement the method. I also tried to create a unitary strategy to connect LTLT with the other Arigatou International initiatives an I'm satisfied by the natural way they can be developed together, constituting an added value one for each other, increasing the impact on community .
[how_have_you_provided_mentorship_and_guidance_to_trained_facilitators_400_words_] => For teachers in Bucharest we provide a mentorship programs going once a month in each class and facilitating a LTLT session with children, helping teachers to have a deeper understanding on the flexibility and unicity of the LTLT approach. For teachers outside Bucharest we provide free courses according with their needs, periodical projects proposals for consolidating the values nurtured in children and sharing best practices opportunities through FB group, AI platform and our periodical newsletter.
[how_has_the_learning_to_live_together_programme_influenced_a_positive_transformation_in_you_in_a_personal_and_professional_level_400_words_] => At professional level LTLT gave me self-confidence to build a consistent educational program and directions in my work to serve the others and make a difference in our community. At the personal level, offers me the opportunity to find each day more and more perspectives on the ethical values and more effective ways to apply it in my relationships. This developed my ability to solve problems, to have a more relevant communication with people and attracted valuable persons around me.
[please_explain_how_you_exemplify_a_strong_role_model_of_the_principles_of_learning_to_live_together_400_words_] => A strong role model shall include LTLT approach in his/her daily life, in the choices he/she makes every day, in the way he/she address different problems and the way he/she is able to build valuable relationships, based on authentic respect, openness and cooperation with the others. He /she is also a person who is knowing him/herself well, is not afraid to assume his/her limits and has enough flexibility to identify continuously the learning needs still have. Only working every day on building our ethical attitude, the role model can offer guidance to others.
[explain_how_you_act_as_an_ambassador_and_advocator_of_the_learning_to_live_together_programme_in_your_local_context_600_words_] => I promoted LTLT in different conferences, seminars or meeting organized for teachers by different state or private institutions. I also promoted LTLT inside GNRC Europe network, as being an effective tool to achieve our objectives. However I consider the best promotion is to offer quality trainings were people may learn useful, practical ways to solve the real problems they face in schools or in their life. In this way, our teachers who participate to or LTLT courses become the best LTLT ambassadors.
[video_link] => https://youtu.be/PXWQhKy0sww
[formFiles] => stdClass Object
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[_isComplex] => 1
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)
Name: Laura Molnar
Organization: Sol Mentis Association
Location: Romania
Please explain how you have conducted trainings on the Learning to Live Together Programme. (600 words)
LTLT was implemented in Romanian schools by Sol Mentis Association through a memorandum of cooperation with AI Geneva office and N.C. of UNESCO Romania. The LTLT training for teachers was accredited by our Ministry of Education in March 2014. then more than 1400 teachers, schools inspectors and counsellors have been trained. Inside Sol Mentis Association, I had the responsibility to coordinate the LTLT program to find partners, to organize trainings and to coordinate the LTLT programs implementation in the country and the mentorship program for teachers, as trainings follow up.
How have you used the LTLT Ethics Education Framework? (400 words)
The Ethics Education framework was explained during the trainings. Providing a new approach for our teachers, based on putting the children in the centre and building horizontal relationships with them, it needed to be consolidated through our mentorship program offered to our community of practice and through projects for students, implemented in schools from different areas of the country like „Me, in the word diversity” where students had opportunity to present but also learn from their colleagues about different cultures and religions.
Were provided also trainings for teachers to teach them how to stimulate children’s’ participation and critical thinking, but also how to create a save learning environment. Space for understanding interconnectedness and gain critical consciousness was created also among teachers in our practice community, underlining the importance of being role model for children
Explain how the conducted trainings have been sensitive to the local context. (400 words)
I chose to organize part of the trainings in the disadvantaged areas, with poor training opportunities for teachers and children and in areas with minorities: Reghin, Bistrita (Hungarians and Roma; Orthodox, Baptist, Catholic), Constanta (Turkish, Ukrainians, Moldavians). Trainings addressed the local issues and provided respect for others coming from different ethnical and religious background. Teachers didn’t learned also the importance of having a no discriminative attitude, but also to pay more attention on the group dynamic, not only on the lesson content. Through our projects in schools on Eradicating poverty, students gained empathy and social responsibility for disadvantaged children. We registered lots of students’ initiatives in this sense.
How has the conducted trainings impacted the trained facilitators? (400 words)
The feedbacks received from teachers who participated to our training were very positive, mentioning not only the originality of the approach, but also the flexibility of the method and its large applicability in practice. Some of them recognized that they were never active in courses and that our training was the first one who build a safe learning environment which allowed them to be able to speak in public. Most of the teachers mentioned the training changed their perspective on children and on the way they have to treat children – more empathetic with their real needs, listen them more, having more responsibility for their attitude and words and including all students equally in activities, even encouraging their active participation in different projects for the community .
Please give some examples to show your resourcefulness and creativity to organize trainings of facilitators. (600 words)
I don’t think the methods or resources I use are original, however I tried to integrate in the course, the most effective ones I learned from different sources. What I bring new is the large variety of examples took from my practice. Working a lot with teachers and children in different schools, we are able to provide examples of the most effective ways we found to solve problems or we can show specific contexts from Romanian reality, where LTLT approach can make a difference, motivating this way teachers to implement the method. I also tried to create a unitary strategy to connect LTLT with the other Arigatou International initiatives an I'm satisfied by the natural way they can be developed together, constituting an added value one for each other, increasing the impact on community .
How have you provided mentorship and guidance to trained facilitators? (400 words)
For teachers in Bucharest we provide a mentorship programs going once a month in each class and facilitating a LTLT session with children, helping teachers to have a deeper understanding on the flexibility and unicity of the LTLT approach. For teachers outside Bucharest we provide free courses according with their needs, periodical projects proposals for consolidating the values nurtured in children and sharing best practices opportunities through FB group, AI platform and our periodical newsletter.
How has the Learning to Live Together Programme influenced a positive transformation in you, in a personal and professional level? (400 words)
At professional level LTLT gave me self-confidence to build a consistent educational program and directions in my work to serve the others and make a difference in our community. At the personal level, offers me the opportunity to find each day more and more perspectives on the ethical values and more effective ways to apply it in my relationships. This developed my ability to solve problems, to have a more relevant communication with people and attracted valuable persons around me.
Please explain how you exemplify a strong role-model of the principles of Learning to Live Together. (400 words)
A strong role model shall include LTLT approach in his/her daily life, in the choices he/she makes every day, in the way he/she address different problems and the way he/she is able to build valuable relationships, based on authentic respect, openness and cooperation with the others. He /she is also a person who is knowing him/herself well, is not afraid to assume his/her limits and has enough flexibility to identify continuously the learning needs still have. Only working every day on building our ethical attitude, the role model can offer guidance to others.
Explain how you act as an ambassador and advocator of the Learning to Live Together Programme in your local context. (600 words)
I promoted LTLT in different conferences, seminars or meeting organized for teachers by different state or private institutions. I also promoted LTLT inside GNRC Europe network, as being an effective tool to achieve our objectives. However I consider the best promotion is to offer quality trainings were people may learn useful, practical ways to solve the real problems they face in schools or in their life. In this way, our teachers who participate to or LTLT courses become the best LTLT ambassadors.
Please explain how you have conducted trainings on the Learning to Live Together Programme. (600 words)
LTLT was implemented in Romanian schools by Sol Mentis Association through a memorandum of cooperation with AI Geneva office and N.C. of UNESCO Romania. The LTLT training for teachers was accredited by our Ministry of Education in March 2014. then more than 1400 teachers, schools inspectors and counsellors have been trained. Inside Sol Mentis Association, I had the responsibility to coordinate the LTLT program to find partners, to organize trainings and to coordinate the LTLT programs implementation in the country and the mentorship program for teachers, as trainings follow up.
How have you used the LTLT Ethics Education Framework? (400 words)
The Ethics Education framework was explained during the trainings. Providing a new approach for our teachers, based on putting the children in the centre and building horizontal relationships with them, it needed to be consolidated through our mentorship program offered to our community of practice and through projects for students, implemented in schools from different areas of the country like „Me, in the word diversity” where students had opportunity to present but also learn from their colleagues about different cultures and religions.
Were provided also trainings for teachers to teach them how to stimulate children’s’ participation and critical thinking, but also how to create a save learning environment. Space for understanding interconnectedness and gain critical consciousness was created also among teachers in our practice community, underlining the importance of being role model for children
Explain how the conducted trainings have been sensitive to the local context. (400 words)
I chose to organize part of the trainings in the disadvantaged areas, with poor training opportunities for teachers and children and in areas with minorities: Reghin, Bistrita (Hungarians and Roma; Orthodox, Baptist, Catholic), Constanta (Turkish, Ukrainians, Moldavians). Trainings addressed the local issues and provided respect for others coming from different ethnical and religious background. Teachers didn’t learned also the importance of having a no discriminative attitude, but also to pay more attention on the group dynamic, not only on the lesson content. Through our projects in schools on Eradicating poverty, students gained empathy and social responsibility for disadvantaged children. We registered lots of students’ initiatives in this sense.
How has the conducted trainings impacted the trained facilitators? (400 words)
The feedbacks received from teachers who participated to our training were very positive, mentioning not only the originality of the approach, but also the flexibility of the method and its large applicability in practice. Some of them recognized that they were never active in courses and that our training was the first one who build a safe learning environment which allowed them to be able to speak in public. Most of the teachers mentioned the training changed their perspective on children and on the way they have to treat children – more empathetic with their real needs, listen them more, having more responsibility for their attitude and words and including all students equally in activities, even encouraging their active participation in different projects for the community .
Please give some examples to show your resourcefulness and creativity to organize trainings of facilitators. (600 words)
I don’t think the methods or resources I use are original, however I tried to integrate in the course, the most effective ones I learned from different sources. What I bring new is the large variety of examples took from my practice. Working a lot with teachers and children in different schools, we are able to provide examples of the most effective ways we found to solve problems or we can show specific contexts from Romanian reality, where LTLT approach can make a difference, motivating this way teachers to implement the method. I also tried to create a unitary strategy to connect LTLT with the other Arigatou International initiatives an I'm satisfied by the natural way they can be developed together, constituting an added value one for each other, increasing the impact on community .
How have you provided mentorship and guidance to trained facilitators? (400 words)
For teachers in Bucharest we provide a mentorship programs going once a month in each class and facilitating a LTLT session with children, helping teachers to have a deeper understanding on the flexibility and unicity of the LTLT approach. For teachers outside Bucharest we provide free courses according with their needs, periodical projects proposals for consolidating the values nurtured in children and sharing best practices opportunities through FB group, AI platform and our periodical newsletter.
How has the Learning to Live Together Programme influenced a positive transformation in you, in a personal and professional level? (400 words)
At professional level LTLT gave me self-confidence to build a consistent educational program and directions in my work to serve the others and make a difference in our community. At the personal level, offers me the opportunity to find each day more and more perspectives on the ethical values and more effective ways to apply it in my relationships. This developed my ability to solve problems, to have a more relevant communication with people and attracted valuable persons around me.
Please explain how you exemplify a strong role-model of the principles of Learning to Live Together. (400 words)
A strong role model shall include LTLT approach in his/her daily life, in the choices he/she makes every day, in the way he/she address different problems and the way he/she is able to build valuable relationships, based on authentic respect, openness and cooperation with the others. He /she is also a person who is knowing him/herself well, is not afraid to assume his/her limits and has enough flexibility to identify continuously the learning needs still have. Only working every day on building our ethical attitude, the role model can offer guidance to others.
Explain how you act as an ambassador and advocator of the Learning to Live Together Programme in your local context. (600 words)
I promoted LTLT in different conferences, seminars or meeting organized for teachers by different state or private institutions. I also promoted LTLT inside GNRC Europe network, as being an effective tool to achieve our objectives. However I consider the best promotion is to offer quality trainings were people may learn useful, practical ways to solve the real problems they face in schools or in their life. In this way, our teachers who participate to or LTLT courses become the best LTLT ambassadors.
Array
(
[name_of_applicant] => AKIM SAID M'CHANGAMA
[email] => akimsaid@gmail.com
[name_of_organization] => CAP ( Association Conseil de la Paix)
[country] => Comores
[city] => Moroni
[please_explain_how_you_have_conducted_trainings_on_the_learning_to_live_together_programme_600_words_] => Depuis l'atelier suivi à Nairobi en 2014, j'ai commencé à travailler sur le manuel Apprendre à vivre ensemble dans diverses occasions. en 2015 lors de la célébration de la journée internationale de l'enfant Africain, nous avons utilisé le module 2 du manuel avec un exercice avec des enfants venant de differents établissements scolaires ( laïques et religieux).
J'ai continué à faire la promotion du manuel à travers les ONGs et établissements scolaires jusqu'à en Avril 2017, aprés avoir reçu la formation de formateurs au manuel apprendre à vivre ensemble, que j'ai commencé le processus d'introduction du programme aux Comores. Dans cet élan, j'ai débuté avec un programme de formation avec les membres de mon organisation. Ensuite, dans le processus d'introduction officielle du manuel dans les programmes éducatifs de mon pays, beaucoup d'étapes étaient nécessaires. En premier j'ai rencontré les secretaires généraux des mairies pour leur parler du contenu du manuel et les bénéfices pour les enfants , les jeunes et la communauté en général. Notons qu'aux Comores ce sont les Maires qui sont en charge de l'éducation de base. Ensuite le processus a continué avec une rencontre technique avec les inspecteurs pédagogiques de l'enseignement comorien, qui ont à leur tour demandé de faire une étude approfondie du manuel et voir comment l'insérer dans les programmes d'enseignement de base aux Comores. Jusqu'ici le processus progresse positivement. La suite sera l'organisation d'un grand atelier qui rassemblera les officiels du ministère et les techniciens de l'éducation.
[how_have_you_used_the_ltlt_ethics_education_framework_400_words_] => Dans mon expérience de formateur sur le manuel LTLT, j'ai travaillé les deux modules dans les rares occasions que j'ai eu à former depuis que je suis formateur l'année dernière. J'ai aussi utilisé des exercices et les autres activités proposées dans le manuel.
[explain_how_the_conducted_trainings_have_been_sensitive_to_the_local_context_400_words_] => Selon mon contexte, il était nécessaire d'utiliser des exercices qui aident à renforcer l'unité et la solidarité, car notre insularité fait que certains perçoivent d'autres comme différents parce que venant d'une autre île ou d'un autre village. Les Comores sont pays avec la même religion, presque la même culture et les mêmes habitudes, mais des différences existent dues aux origines diverses qui composent notre société. Selon le petit expérience du LTLT, les personnes formées ont toujours eu tendance à changer de comportement envers autrui et à ne plus considérer son prochain selon son origine, sa couleur ou son île, mais d'abord en tant qu’être humain avant tout.
[how_has_the_conducted_trainings_impacted_the_trained_facilitators_400_words_] => Pour les animateurs formés, c'est une valeur ajoutée dans leurs connaissances parce que dans notre travail de tous les jours à vouloir instaurer la paix entre les peuples en conflit, ce manuel aide à enrichir beaucoup plus tous ces aspects liés à la paix car les valeurs de l'éthique ne sont autres que des outils à promouvoir la paix.
[please_give_some_examples_to_show_your_resourcefulness_and_creativity_to_organize_trainings_of_facilitators_600_words_] => Le manuel LTLT est un guide très complet pour aider le formateur à mener à bien sa formation. Pour ce qui est de la créativité et l'ingéniosité, c'est de pouvoir adapter les outils en notre possession dans le manuel avec le contexte ou nous vivons pour s'assurer d'une compréhension facile et rapide des apprenants. La pédagogie proposée dans le manuel et l'approche éducationnel, s'ils sont bien utilisés, couplés avec une bonne maîtrise du contexte concerné par la formation ne peut que donner des résultats positifs.
[how_have_you_provided_mentorship_and_guidance_to_trained_facilitators_400_words_] => A chaque occasion, je progresse avec les membres de mon ONG qui ont reçu la formation pour les familiariser beaucoup plus du manuel et son utilisation.
[how_has_the_learning_to_live_together_programme_influenced_a_positive_transformation_in_you_in_a_personal_and_professional_level_400_words_] => Très positif. Mon regard envers les autres a beaucoup évolué dans le sens du respect, de l'empathie, la réconciliation, la solidarité. Mon comportement envers les autres, même si il a toujours été respectueux, a connu beaucoup d'évolution dans le sens de l'éthique. Dans le monde d'aujourd’hui il y a beaucoup de défis à relever dans le domaine de la perception d'autrui ou de l'acceptation des autres, donc je profite, dans ma vie de tous les jours, à utiliser les enseignements du LTLT pour contribuer à transformer le monde positivement en utilisant et en faisant la promotion des valeurs de l'éthique.
[please_explain_how_you_exemplify_a_strong_role_model_of_the_principles_of_learning_to_live_together_400_words_] => Depuis que j'ai appris le manuel LTLT, j'ai compris pourquoi on dit que chaque formation doit être le fruit d'un changement de comportement. Et c'est le cas pour LTLT dans le changement de comportement envers les autres, quelque soit les différences.
[explain_how_you_act_as_an_ambassador_and_advocator_of_the_learning_to_live_together_programme_in_your_local_context_600_words_] => Je ne cesse de faire la promotion de LTLT comme étant un outil essentiel dans la recherche de la paix.
[video_link] => https://youtu.be/LCKlwz69JEg
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Name: AKIM SAID M'CHANGAMA
Organization: CAP ( Association...
Location: Comores
Please explain how you have conducted trainings on the Learning to Live Together Programme. (600 words)
Depuis l'atelier suivi à Nairobi en 2014, j'ai commencé à travailler sur le manuel Apprendre à vivre ensemble dans diverses occasions. en 2015 lors de la célébration de la journée internationale de l'enfant Africain, nous avons utilisé le module 2 du manuel avec un exercice avec des enfants venant de differents établissements scolaires ( laïques et religieux).
J'ai continué à faire la promotion du manuel à travers les ONGs et établissements scolaires jusqu'à en Avril 2017, aprés avoir reçu la formation de formateurs au manuel apprendre à vivre ensemble, que j'ai commencé le processus d'introduction du programme aux Comores. Dans cet élan, j'ai débuté avec un programme de formation avec les membres de mon organisation. Ensuite, dans le processus d'introduction officielle du manuel dans les programmes éducatifs de mon pays, beaucoup d'étapes étaient nécessaires. En premier j'ai rencontré les secretaires généraux des mairies pour leur parler du contenu du manuel et les bénéfices pour les enfants , les jeunes et la communauté en général. Notons qu'aux Comores ce sont les Maires qui sont en charge de l'éducation de base. Ensuite le processus a continué avec une rencontre technique avec les inspecteurs pédagogiques de l'enseignement comorien, qui ont à leur tour demandé de faire une étude approfondie du manuel et voir comment l'insérer dans les programmes d'enseignement de base aux Comores. Jusqu'ici le processus progresse positivement. La suite sera l'organisation d'un grand atelier qui rassemblera les officiels du ministère et les techniciens de l'éducation.
How have you used the LTLT Ethics Education Framework? (400 words)
Dans mon expérience de formateur sur le manuel LTLT, j'ai travaillé les deux modules dans les rares occasions que j'ai eu à former depuis que je suis formateur l'année dernière. J'ai aussi utilisé des exercices et les autres activités proposées dans le manuel.
Explain how the conducted trainings have been sensitive to the local context. (400 words)
Selon mon contexte, il était nécessaire d'utiliser des exercices qui aident à renforcer l'unité et la solidarité, car notre insularité fait que certains perçoivent d'autres comme différents parce que venant d'une autre île ou d'un autre village. Les Comores sont pays avec la même religion, presque la même culture et les mêmes habitudes, mais des différences existent dues aux origines diverses qui composent notre société. Selon le petit expérience du LTLT, les personnes formées ont toujours eu tendance à changer de comportement envers autrui et à ne plus considérer son prochain selon son origine, sa couleur ou son île, mais d'abord en tant qu’être humain avant tout.
How has the conducted trainings impacted the trained facilitators? (400 words)
Pour les animateurs formés, c'est une valeur ajoutée dans leurs connaissances parce que dans notre travail de tous les jours à vouloir instaurer la paix entre les peuples en conflit, ce manuel aide à enrichir beaucoup plus tous ces aspects liés à la paix car les valeurs de l'éthique ne sont autres que des outils à promouvoir la paix.
Please give some examples to show your resourcefulness and creativity to organize trainings of facilitators. (600 words)
Le manuel LTLT est un guide très complet pour aider le formateur à mener à bien sa formation. Pour ce qui est de la créativité et l'ingéniosité, c'est de pouvoir adapter les outils en notre possession dans le manuel avec le contexte ou nous vivons pour s'assurer d'une compréhension facile et rapide des apprenants. La pédagogie proposée dans le manuel et l'approche éducationnel, s'ils sont bien utilisés, couplés avec une bonne maîtrise du contexte concerné par la formation ne peut que donner des résultats positifs.
How have you provided mentorship and guidance to trained facilitators? (400 words)
A chaque occasion, je progresse avec les membres de mon ONG qui ont reçu la formation pour les familiariser beaucoup plus du manuel et son utilisation.
How has the Learning to Live Together Programme influenced a positive transformation in you, in a personal and professional level? (400 words)
Très positif. Mon regard envers les autres a beaucoup évolué dans le sens du respect, de l'empathie, la réconciliation, la solidarité. Mon comportement envers les autres, même si il a toujours été respectueux, a connu beaucoup d'évolution dans le sens de l'éthique. Dans le monde d'aujourd’hui il y a beaucoup de défis à relever dans le domaine de la perception d'autrui ou de l'acceptation des autres, donc je profite, dans ma vie de tous les jours, à utiliser les enseignements du LTLT pour contribuer à transformer le monde positivement en utilisant et en faisant la promotion des valeurs de l'éthique.
Please explain how you exemplify a strong role-model of the principles of Learning to Live Together. (400 words)
Depuis que j'ai appris le manuel LTLT, j'ai compris pourquoi on dit que chaque formation doit être le fruit d'un changement de comportement. Et c'est le cas pour LTLT dans le changement de comportement envers les autres, quelque soit les différences.
Explain how you act as an ambassador and advocator of the Learning to Live Together Programme in your local context. (600 words)
Je ne cesse de faire la promotion de LTLT comme étant un outil essentiel dans la recherche de la paix.
Organization: CAP ( Association Conseil de la Paix)
Location: Moroni, Comores
Please explain how you have conducted trainings on the Learning to Live Together Programme. (600 words)
Depuis l'atelier suivi à Nairobi en 2014, j'ai commencé à travailler sur le manuel Apprendre à vivre ensemble dans diverses occasions. en 2015 lors de la célébration de la journée internationale de l'enfant Africain, nous avons utilisé le module 2 du manuel avec un exercice avec des enfants venant de differents établissements scolaires ( laïques et religieux).
J'ai continué à faire la promotion du manuel à travers les ONGs et établissements scolaires jusqu'à en Avril 2017, aprés avoir reçu la formation de formateurs au manuel apprendre à vivre ensemble, que j'ai commencé le processus d'introduction du programme aux Comores. Dans cet élan, j'ai débuté avec un programme de formation avec les membres de mon organisation. Ensuite, dans le processus d'introduction officielle du manuel dans les programmes éducatifs de mon pays, beaucoup d'étapes étaient nécessaires. En premier j'ai rencontré les secretaires généraux des mairies pour leur parler du contenu du manuel et les bénéfices pour les enfants , les jeunes et la communauté en général. Notons qu'aux Comores ce sont les Maires qui sont en charge de l'éducation de base. Ensuite le processus a continué avec une rencontre technique avec les inspecteurs pédagogiques de l'enseignement comorien, qui ont à leur tour demandé de faire une étude approfondie du manuel et voir comment l'insérer dans les programmes d'enseignement de base aux Comores. Jusqu'ici le processus progresse positivement. La suite sera l'organisation d'un grand atelier qui rassemblera les officiels du ministère et les techniciens de l'éducation.
How have you used the LTLT Ethics Education Framework? (400 words)
Dans mon expérience de formateur sur le manuel LTLT, j'ai travaillé les deux modules dans les rares occasions que j'ai eu à former depuis que je suis formateur l'année dernière. J'ai aussi utilisé des exercices et les autres activités proposées dans le manuel.
Explain how the conducted trainings have been sensitive to the local context. (400 words)
Selon mon contexte, il était nécessaire d'utiliser des exercices qui aident à renforcer l'unité et la solidarité, car notre insularité fait que certains perçoivent d'autres comme différents parce que venant d'une autre île ou d'un autre village. Les Comores sont pays avec la même religion, presque la même culture et les mêmes habitudes, mais des différences existent dues aux origines diverses qui composent notre société. Selon le petit expérience du LTLT, les personnes formées ont toujours eu tendance à changer de comportement envers autrui et à ne plus considérer son prochain selon son origine, sa couleur ou son île, mais d'abord en tant qu’être humain avant tout.
How has the conducted trainings impacted the trained facilitators? (400 words)
Pour les animateurs formés, c'est une valeur ajoutée dans leurs connaissances parce que dans notre travail de tous les jours à vouloir instaurer la paix entre les peuples en conflit, ce manuel aide à enrichir beaucoup plus tous ces aspects liés à la paix car les valeurs de l'éthique ne sont autres que des outils à promouvoir la paix.
Please give some examples to show your resourcefulness and creativity to organize trainings of facilitators. (600 words)
Le manuel LTLT est un guide très complet pour aider le formateur à mener à bien sa formation. Pour ce qui est de la créativité et l'ingéniosité, c'est de pouvoir adapter les outils en notre possession dans le manuel avec le contexte ou nous vivons pour s'assurer d'une compréhension facile et rapide des apprenants. La pédagogie proposée dans le manuel et l'approche éducationnel, s'ils sont bien utilisés, couplés avec une bonne maîtrise du contexte concerné par la formation ne peut que donner des résultats positifs.
How have you provided mentorship and guidance to trained facilitators? (400 words)
A chaque occasion, je progresse avec les membres de mon ONG qui ont reçu la formation pour les familiariser beaucoup plus du manuel et son utilisation.
How has the Learning to Live Together Programme influenced a positive transformation in you, in a personal and professional level? (400 words)
Très positif. Mon regard envers les autres a beaucoup évolué dans le sens du respect, de l'empathie, la réconciliation, la solidarité. Mon comportement envers les autres, même si il a toujours été respectueux, a connu beaucoup d'évolution dans le sens de l'éthique. Dans le monde d'aujourd’hui il y a beaucoup de défis à relever dans le domaine de la perception d'autrui ou de l'acceptation des autres, donc je profite, dans ma vie de tous les jours, à utiliser les enseignements du LTLT pour contribuer à transformer le monde positivement en utilisant et en faisant la promotion des valeurs de l'éthique.
Please explain how you exemplify a strong role-model of the principles of Learning to Live Together. (400 words)
Depuis que j'ai appris le manuel LTLT, j'ai compris pourquoi on dit que chaque formation doit être le fruit d'un changement de comportement. Et c'est le cas pour LTLT dans le changement de comportement envers les autres, quelque soit les différences.
Explain how you act as an ambassador and advocator of the Learning to Live Together Programme in your local context. (600 words)
Je ne cesse de faire la promotion de LTLT comme étant un outil essentiel dans la recherche de la paix.
Array
(
[name_of_applicant] => Fathima Latiff Mohideen
[email] => jaanlatiff@gmail.com / dua@dufoundation.com / hafizmahir@gmail.com
[name_of_organization] => D.U Foundation
[country] => Sri Lanka
[city] => Colombo
[please_explain_how_you_have_conducted_trainings_on_the_learning_to_live_together_programme_600_words_] => After participating in the facilitator training workshop on the Learning To Live Together Intercultural and Interfaith Program for Ethics Education from 11th to 15th of July 2018 Bandaragama, Sri Lanka, I thought and understood how different the concept was. To bring in peace first of all a person should understand what is peace and should have peace within. To love the humanity you should love yourself first. For me it was first understanding yourself before changing the world. The changes should come within along with the understanding the similarities and differences, then to accept and respect. Each person's priority may differ according to their standard of life and to bring in all this people into humanity as one family under the roof.
To do this work, first you should bring in different people of different faiths and culture and understand value of life being together in peace and harmony. once the human being grows up, he is surrounded with so many aspects of life as gender, life standard, the school you got educated, from what type of a family background you come, economy , occupation, culture and many more. and everyone builds up an image of own with the thinking of "that my way of life is the best" and does not pay heed to any other way. Then again the same type of groups get together and different groups are found from different angles such as occupation example: teachers, doctors, laborers. And people look into these groups in different ways though the basic need of every human being is the same, love, understanding, accept and respect is needed or expected by every human being from the child hood up to whatever the age you live. It is difficult for the adult to change because of the set ideas and goals they already have. Therefore it is much easy to mold the young child to understand the differences and then to accept and live in the society with own identity while learning to live together. Each human being plays a different role in life and each person has got different talents of their own and they are specialized in some way. So this different images will make a beautiful picture called 'the world' if it comes together with their own identity without fear and doubts. This is what we need to paint a beautiful picture with different colours. To bring out this quality to the world we should begin a frame work from the childhood as children have no set goals and their minds can be utilized in any manner. Therefore it is much more stronger to start this work with children. But then again the ones who are handling the children are mainly parents and teachers. So it is the parents and teachers cultivate thoughts on children and develop that in them, which can either bring peace or harm to man kind. This is the reason that I thought to make the parents and teachers aware of the importance of learning to live together, make them aware of the present situation of the world, demand and the needful aspects to make it a peaceful place by making the adult understanding the ways and means of bringing changes in children so that we get the cooperation of the adults to achieve this goal.
You should make the adult to realize their present situations whether they are happy or unhappy, what are the changes they need to have, to bring in peace and co-existence. By discussions and giving real experiences to share their views and ideas with each other so that they come to an understanding of the need to change, in a better way to learn to live together and how should we do it.
To create environment for children in play, sports meet, drawing, arts and crafts, exhibition, drama, concerts, camping, tour etc. and provide opportunities for them to mingle with children from different backgrounds to understand others through their own experiences and share their feelings and to build up their own bonds with each other by learning to live together we can have a better world of understanding, love and peace.
[how_have_you_used_the_ltlt_ethics_education_framework_400_words_] => Learning to Live Together manual was used as a guide line as the main objective of the program is" to learn to live together", by keeping this as the main motive, human dignity, understanding of the child and the child rights, ethics and ethic education, spirituality and interfaith and inter cultural learning was used as key concepts for ethics education. Also build up, respect, empathy, responsibility and reconciliation for people to learn to live together through activities as play, charts, groupwork and reflecting.
By giving opportunities to discuss real life incidents or experiences and the consequences of it. And what should have happen and what other things can be done to avoid the unpleasant situations and self motivating to learn to live together and discuss to find different ways how we can promote this thinking among children to learn to live together, also motivate practice with the help of theory and practical reflection.
[explain_how_the_conducted_trainings_have_been_sensitive_to_the_local_context_400_words_] => As different faiths and religions live in the locality and between the same religion and culture, there are differences from family to family you find the same. Identification of why they are different and the need to show empathy and understanding the other, from the basic was very much needed. Some times it seems that we ignore some parts of people, which may be the main structure and the main value they give in life. By understanding the value of priority each person gives and to accept and respect was a real need for the locality and the feeling that this simple and sensitive issues were neglected for a long time and the separations have build up without knowledge.
[how_has_the_conducted_trainings_impacted_the_trained_facilitators_400_words_] => They felt self awareness also learn to reflect about situations from the other person's shoe felt the real feeling of how others felt. Guilty at times for not being understanding towards others as much as we expect this towards us in our own matters. It was an eye opener for each person of many areas that they have been neglecting or was not bothered about others lives up to date. They were able to look in to many directions about which they were not bothered before and by listening to others they felt how very little knowledge we have and that there is so much more to learn to understand about people to learn to live together.
[please_give_some_examples_to_show_your_resourcefulness_and_creativity_to_organize_trainings_of_facilitators_600_words_] => Firstly make the participants introduce them selves, name, organization they are working for and the work they are doing and for what reason they came for the program. Then discuss and form own set of conduct for the program until the end of the program so that it will create safe learning environment and confidence, learn, share, speak out without feeling embarrassed or without feeling insecure, and also respect, listen and to reflect each person's opinion.
To make the participants relaxed through ice breakers so that they feel comfortable and to feel ease, get some practical work before getting into the subject for example: if we want to discuss about people who are different, we can get the participants to have a leaf in hand, observe it well, think about it then tell about the leaf they have in hand and to compare it to mankind. Some may have leaves from the same tree and the smell of the leaf is the same but the colours, veins look different. Some leaves may look fresh and fine while the others look yellow and unhealthy so you compare this to mankind. Some for certain reasons very high spirited and some are not though they are from the same place. Some leaves may be eaten by insects therefore it is damaged. When you compare the same to the society, it reflects that some people have damaged images or life style because they have been the reason for the other persons benefit just as the leaf was eaten by the insect and the leaf is damaged.
Also give a ball to play, at the end of that game, how they played, who and who participated, who did not participate, did others notice that some didn't participate?, what other things they could have done for better results. Sometimes you get better results by working in groups and there is also when a leader leads you, you finish your task in a successful manner. By this kind of real experiences that we share the feelings of each other, learn to respect and accept and lend a helping hand to the other.
[how_have_you_provided_mentorship_and_guidance_to_trained_facilitators_400_words_] => To be honest and encouraging, and to give the fullest capacity of our energy, by being honest and truthful that you find the inner peace. Have faith in whatever you do, and to have untiring patience. Sometimes you may have to face challenges, but never be judgmental about anyone until you come to know the truth or reality about the person. never judge a person through what others say because it is their opinion, if you want to do honest work then get into their shoe to understand what they go through. every time you get the opportunity to help someone never hesitate to do it, never underestimate your power within you, maybe the help you could do at the moment is only a smile or listen, yet this little act maybe the most important thing that the other person needs.
maybe you have to struggle alone in this path, yet don't give up because eventually you will others joining in for the good work. No matter how small your audience do not stop the good deed you do. Bring in a smile at least to whoever you come across in life, for you may never meet them again. Look at the positive part of every person as all of us have our own weakness. Never stop anyone of whatever the good work they do, no matter how small it is.
Look into children whenever speaking to them, they may have an untold pain in the eye try to understand and help them out. Help the child to learn on his own, understand that their need for love, understanding, care, safety is important just as for adults. Try to make a huge beautiful image of yours in every single person's heart you meet in your life time, Look around so you may notice things that you have never seen before. Spend some time each day for your own- self reflecting over the happenings of the day to make a better beautiful tomorrow.
[how_has_the_learning_to_live_together_programme_influenced_a_positive_transformation_in_you_in_a_personal_and_professional_level_400_words_] => Learning to live together programme has changed my personal and professional life. Talking about my personal life, as I am an energy psychotherapist I have and believe to be a very kind and understanding person. And of course, I trust myself in being very truthful. But in Learning to Live Together workshop there very two incident which took place where I had to think in reality how very understanding I am. Soon after a game when we started to discuss there were few who didn't take part in the game because they were scared the team may loose if they drop the ball, and some felt that they went unnoticed. During the game i did not notice these issues taking place until they spoke out. this made me to think how very small my capacity of understanding people, and among thirty participants i was unable to notice many of them and understand them, and how on earth am i going to understand the world if I am unable to notice in a small circle. This made me determine to be more conscious of the society we live in. And the other incident was, when we did the group work there were three of us. Two ladies and a gentleman. once we finished the presentation, and had to give our opinions i was taken by surprised, when the gentleman in our group mentioned that he was not listened enough, therefore his contribution in the project was less. Again I felt ashamed of myself, how did I become so ignorant not to understand or to listen to him. So my thinking of being a very understanding person was nothing even when I had to work with three. This is where I understood my weakness of not being understanding towards others at all, this changed my personal opinion.
When it comes to professional Learning to Live Together programme inspired me in two things. One was how they created the atmosphere before discussing a topic. The way they make the participants move on with the flow, step by step was beautiful. I have taken this methodology to use in my work shops too, also making the participants to reflect, discuss of their opinions in different situations was wonderful. This gave me lots of space to come to know people react or think with more empathy in different matters. This gave a better understanding and made me comfortable which I practice the same with my participants.
[please_explain_how_you_exemplify_a_strong_role_model_of_the_principles_of_learning_to_live_together_400_words_] => To be a resourceful person in situations without panicking, listen attentively to what others have to say. Answer every question to their satisfaction and give opportunities for everyone to participate in every assigned work. Sit among them when working, encourage, motivate and admire their work. Give them guidelines on how to prepare their workshop, help them carry out their opinions. Also make them to share their own experiences and provide opportunities to learn from others.Also explain about the motivation of Arigatoue International in having workshops on Learning to Live Together. To explain and provide the learning and teaching methodologies in how to promote Learning to Live Together through activities providing for children, to explore about the environment on their own about people, fates, their beliefs, to give them experiences, and to understand on their own the ethical demands. Accept and to learn to get along, be an encouraging person, not to fall back and run away from the work you have started with Arigatoue International Learning to Live Together.
[explain_how_you_act_as_an_ambassador_and_advocator_of_the_learning_to_live_together_programme_in_your_local_context_600_words_] => Go to different organizations, such as schools, welfare centers, community workers and different religious centers and meet the authorities, explain about Learning to Live Together and have Introductory workshops to give the basic idea about what is Learning to Live Together. And then provide them with the Learning to Live Together workshops in long term, while in the process to gather the information of transformation. and also to gather any other areas of Learning to Live Together which has to be addressed as from place to place, organizations to organizations have different needs, understand them and provide the maximum amount of the Learning to Live Together methodologies, and to keep up records to see the process of work to be alert on how much proceeding and how much more work should be done.To promote the work as per curricular activity specially in schools so that the children get involved in working with different chaos to achieve Learning to Live Together. To keep updating Arigatoue of all the work done even if it is very small. Also expect to get the guidance of Arigatoue International right throughout this journey.
[video_link] => https://ethicseducationforchildren.org/images/Fathima_Trainer.mp4
[formFiles] => stdClass Object
(
[_isComplex] => 1
)
)
Name: Fathima Latiff Mohideen
Organization: D.U Foundation
Location: Sri Lanka
Please explain how you have conducted trainings on the Learning to Live Together Programme. (600 words)
After participating in the facilitator training workshop on the Learning To Live Together Intercultural and Interfaith Program for Ethics Education from 11th to 15th of July 2018 Bandaragama, Sri Lanka, I thought and understood how different the concept was. To bring in peace first of all a person should understand what is peace and should have peace within. To love the humanity you should love yourself first. For me it was first understanding yourself before changing the world. The changes should come within along with the understanding the similarities and differences, then to accept and respect. Each person's priority may differ according to their standard of life and to bring in all this people into humanity as one family under the roof.
To do this work, first you should bring in different people of different faiths and culture and understand value of life being together in peace and harmony. once the human being grows up, he is surrounded with so many aspects of life as gender, life standard, the school you got educated, from what type of a family background you come, economy , occupation, culture and many more. and everyone builds up an image of own with the thinking of "that my way of life is the best" and does not pay heed to any other way. Then again the same type of groups get together and different groups are found from different angles such as occupation example: teachers, doctors, laborers. And people look into these groups in different ways though the basic need of every human being is the same, love, understanding, accept and respect is needed or expected by every human being from the child hood up to whatever the age you live. It is difficult for the adult to change because of the set ideas and goals they already have. Therefore it is much easy to mold the young child to understand the differences and then to accept and live in the society with own identity while learning to live together. Each human being plays a different role in life and each person has got different talents of their own and they are specialized in some way. So this different images will make a beautiful picture called 'the world' if it comes together with their own identity without fear and doubts. This is what we need to paint a beautiful picture with different colours. To bring out this quality to the world we should begin a frame work from the childhood as children have no set goals and their minds can be utilized in any manner. Therefore it is much more stronger to start this work with children. But then again the ones who are handling the children are mainly parents and teachers. So it is the parents and teachers cultivate thoughts on children and develop that in them, which can either bring peace or harm to man kind. This is the reason that I thought to make the parents and teachers aware of the importance of learning to live together, make them aware of the present situation of the world, demand and the needful aspects to make it a peaceful place by making the adult understanding the ways and means of bringing changes in children so that we get the cooperation of the adults to achieve this goal.
You should make the adult to realize their present situations whether they are happy or unhappy, what are the changes they need to have, to bring in peace and co-existence. By discussions and giving real experiences to share their views and ideas with each other so that they come to an understanding of the need to change, in a better way to learn to live together and how should we do it.
To create environment for children in play, sports meet, drawing, arts and crafts, exhibition, drama, concerts, camping, tour etc. and provide opportunities for them to mingle with children from different backgrounds to understand others through their own experiences and share their feelings and to build up their own bonds with each other by learning to live together we can have a better world of understanding, love and peace.
How have you used the LTLT Ethics Education Framework? (400 words)
Learning to Live Together manual was used as a guide line as the main objective of the program is" to learn to live together", by keeping this as the main motive, human dignity, understanding of the child and the child rights, ethics and ethic education, spirituality and interfaith and inter cultural learning was used as key concepts for ethics education. Also build up, respect, empathy, responsibility and reconciliation for people to learn to live together through activities as play, charts, groupwork and reflecting.
By giving opportunities to discuss real life incidents or experiences and the consequences of it. And what should have happen and what other things can be done to avoid the unpleasant situations and self motivating to learn to live together and discuss to find different ways how we can promote this thinking among children to learn to live together, also motivate practice with the help of theory and practical reflection.
Explain how the conducted trainings have been sensitive to the local context. (400 words)
As different faiths and religions live in the locality and between the same religion and culture, there are differences from family to family you find the same. Identification of why they are different and the need to show empathy and understanding the other, from the basic was very much needed. Some times it seems that we ignore some parts of people, which may be the main structure and the main value they give in life. By understanding the value of priority each person gives and to accept and respect was a real need for the locality and the feeling that this simple and sensitive issues were neglected for a long time and the separations have build up without knowledge.
How has the conducted trainings impacted the trained facilitators? (400 words)
They felt self awareness also learn to reflect about situations from the other person's shoe felt the real feeling of how others felt. Guilty at times for not being understanding towards others as much as we expect this towards us in our own matters. It was an eye opener for each person of many areas that they have been neglecting or was not bothered about others lives up to date. They were able to look in to many directions about which they were not bothered before and by listening to others they felt how very little knowledge we have and that there is so much more to learn to understand about people to learn to live together.
Please give some examples to show your resourcefulness and creativity to organize trainings of facilitators. (600 words)
Firstly make the participants introduce them selves, name, organization they are working for and the work they are doing and for what reason they came for the program. Then discuss and form own set of conduct for the program until the end of the program so that it will create safe learning environment and confidence, learn, share, speak out without feeling embarrassed or without feeling insecure, and also respect, listen and to reflect each person's opinion.
To make the participants relaxed through ice breakers so that they feel comfortable and to feel ease, get some practical work before getting into the subject for example: if we want to discuss about people who are different, we can get the participants to have a leaf in hand, observe it well, think about it then tell about the leaf they have in hand and to compare it to mankind. Some may have leaves from the same tree and the smell of the leaf is the same but the colours, veins look different. Some leaves may look fresh and fine while the others look yellow and unhealthy so you compare this to mankind. Some for certain reasons very high spirited and some are not though they are from the same place. Some leaves may be eaten by insects therefore it is damaged. When you compare the same to the society, it reflects that some people have damaged images or life style because they have been the reason for the other persons benefit just as the leaf was eaten by the insect and the leaf is damaged.
Also give a ball to play, at the end of that game, how they played, who and who participated, who did not participate, did others notice that some didn't participate?, what other things they could have done for better results. Sometimes you get better results by working in groups and there is also when a leader leads you, you finish your task in a successful manner. By this kind of real experiences that we share the feelings of each other, learn to respect and accept and lend a helping hand to the other.
How have you provided mentorship and guidance to trained facilitators? (400 words)
To be honest and encouraging, and to give the fullest capacity of our energy, by being honest and truthful that you find the inner peace. Have faith in whatever you do, and to have untiring patience. Sometimes you may have to face challenges, but never be judgmental about anyone until you come to know the truth or reality about the person. never judge a person through what others say because it is their opinion, if you want to do honest work then get into their shoe to understand what they go through. every time you get the opportunity to help someone never hesitate to do it, never underestimate your power within you, maybe the help you could do at the moment is only a smile or listen, yet this little act maybe the most important thing that the other person needs.
maybe you have to struggle alone in this path, yet don't give up because eventually you will others joining in for the good work. No matter how small your audience do not stop the good deed you do. Bring in a smile at least to whoever you come across in life, for you may never meet them again. Look at the positive part of every person as all of us have our own weakness. Never stop anyone of whatever the good work they do, no matter how small it is.
Look into children whenever speaking to them, they may have an untold pain in the eye try to understand and help them out. Help the child to learn on his own, understand that their need for love, understanding, care, safety is important just as for adults. Try to make a huge beautiful image of yours in every single person's heart you meet in your life time, Look around so you may notice things that you have never seen before. Spend some time each day for your own- self reflecting over the happenings of the day to make a better beautiful tomorrow.
How has the Learning to Live Together Programme influenced a positive transformation in you, in a personal and professional level? (400 words)
Learning to live together programme has changed my personal and professional life. Talking about my personal life, as I am an energy psychotherapist I have and believe to be a very kind and understanding person. And of course, I trust myself in being very truthful. But in Learning to Live Together workshop there very two incident which took place where I had to think in reality how very understanding I am. Soon after a game when we started to discuss there were few who didn't take part in the game because they were scared the team may loose if they drop the ball, and some felt that they went unnoticed. During the game i did not notice these issues taking place until they spoke out. this made me to think how very small my capacity of understanding people, and among thirty participants i was unable to notice many of them and understand them, and how on earth am i going to understand the world if I am unable to notice in a small circle. This made me determine to be more conscious of the society we live in. And the other incident was, when we did the group work there were three of us. Two ladies and a gentleman. once we finished the presentation, and had to give our opinions i was taken by surprised, when the gentleman in our group mentioned that he was not listened enough, therefore his contribution in the project was less. Again I felt ashamed of myself, how did I become so ignorant not to understand or to listen to him. So my thinking of being a very understanding person was nothing even when I had to work with three. This is where I understood my weakness of not being understanding towards others at all, this changed my personal opinion.
When it comes to professional Learning to Live Together programme inspired me in two things. One was how they created the atmosphere before discussing a topic. The way they make the participants move on with the flow, step by step was beautiful. I have taken this methodology to use in my work shops too, also making the participants to reflect, discuss of their opinions in different situations was wonderful. This gave me lots of space to come to know people react or think with more empathy in different matters. This gave a better understanding and made me comfortable which I practice the same with my participants.
Please explain how you exemplify a strong role-model of the principles of Learning to Live Together. (400 words)
To be a resourceful person in situations without panicking, listen attentively to what others have to say. Answer every question to their satisfaction and give opportunities for everyone to participate in every assigned work. Sit among them when working, encourage, motivate and admire their work. Give them guidelines on how to prepare their workshop, help them carry out their opinions. Also make them to share their own experiences and provide opportunities to learn from others.Also explain about the motivation of Arigatoue International in having workshops on Learning to Live Together. To explain and provide the learning and teaching methodologies in how to promote Learning to Live Together through activities providing for children, to explore about the environment on their own about people, fates, their beliefs, to give them experiences, and to understand on their own the ethical demands. Accept and to learn to get along, be an encouraging person, not to fall back and run away from the work you have started with Arigatoue International Learning to Live Together.
Explain how you act as an ambassador and advocator of the Learning to Live Together Programme in your local context. (600 words)
Go to different organizations, such as schools, welfare centers, community workers and different religious centers and meet the authorities, explain about Learning to Live Together and have Introductory workshops to give the basic idea about what is Learning to Live Together. And then provide them with the Learning to Live Together workshops in long term, while in the process to gather the information of transformation. and also to gather any other areas of Learning to Live Together which has to be addressed as from place to place, organizations to organizations have different needs, understand them and provide the maximum amount of the Learning to Live Together methodologies, and to keep up records to see the process of work to be alert on how much proceeding and how much more work should be done.To promote the work as per curricular activity specially in schools so that the children get involved in working with different chaos to achieve Learning to Live Together. To keep updating Arigatoue of all the work done even if it is very small. Also expect to get the guidance of Arigatoue International right throughout this journey.
Please explain how you have conducted trainings on the Learning to Live Together Programme. (600 words)
After participating in the facilitator training workshop on the Learning To Live Together Intercultural and Interfaith Program for Ethics Education from 11th to 15th of July 2018 Bandaragama, Sri Lanka, I thought and understood how different the concept was. To bring in peace first of all a person should understand what is peace and should have peace within. To love the humanity you should love yourself first. For me it was first understanding yourself before changing the world. The changes should come within along with the understanding the similarities and differences, then to accept and respect. Each person's priority may differ according to their standard of life and to bring in all this people into humanity as one family under the roof.
To do this work, first you should bring in different people of different faiths and culture and understand value of life being together in peace and harmony. once the human being grows up, he is surrounded with so many aspects of life as gender, life standard, the school you got educated, from what type of a family background you come, economy , occupation, culture and many more. and everyone builds up an image of own with the thinking of "that my way of life is the best" and does not pay heed to any other way. Then again the same type of groups get together and different groups are found from different angles such as occupation example: teachers, doctors, laborers. And people look into these groups in different ways though the basic need of every human being is the same, love, understanding, accept and respect is needed or expected by every human being from the child hood up to whatever the age you live. It is difficult for the adult to change because of the set ideas and goals they already have. Therefore it is much easy to mold the young child to understand the differences and then to accept and live in the society with own identity while learning to live together. Each human being plays a different role in life and each person has got different talents of their own and they are specialized in some way. So this different images will make a beautiful picture called 'the world' if it comes together with their own identity without fear and doubts. This is what we need to paint a beautiful picture with different colours. To bring out this quality to the world we should begin a frame work from the childhood as children have no set goals and their minds can be utilized in any manner. Therefore it is much more stronger to start this work with children. But then again the ones who are handling the children are mainly parents and teachers. So it is the parents and teachers cultivate thoughts on children and develop that in them, which can either bring peace or harm to man kind. This is the reason that I thought to make the parents and teachers aware of the importance of learning to live together, make them aware of the present situation of the world, demand and the needful aspects to make it a peaceful place by making the adult understanding the ways and means of bringing changes in children so that we get the cooperation of the adults to achieve this goal.
You should make the adult to realize their present situations whether they are happy or unhappy, what are the changes they need to have, to bring in peace and co-existence. By discussions and giving real experiences to share their views and ideas with each other so that they come to an understanding of the need to change, in a better way to learn to live together and how should we do it.
To create environment for children in play, sports meet, drawing, arts and crafts, exhibition, drama, concerts, camping, tour etc. and provide opportunities for them to mingle with children from different backgrounds to understand others through their own experiences and share their feelings and to build up their own bonds with each other by learning to live together we can have a better world of understanding, love and peace.
How have you used the LTLT Ethics Education Framework? (400 words)
Learning to Live Together manual was used as a guide line as the main objective of the program is" to learn to live together", by keeping this as the main motive, human dignity, understanding of the child and the child rights, ethics and ethic education, spirituality and interfaith and inter cultural learning was used as key concepts for ethics education. Also build up, respect, empathy, responsibility and reconciliation for people to learn to live together through activities as play, charts, groupwork and reflecting.
By giving opportunities to discuss real life incidents or experiences and the consequences of it. And what should have happen and what other things can be done to avoid the unpleasant situations and self motivating to learn to live together and discuss to find different ways how we can promote this thinking among children to learn to live together, also motivate practice with the help of theory and practical reflection.
Explain how the conducted trainings have been sensitive to the local context. (400 words)
As different faiths and religions live in the locality and between the same religion and culture, there are differences from family to family you find the same. Identification of why they are different and the need to show empathy and understanding the other, from the basic was very much needed. Some times it seems that we ignore some parts of people, which may be the main structure and the main value they give in life. By understanding the value of priority each person gives and to accept and respect was a real need for the locality and the feeling that this simple and sensitive issues were neglected for a long time and the separations have build up without knowledge.
How has the conducted trainings impacted the trained facilitators? (400 words)
They felt self awareness also learn to reflect about situations from the other person's shoe felt the real feeling of how others felt. Guilty at times for not being understanding towards others as much as we expect this towards us in our own matters. It was an eye opener for each person of many areas that they have been neglecting or was not bothered about others lives up to date. They were able to look in to many directions about which they were not bothered before and by listening to others they felt how very little knowledge we have and that there is so much more to learn to understand about people to learn to live together.
Please give some examples to show your resourcefulness and creativity to organize trainings of facilitators. (600 words)
Firstly make the participants introduce them selves, name, organization they are working for and the work they are doing and for what reason they came for the program. Then discuss and form own set of conduct for the program until the end of the program so that it will create safe learning environment and confidence, learn, share, speak out without feeling embarrassed or without feeling insecure, and also respect, listen and to reflect each person's opinion.
To make the participants relaxed through ice breakers so that they feel comfortable and to feel ease, get some practical work before getting into the subject for example: if we want to discuss about people who are different, we can get the participants to have a leaf in hand, observe it well, think about it then tell about the leaf they have in hand and to compare it to mankind. Some may have leaves from the same tree and the smell of the leaf is the same but the colours, veins look different. Some leaves may look fresh and fine while the others look yellow and unhealthy so you compare this to mankind. Some for certain reasons very high spirited and some are not though they are from the same place. Some leaves may be eaten by insects therefore it is damaged. When you compare the same to the society, it reflects that some people have damaged images or life style because they have been the reason for the other persons benefit just as the leaf was eaten by the insect and the leaf is damaged.
Also give a ball to play, at the end of that game, how they played, who and who participated, who did not participate, did others notice that some didn't participate?, what other things they could have done for better results. Sometimes you get better results by working in groups and there is also when a leader leads you, you finish your task in a successful manner. By this kind of real experiences that we share the feelings of each other, learn to respect and accept and lend a helping hand to the other.
How have you provided mentorship and guidance to trained facilitators? (400 words)
To be honest and encouraging, and to give the fullest capacity of our energy, by being honest and truthful that you find the inner peace. Have faith in whatever you do, and to have untiring patience. Sometimes you may have to face challenges, but never be judgmental about anyone until you come to know the truth or reality about the person. never judge a person through what others say because it is their opinion, if you want to do honest work then get into their shoe to understand what they go through. every time you get the opportunity to help someone never hesitate to do it, never underestimate your power within you, maybe the help you could do at the moment is only a smile or listen, yet this little act maybe the most important thing that the other person needs.
maybe you have to struggle alone in this path, yet don't give up because eventually you will others joining in for the good work. No matter how small your audience do not stop the good deed you do. Bring in a smile at least to whoever you come across in life, for you may never meet them again. Look at the positive part of every person as all of us have our own weakness. Never stop anyone of whatever the good work they do, no matter how small it is.
Look into children whenever speaking to them, they may have an untold pain in the eye try to understand and help them out. Help the child to learn on his own, understand that their need for love, understanding, care, safety is important just as for adults. Try to make a huge beautiful image of yours in every single person's heart you meet in your life time, Look around so you may notice things that you have never seen before. Spend some time each day for your own- self reflecting over the happenings of the day to make a better beautiful tomorrow.
How has the Learning to Live Together Programme influenced a positive transformation in you, in a personal and professional level? (400 words)
Learning to live together programme has changed my personal and professional life. Talking about my personal life, as I am an energy psychotherapist I have and believe to be a very kind and understanding person. And of course, I trust myself in being very truthful. But in Learning to Live Together workshop there very two incident which took place where I had to think in reality how very understanding I am. Soon after a game when we started to discuss there were few who didn't take part in the game because they were scared the team may loose if they drop the ball, and some felt that they went unnoticed. During the game i did not notice these issues taking place until they spoke out. this made me to think how very small my capacity of understanding people, and among thirty participants i was unable to notice many of them and understand them, and how on earth am i going to understand the world if I am unable to notice in a small circle. This made me determine to be more conscious of the society we live in. And the other incident was, when we did the group work there were three of us. Two ladies and a gentleman. once we finished the presentation, and had to give our opinions i was taken by surprised, when the gentleman in our group mentioned that he was not listened enough, therefore his contribution in the project was less. Again I felt ashamed of myself, how did I become so ignorant not to understand or to listen to him. So my thinking of being a very understanding person was nothing even when I had to work with three. This is where I understood my weakness of not being understanding towards others at all, this changed my personal opinion.
When it comes to professional Learning to Live Together programme inspired me in two things. One was how they created the atmosphere before discussing a topic. The way they make the participants move on with the flow, step by step was beautiful. I have taken this methodology to use in my work shops too, also making the participants to reflect, discuss of their opinions in different situations was wonderful. This gave me lots of space to come to know people react or think with more empathy in different matters. This gave a better understanding and made me comfortable which I practice the same with my participants.
Please explain how you exemplify a strong role-model of the principles of Learning to Live Together. (400 words)
To be a resourceful person in situations without panicking, listen attentively to what others have to say. Answer every question to their satisfaction and give opportunities for everyone to participate in every assigned work. Sit among them when working, encourage, motivate and admire their work. Give them guidelines on how to prepare their workshop, help them carry out their opinions. Also make them to share their own experiences and provide opportunities to learn from others.Also explain about the motivation of Arigatoue International in having workshops on Learning to Live Together. To explain and provide the learning and teaching methodologies in how to promote Learning to Live Together through activities providing for children, to explore about the environment on their own about people, fates, their beliefs, to give them experiences, and to understand on their own the ethical demands. Accept and to learn to get along, be an encouraging person, not to fall back and run away from the work you have started with Arigatoue International Learning to Live Together.
Explain how you act as an ambassador and advocator of the Learning to Live Together Programme in your local context. (600 words)
Go to different organizations, such as schools, welfare centers, community workers and different religious centers and meet the authorities, explain about Learning to Live Together and have Introductory workshops to give the basic idea about what is Learning to Live Together. And then provide them with the Learning to Live Together workshops in long term, while in the process to gather the information of transformation. and also to gather any other areas of Learning to Live Together which has to be addressed as from place to place, organizations to organizations have different needs, understand them and provide the maximum amount of the Learning to Live Together methodologies, and to keep up records to see the process of work to be alert on how much proceeding and how much more work should be done.To promote the work as per curricular activity specially in schools so that the children get involved in working with different chaos to achieve Learning to Live Together. To keep updating Arigatoue of all the work done even if it is very small. Also expect to get the guidance of Arigatoue International right throughout this journey.
Array
(
[name_of_applicant] => Namgay Wangmo
[email] => namgaywangmo21@gmail.com
[name_of_organization] => NNC
[country] => Bhutan
[city] => Thimphu
[please_explain_how_you_have_conducted_trainings_on_the_learning_to_live_together_programme_600_words_] => As I have said again and again in the past (and many times throughout this application), I wanted the LTLT program in Bhutan to be focused on the youth, high school youths especially. So, most of the training sessions I have conducted in the country have been geared towards training high school teachers into effective facilitators.
A large portion of Bhutan’s students study in government central schools. The philosophy behind these schools is that schooling is more economic and wholesome if the students live with each other and teachers. So, for 9 months every year, students live under the watch of their teachers.
These teachers, therefore, have more influence in a student’s life than most others. That is why, I wanted the facilitators I train to deeply understand the program. There is a lot of difference between a facilitator who can run a program efficiently and one who knows the subject deeply. If my goal of helping the youth of Bhutan was to come true, the facilitators would need to be of the latter group. I believe that when students spend a lot of time with their teachers, if they find out that the teacher, the facilitator of the program they so connected with, does not deeply care about the program, they will also abandon care. Instead, they can disavow caring altogether. On the other hand, if we have facilitators who know the program very well, they can reinforce their message over and over again outside of workshops, through communal living, through their classroom teaching, etc.
So, a lot of my training sessions included activities to help the trainees understand what the LTLT program was about. Once they understood the purpose and “energy” of the program, we started their facilitation workshop. The first two days of the workshop were usually spent going through the key concepts of the program, so things like the LTLT framework, ethics education, among other things. The third day was dedicated to helping them be facilitators of the program. And the fourth day taught them tools to use to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of our program. By this point, usually, every facilitator has fully understood and co-opted the program. They take ownership of the program as their own and set forth plans to teach their students.
[how_have_you_used_the_ltlt_ethics_education_framework_400_words_] => In every training I conduct, I introduce all my participants to the general LTLT framework – including all the sister organizations of LTLT. Due to the remoteness of Bhutan as an LTLT location, directly engaging with the rest of the network has been difficult. Indeed, only in the training in Pakshikha in 2017 and UNESCO in 2013 did I fully use them. But all facilitators are aware of the framework and know to utilise it if necessary. The LTLT ethics education framework, on the other hand, has been fully utilised in every training conducted so far. Every session is structured in a way to first teach the facilitators the purpose of nurturing a student’s spirituality and openness, then the skills to nurture these qualities, and finally to monitor and evaluate their progress.
[explain_how_the_conducted_trainings_have_been_sensitive_to_the_local_context_400_words_] => Bhutan is a special country for many reasons. One of them, surprisingly, is its diversity. Within 160 KMs east-west and 100 KMs north-south, Bhutan is home to thousands of flora and fauna, 27 languages, 3 major ethnic groups and many minor groups. This diversity is also in the differences in development (and therefore lifestyle) in urban and rural groups, and in urban groups, in the diversity of income. You would not expect a nation that small to be this multicultural, but the truth is that it increasingly becoming so. The once homogenously Buddhist nation is accepting more of other faith and in 2017, about 10% of the population were expats. The close quarter existence of this great diversity has led to intergroup conflicts that are very subtle and internal.
The Bhutanese people, being a reflective people, carry a lot of stress and mental anguish inside their minds. They are hesitant to open to other people. So, the LTLT program, at first, seems out of place. After all, the crux of the program is to find unity with the “others” of the world through vulnerability. Therefore, to make LTLT’s case in Bhutan, first, the stigma associated with vulnerability needed to be reduced, especially amongst high school youths, where caring and being emotional can be considered “uncool.”
It was an easy task. I soon learned that what I and other people thought of as “stigma” was just a dissociative method. Our people were fine with vulnerability, but since they had always been discouraged to be that way, they showed by uneasiness by making fun of it. Once they understood the benefit of being open with each other, no one held back. A lot of my programs included a lot of emotions because for a lot of the participants, it was the first time being openly emotional. This is how my LTLT programs were “sensitive” about the local context.
Another way, my program was specialised for the local context is that it was focused on high school students. Among the deadliest killers of Bhutanese youth in the last decade are youth on youth violence and suicide. It is a national emergency that is going unattended to. The LTLT program has been a natural fix for this great disaster. The interpersonal problems that lead to physical violence is no different than the intrapersonal issues our youths face as they traverse the rickety road to adulthood and identity.
[how_has_the_conducted_trainings_impacted_the_trained_facilitators_400_words_] => The first thing I notice in my trained facilitators is improved humility. The LTLT program helps everyone who goes through it understand the concept of “sonder,” the idea that all of us live incredibly complex lives, that we’re all the product of an equation that has infinite variables. The LTLT program allows participants to realize that other people live a life as hard as theirs. This makes them more understanding and therefore more humble.
And then they remember their added responsibility as facilitators. Now, they have to do more than just go through that experience, they have to teach it too. In my experience, the best value here is empathy. Understanding where a youth might be coming from and helping them get to the place of openness is possible only if the teacher can keep up with how the student’s emotions and expectations are changing. As most of my trained facilitators have been professional teachers, they knew to immediately adopt this sort of empathy. From what I have been told by my facilitators, they have noticed changes in themselves in the classroom. They are better able to teach their students as a group of many individuals and not as one group. So, their teaching is more nuanced and more helpful to students. They do not know if it is because they went through the program themselves first or if it is because they are facilitators who have to engage with their students at a deep emotional level, but it is clear that it is an effect of the LTLT program.
[please_give_some_examples_to_show_your_resourcefulness_and_creativity_to_organize_trainings_of_facilitators_600_words_] => Since the start, my target demographic with the LTLT program has been high school age students. So, the most resourceful and creative thing I did, in my opinion, is to partner with many individual schools over and over again until the Ministry of Education became interested. This way, I was able to transform the LTLT program into syllabus mainstays of a lot of schools in the country.
[how_have_you_provided_mentorship_and_guidance_to_trained_facilitators_400_words_] => At the end of every training, we discuss the most effective communication methods in group. By letting the facilitators pick this, as opposed to assigning one, they are more likely to co-opt the communication channels and use them. We use these channels (such as WeChat, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger) every day to discuss program notes: how they can innovate their own activities, how they can engage students better, etc. They also know that I am always available via phone call or text should they have any questions. Moreover, in the “community” of facilitators at every school, I am involved in their meetings and discussions.
I have also found a few enterprising facilitators from across the country. These are the teachers that have the potential to become TOTs themselves. I have tried to guide and mentor them by involving them in planning facilitation programs in other places. I hope to see them in the TOT program.
[how_has_the_learning_to_live_together_programme_influenced_a_positive_transformation_in_you_in_a_personal_and_professional_level_400_words_] => On a personal level, I reflect after every training. I try to remember how I was before the training workshop began and how I have changed since, and what it was that caused those changes. It is difficult to understand exactly what it is that causes these changes and if they can be directly recreated in another person by reconstructing similar situations. Whatever the answer there is, the more important thing to know is that, since I first took the LTLT program as a participant, I have transformed into a better human being. I am more compassionate and vibrant, more positive and more fun to be around. I am more empathetic.
This mindfulness and improved empathy have been beneficial in my profession as a businesswoman. Dealing with suppliers and customers have become easier and smoother. I have started to see my associates as interlocuters in the learning to live together dialogue.
[please_explain_how_you_exemplify_a_strong_role_model_of_the_principles_of_learning_to_live_together_400_words_] => The main values of LTLT are Respect, Empathy, Responsibility, and Reconciliation. As a role model of the program, I try to carry them as my default states all the time. Responsibility is knowing your place in the universe. It is knowing that you have a place, that you have a responsibility that extends beyond doing what is good for you or what is expected of you. You have the responsibility of going above and beyond, and to leave the universe in a better place than you found it. In real life, this means to understand all my roles. I understand that as a participant of the program, I am meant to feel the power of vulnerability to bring us together. As a facilitator, I am meant to help others feel that, and as a trainer, I am meant to help others teach others to feel that.
Respect is deference. It is understanding that everyone else’s place in the universe is as valuable and destined as yours. Reconciliation is accepting that no one is perfect but that we are always improving, and therefore, it is necessary to admit our mistakes and fix them. Finally, empathy is the primary feeling that allows all others to exist. It is only because we live infinite lives vicariously that we are able to see our and other people’s place in the universe and seeing where we have been wrong.
Ever since I first started the LTLT program as a participant, I have found these essential values growing in me all the time. At this point, I reflect on them in myself and find that I am more responsible, more respectful, more empathetic and more willing to reconcile than when I first started and more so than yesterday. This makes me a good role model of the LTLT values.
[explain_how_you_act_as_an_ambassador_and_advocator_of_the_learning_to_live_together_programme_in_your_local_context_600_words_] => Even as a participant of the program, I was a strong advocate. I would recommend the program to anyone I had a deep conversation with. It is why I applied to become a facilitator and stayed on to become a trainer. I have endorsed the program with virtually every bureaucrat and politician I know as the solution to our youth issues. And as a business and community leader, I am careful to display my LTLT values at the surface proudly.
[video_link] => https://youtu.be/M8Az81mkh8E
[formFiles] => stdClass Object
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[_isComplex] => 1
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Name: Namgay Wangmo
Organization: NNC
Location: Bhutan
Please explain how you have conducted trainings on the Learning to Live Together Programme. (600 words)
As I have said again and again in the past (and many times throughout this application), I wanted the LTLT program in Bhutan to be focused on the youth, high school youths especially. So, most of the training sessions I have conducted in the country have been geared towards training high school teachers into effective facilitators.
A large portion of Bhutan’s students study in government central schools. The philosophy behind these schools is that schooling is more economic and wholesome if the students live with each other and teachers. So, for 9 months every year, students live under the watch of their teachers.
These teachers, therefore, have more influence in a student’s life than most others. That is why, I wanted the facilitators I train to deeply understand the program. There is a lot of difference between a facilitator who can run a program efficiently and one who knows the subject deeply. If my goal of helping the youth of Bhutan was to come true, the facilitators would need to be of the latter group. I believe that when students spend a lot of time with their teachers, if they find out that the teacher, the facilitator of the program they so connected with, does not deeply care about the program, they will also abandon care. Instead, they can disavow caring altogether. On the other hand, if we have facilitators who know the program very well, they can reinforce their message over and over again outside of workshops, through communal living, through their classroom teaching, etc.
So, a lot of my training sessions included activities to help the trainees understand what the LTLT program was about. Once they understood the purpose and “energy” of the program, we started their facilitation workshop. The first two days of the workshop were usually spent going through the key concepts of the program, so things like the LTLT framework, ethics education, among other things. The third day was dedicated to helping them be facilitators of the program. And the fourth day taught them tools to use to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of our program. By this point, usually, every facilitator has fully understood and co-opted the program. They take ownership of the program as their own and set forth plans to teach their students.
How have you used the LTLT Ethics Education Framework? (400 words)
In every training I conduct, I introduce all my participants to the general LTLT framework – including all the sister organizations of LTLT. Due to the remoteness of Bhutan as an LTLT location, directly engaging with the rest of the network has been difficult. Indeed, only in the training in Pakshikha in 2017 and UNESCO in 2013 did I fully use them. But all facilitators are aware of the framework and know to utilise it if necessary. The LTLT ethics education framework, on the other hand, has been fully utilised in every training conducted so far. Every session is structured in a way to first teach the facilitators the purpose of nurturing a student’s spirituality and openness, then the skills to nurture these qualities, and finally to monitor and evaluate their progress.
Explain how the conducted trainings have been sensitive to the local context. (400 words)
Bhutan is a special country for many reasons. One of them, surprisingly, is its diversity. Within 160 KMs east-west and 100 KMs north-south, Bhutan is home to thousands of flora and fauna, 27 languages, 3 major ethnic groups and many minor groups. This diversity is also in the differences in development (and therefore lifestyle) in urban and rural groups, and in urban groups, in the diversity of income. You would not expect a nation that small to be this multicultural, but the truth is that it increasingly becoming so. The once homogenously Buddhist nation is accepting more of other faith and in 2017, about 10% of the population were expats. The close quarter existence of this great diversity has led to intergroup conflicts that are very subtle and internal.
The Bhutanese people, being a reflective people, carry a lot of stress and mental anguish inside their minds. They are hesitant to open to other people. So, the LTLT program, at first, seems out of place. After all, the crux of the program is to find unity with the “others” of the world through vulnerability. Therefore, to make LTLT’s case in Bhutan, first, the stigma associated with vulnerability needed to be reduced, especially amongst high school youths, where caring and being emotional can be considered “uncool.”
It was an easy task. I soon learned that what I and other people thought of as “stigma” was just a dissociative method. Our people were fine with vulnerability, but since they had always been discouraged to be that way, they showed by uneasiness by making fun of it. Once they understood the benefit of being open with each other, no one held back. A lot of my programs included a lot of emotions because for a lot of the participants, it was the first time being openly emotional. This is how my LTLT programs were “sensitive” about the local context.
Another way, my program was specialised for the local context is that it was focused on high school students. Among the deadliest killers of Bhutanese youth in the last decade are youth on youth violence and suicide. It is a national emergency that is going unattended to. The LTLT program has been a natural fix for this great disaster. The interpersonal problems that lead to physical violence is no different than the intrapersonal issues our youths face as they traverse the rickety road to adulthood and identity.
How has the conducted trainings impacted the trained facilitators? (400 words)
The first thing I notice in my trained facilitators is improved humility. The LTLT program helps everyone who goes through it understand the concept of “sonder,” the idea that all of us live incredibly complex lives, that we’re all the product of an equation that has infinite variables. The LTLT program allows participants to realize that other people live a life as hard as theirs. This makes them more understanding and therefore more humble.
And then they remember their added responsibility as facilitators. Now, they have to do more than just go through that experience, they have to teach it too. In my experience, the best value here is empathy. Understanding where a youth might be coming from and helping them get to the place of openness is possible only if the teacher can keep up with how the student’s emotions and expectations are changing. As most of my trained facilitators have been professional teachers, they knew to immediately adopt this sort of empathy. From what I have been told by my facilitators, they have noticed changes in themselves in the classroom. They are better able to teach their students as a group of many individuals and not as one group. So, their teaching is more nuanced and more helpful to students. They do not know if it is because they went through the program themselves first or if it is because they are facilitators who have to engage with their students at a deep emotional level, but it is clear that it is an effect of the LTLT program.
Please give some examples to show your resourcefulness and creativity to organize trainings of facilitators. (600 words)
Since the start, my target demographic with the LTLT program has been high school age students. So, the most resourceful and creative thing I did, in my opinion, is to partner with many individual schools over and over again until the Ministry of Education became interested. This way, I was able to transform the LTLT program into syllabus mainstays of a lot of schools in the country.
How have you provided mentorship and guidance to trained facilitators? (400 words)
At the end of every training, we discuss the most effective communication methods in group. By letting the facilitators pick this, as opposed to assigning one, they are more likely to co-opt the communication channels and use them. We use these channels (such as WeChat, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger) every day to discuss program notes: how they can innovate their own activities, how they can engage students better, etc. They also know that I am always available via phone call or text should they have any questions. Moreover, in the “community” of facilitators at every school, I am involved in their meetings and discussions.
I have also found a few enterprising facilitators from across the country. These are the teachers that have the potential to become TOTs themselves. I have tried to guide and mentor them by involving them in planning facilitation programs in other places. I hope to see them in the TOT program.
How has the Learning to Live Together Programme influenced a positive transformation in you, in a personal and professional level? (400 words)
On a personal level, I reflect after every training. I try to remember how I was before the training workshop began and how I have changed since, and what it was that caused those changes. It is difficult to understand exactly what it is that causes these changes and if they can be directly recreated in another person by reconstructing similar situations. Whatever the answer there is, the more important thing to know is that, since I first took the LTLT program as a participant, I have transformed into a better human being. I am more compassionate and vibrant, more positive and more fun to be around. I am more empathetic.
This mindfulness and improved empathy have been beneficial in my profession as a businesswoman. Dealing with suppliers and customers have become easier and smoother. I have started to see my associates as interlocuters in the learning to live together dialogue.
Please explain how you exemplify a strong role-model of the principles of Learning to Live Together. (400 words)
The main values of LTLT are Respect, Empathy, Responsibility, and Reconciliation. As a role model of the program, I try to carry them as my default states all the time. Responsibility is knowing your place in the universe. It is knowing that you have a place, that you have a responsibility that extends beyond doing what is good for you or what is expected of you. You have the responsibility of going above and beyond, and to leave the universe in a better place than you found it. In real life, this means to understand all my roles. I understand that as a participant of the program, I am meant to feel the power of vulnerability to bring us together. As a facilitator, I am meant to help others feel that, and as a trainer, I am meant to help others teach others to feel that.
Respect is deference. It is understanding that everyone else’s place in the universe is as valuable and destined as yours. Reconciliation is accepting that no one is perfect but that we are always improving, and therefore, it is necessary to admit our mistakes and fix them. Finally, empathy is the primary feeling that allows all others to exist. It is only because we live infinite lives vicariously that we are able to see our and other people’s place in the universe and seeing where we have been wrong.
Ever since I first started the LTLT program as a participant, I have found these essential values growing in me all the time. At this point, I reflect on them in myself and find that I am more responsible, more respectful, more empathetic and more willing to reconcile than when I first started and more so than yesterday. This makes me a good role model of the LTLT values.
Explain how you act as an ambassador and advocator of the Learning to Live Together Programme in your local context. (600 words)
Even as a participant of the program, I was a strong advocate. I would recommend the program to anyone I had a deep conversation with. It is why I applied to become a facilitator and stayed on to become a trainer. I have endorsed the program with virtually every bureaucrat and politician I know as the solution to our youth issues. And as a business and community leader, I am careful to display my LTLT values at the surface proudly.
Please explain how you have conducted trainings on the Learning to Live Together Programme. (600 words)
As I have said again and again in the past (and many times throughout this application), I wanted the LTLT program in Bhutan to be focused on the youth, high school youths especially. So, most of the training sessions I have conducted in the country have been geared towards training high school teachers into effective facilitators.
A large portion of Bhutan’s students study in government central schools. The philosophy behind these schools is that schooling is more economic and wholesome if the students live with each other and teachers. So, for 9 months every year, students live under the watch of their teachers.
These teachers, therefore, have more influence in a student’s life than most others. That is why, I wanted the facilitators I train to deeply understand the program. There is a lot of difference between a facilitator who can run a program efficiently and one who knows the subject deeply. If my goal of helping the youth of Bhutan was to come true, the facilitators would need to be of the latter group. I believe that when students spend a lot of time with their teachers, if they find out that the teacher, the facilitator of the program they so connected with, does not deeply care about the program, they will also abandon care. Instead, they can disavow caring altogether. On the other hand, if we have facilitators who know the program very well, they can reinforce their message over and over again outside of workshops, through communal living, through their classroom teaching, etc.
So, a lot of my training sessions included activities to help the trainees understand what the LTLT program was about. Once they understood the purpose and “energy” of the program, we started their facilitation workshop. The first two days of the workshop were usually spent going through the key concepts of the program, so things like the LTLT framework, ethics education, among other things. The third day was dedicated to helping them be facilitators of the program. And the fourth day taught them tools to use to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of our program. By this point, usually, every facilitator has fully understood and co-opted the program. They take ownership of the program as their own and set forth plans to teach their students.
How have you used the LTLT Ethics Education Framework? (400 words)
In every training I conduct, I introduce all my participants to the general LTLT framework – including all the sister organizations of LTLT. Due to the remoteness of Bhutan as an LTLT location, directly engaging with the rest of the network has been difficult. Indeed, only in the training in Pakshikha in 2017 and UNESCO in 2013 did I fully use them. But all facilitators are aware of the framework and know to utilise it if necessary. The LTLT ethics education framework, on the other hand, has been fully utilised in every training conducted so far. Every session is structured in a way to first teach the facilitators the purpose of nurturing a student’s spirituality and openness, then the skills to nurture these qualities, and finally to monitor and evaluate their progress.
Explain how the conducted trainings have been sensitive to the local context. (400 words)
Bhutan is a special country for many reasons. One of them, surprisingly, is its diversity. Within 160 KMs east-west and 100 KMs north-south, Bhutan is home to thousands of flora and fauna, 27 languages, 3 major ethnic groups and many minor groups. This diversity is also in the differences in development (and therefore lifestyle) in urban and rural groups, and in urban groups, in the diversity of income. You would not expect a nation that small to be this multicultural, but the truth is that it increasingly becoming so. The once homogenously Buddhist nation is accepting more of other faith and in 2017, about 10% of the population were expats. The close quarter existence of this great diversity has led to intergroup conflicts that are very subtle and internal.
The Bhutanese people, being a reflective people, carry a lot of stress and mental anguish inside their minds. They are hesitant to open to other people. So, the LTLT program, at first, seems out of place. After all, the crux of the program is to find unity with the “others” of the world through vulnerability. Therefore, to make LTLT’s case in Bhutan, first, the stigma associated with vulnerability needed to be reduced, especially amongst high school youths, where caring and being emotional can be considered “uncool.”
It was an easy task. I soon learned that what I and other people thought of as “stigma” was just a dissociative method. Our people were fine with vulnerability, but since they had always been discouraged to be that way, they showed by uneasiness by making fun of it. Once they understood the benefit of being open with each other, no one held back. A lot of my programs included a lot of emotions because for a lot of the participants, it was the first time being openly emotional. This is how my LTLT programs were “sensitive” about the local context.
Another way, my program was specialised for the local context is that it was focused on high school students. Among the deadliest killers of Bhutanese youth in the last decade are youth on youth violence and suicide. It is a national emergency that is going unattended to. The LTLT program has been a natural fix for this great disaster. The interpersonal problems that lead to physical violence is no different than the intrapersonal issues our youths face as they traverse the rickety road to adulthood and identity.
How has the conducted trainings impacted the trained facilitators? (400 words)
The first thing I notice in my trained facilitators is improved humility. The LTLT program helps everyone who goes through it understand the concept of “sonder,” the idea that all of us live incredibly complex lives, that we’re all the product of an equation that has infinite variables. The LTLT program allows participants to realize that other people live a life as hard as theirs. This makes them more understanding and therefore more humble.
And then they remember their added responsibility as facilitators. Now, they have to do more than just go through that experience, they have to teach it too. In my experience, the best value here is empathy. Understanding where a youth might be coming from and helping them get to the place of openness is possible only if the teacher can keep up with how the student’s emotions and expectations are changing. As most of my trained facilitators have been professional teachers, they knew to immediately adopt this sort of empathy. From what I have been told by my facilitators, they have noticed changes in themselves in the classroom. They are better able to teach their students as a group of many individuals and not as one group. So, their teaching is more nuanced and more helpful to students. They do not know if it is because they went through the program themselves first or if it is because they are facilitators who have to engage with their students at a deep emotional level, but it is clear that it is an effect of the LTLT program.
Please give some examples to show your resourcefulness and creativity to organize trainings of facilitators. (600 words)
Since the start, my target demographic with the LTLT program has been high school age students. So, the most resourceful and creative thing I did, in my opinion, is to partner with many individual schools over and over again until the Ministry of Education became interested. This way, I was able to transform the LTLT program into syllabus mainstays of a lot of schools in the country.
How have you provided mentorship and guidance to trained facilitators? (400 words)
At the end of every training, we discuss the most effective communication methods in group. By letting the facilitators pick this, as opposed to assigning one, they are more likely to co-opt the communication channels and use them. We use these channels (such as WeChat, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger) every day to discuss program notes: how they can innovate their own activities, how they can engage students better, etc. They also know that I am always available via phone call or text should they have any questions. Moreover, in the “community” of facilitators at every school, I am involved in their meetings and discussions.
I have also found a few enterprising facilitators from across the country. These are the teachers that have the potential to become TOTs themselves. I have tried to guide and mentor them by involving them in planning facilitation programs in other places. I hope to see them in the TOT program.
How has the Learning to Live Together Programme influenced a positive transformation in you, in a personal and professional level? (400 words)
On a personal level, I reflect after every training. I try to remember how I was before the training workshop began and how I have changed since, and what it was that caused those changes. It is difficult to understand exactly what it is that causes these changes and if they can be directly recreated in another person by reconstructing similar situations. Whatever the answer there is, the more important thing to know is that, since I first took the LTLT program as a participant, I have transformed into a better human being. I am more compassionate and vibrant, more positive and more fun to be around. I am more empathetic.
This mindfulness and improved empathy have been beneficial in my profession as a businesswoman. Dealing with suppliers and customers have become easier and smoother. I have started to see my associates as interlocuters in the learning to live together dialogue.
Please explain how you exemplify a strong role-model of the principles of Learning to Live Together. (400 words)
The main values of LTLT are Respect, Empathy, Responsibility, and Reconciliation. As a role model of the program, I try to carry them as my default states all the time. Responsibility is knowing your place in the universe. It is knowing that you have a place, that you have a responsibility that extends beyond doing what is good for you or what is expected of you. You have the responsibility of going above and beyond, and to leave the universe in a better place than you found it. In real life, this means to understand all my roles. I understand that as a participant of the program, I am meant to feel the power of vulnerability to bring us together. As a facilitator, I am meant to help others feel that, and as a trainer, I am meant to help others teach others to feel that.
Respect is deference. It is understanding that everyone else’s place in the universe is as valuable and destined as yours. Reconciliation is accepting that no one is perfect but that we are always improving, and therefore, it is necessary to admit our mistakes and fix them. Finally, empathy is the primary feeling that allows all others to exist. It is only because we live infinite lives vicariously that we are able to see our and other people’s place in the universe and seeing where we have been wrong.
Ever since I first started the LTLT program as a participant, I have found these essential values growing in me all the time. At this point, I reflect on them in myself and find that I am more responsible, more respectful, more empathetic and more willing to reconcile than when I first started and more so than yesterday. This makes me a good role model of the LTLT values.
Explain how you act as an ambassador and advocator of the Learning to Live Together Programme in your local context. (600 words)
Even as a participant of the program, I was a strong advocate. I would recommend the program to anyone I had a deep conversation with. It is why I applied to become a facilitator and stayed on to become a trainer. I have endorsed the program with virtually every bureaucrat and politician I know as the solution to our youth issues. And as a business and community leader, I am careful to display my LTLT values at the surface proudly.
Array
(
[name_of_applicant] => Mr.Vijayaragavan Gopal
[email] => vijay.varma035@gmail.com
[name_of_organization] => Shanti Ashram
[country] => India
[city] => Coimbatore
[please_explain_how_you_have_conducted_trainings_on_the_learning_to_live_together_programme_600_words_] => I have conducted LTLT training sessions from 2007. I have considered it as a part of my responsibility to spread the message of common brotherhood where ever I go. LTLT has provided me that platform. I strongly believe in self-driven learning. Our role as trainers is just to show the participants the strong and profound truths discussed in the LTLT guidelines. Beyond that we facilitate the learning process. I never advice, force and make long speeches of utopianism. Its all about motivation and the remaining process sets in on its own. That’s is introspection-based learning.
My experience both positive and negative is a reference for beginners. I make them to try out new methodologies, techniques and concepts – experiment-based learning. Only if you experiment and try out new ideas will innovation bloom- innovation based learning. All innovative techniques need not be successful. Some ideas brush the peaks and become critically acclaimed as a contribution for the goodness of humanity, but ideas even though may look comprehensive; may not find acceptance. It would invite scorn and brickbats. Well that’s experience based learning. Whatever be it, the learning process must go on. It’s a cycle of happenings.
I remember when I was doing my first training programme with children in 2007; to explain the word empathy seemed to be very difficult. So we arranged a trip to the local old age home and asked the children to interact with the elderly people there. Later we debriefed and made a role reversal, made the children role play as the elderly people and what they expect from young people. Now the writing was clear on the wall. Its not just sympathy; but it is to put ourselves in the place of people in need and to feel what they are experiencing. We may not be able to alleviate their problems each time but we can surely try to lend an ear, a comforting word and a warm hug. This has been the way how I have conducted my sessions through LTLT. We are mere bridges to link people.
In 2008; a boy called Arun called upon me and said “I and my friends have collected 22 kg rice what can I do anna (brother; in local language – Tamil)”. I said well we can try to distribute them to people in need, Hiv affected families. I guided and just showed them a way and what blossomed was an initiative named FOOD BANK which has sustained itself for the past 10 years and continues to grow stronger, better and more sustainable. The idea received great acknowledgement at the GNRC 5th Forum in Tanzania. In FOOD BANK initiative our volunteers collect handful if not possible fistfuls of rice and grains; store them and distribute them. We are now able to collect, pack and give way 500 kg per month. An innovation from the LTLT based learning – where the question “what I can do to be a solution for poverty” triggered the innovator in the young boy Arun; stands tall 10 years later and today is one of our flagship programmes.
[how_have_you_used_the_ltlt_ethics_education_framework_400_words_] => I have tried to use the LTLT Ethics Education framework in my own way by adapting it to the local needs, customs and requisites. The core values which I have made special care to incorporate in any of the workshops I conduct is to facilitate self-driven learning. I try to drive home the message by kindling their curiosity and to make the participants search out answers and seek the reasons behind them. His enables them to enjoy the joy of discovering solutions on their own, for each discovery even if most trivial is a moment of joy for the discoverer. Next is to create a safe learning environment. I try to create awareness on the context we are discussing.
I allow all the wildest of imaginations in my sessions, but the strong undercurrent of context sensitivity will be the fundamental unit. I like this concept of critical conscientiousness enshrined in the LTLT framework. I try to awaken the critical thinking part of their cortex and motivate them to mix empathy in the right proportions for the porridge of Critical conscientiousness. Imagination is our watchword and finally collective action is our goal. This forms my adaptation of the LTLT ethics education framework.
“I met Vijay first when he visited the school I was working in, leading a team of facilitators for a LTLT workshop with the children. It was a pleasure to watch him facilitate the workshop and also manage the facilitators’ team of 4. Since then, I have had the opportunity to work with Vijay myself, conducting LTLT training workshops in different contexts. In addition, I have also been witness to Vijay’s natural leadership and initiative at Shanti Ashram as the head of the Youth Leadership Programme there. In all of these instances, his commitment and dedication to the cause of the young adolescent has been always evident. His ability to seamlessly integrate the core philosophy of the LTLT framework in all his interactions with the youngsters and in all youth-related programmes is what is truly inspiring...” – Pavithra Rajagopalan, LTLT Trainer, India.
[explain_how_the_conducted_trainings_have_been_sensitive_to_the_local_context_400_words_] => India is a melting point of cultures traditions and customs. For every 10 km radius there is a distinct change in the dialect of the spoken language. The only common thing in our nation is the diversity of unimaginable extent. We may be seen as a global powerhouse but our struggles continue against poverty. The positive note is that we have a striving youth population that has taken upon itself to heal the wounds of the colonial past and to bridge the gap between the shining and suffering societies that coexist in our nation. We use the LTLT manual to combat child poverty. We built the India Poverty Solutions – a multination initiative now on the lines of LTLT (principle wise). We emphasize on being the solution rather than the problem, we urge collective action and motivate a critical conscientiousness among the groups we interact.
We used role -plays, news reporting to highlight the rampant misogynistic practices of child marriage that are still prevalent in some sections of our society. We use the child friendly approaches enshrined in the manual to interact with children to educate them about a good and bad touch. Our fight against violence against children has been immensely boosted by using the LTLT manual. Small group meetings, interactive sessions have made the children to open up and also discuss issues that are considered to be a taboo in the society.
[how_has_the_conducted_trainings_impacted_the_trained_facilitators_400_words_] => I have trained nearly 149 young facilitators in my 12 year journey. Some of them like Kaviya, Sudharson are today young professionals and also trainer of trainees. We have a huge base to volunteers who have been primed by LTLT workshops during their student period and continue to contribute as volunteers on a regular basis. Our volunteer base is something that must been seen – to understand. Young people cutting across lines of region, religions, diverse occupations come together to contribute their share; in our work of building a peaceful world.
Their contributions vary from time, ideas to physical work but whatever they contribute arises from shear passion and commitment that has been nurtured through our LTLT workshops and follow-up events. Our facilitators feel a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction. Being engineers, doctors, architects, human resource professionals our facilitators spend time to interact with young minds, make them introspect about good values, play games, laugh out loud and finally debrief the principles of LTLT. We feel younger and more energetic.” Joy is more infectious that leprosy “– Mother Teresa. LTLT gives everyone a chance to relive their youth. Even I fell as a teenager when I am into the workshop. Its not just contribution to the society but the inner evolution taking place in each of our volunteers and facilitators.
A transformation, a seed of change, a drop in the ocean, a brighter and more compassionate human added to the population of humanity. A foot forward. After all “A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step “ Chinese proverb.
[please_give_some_examples_to_show_your_resourcefulness_and_creativity_to_organize_trainings_of_facilitators_600_words_] => We at Shanti Ashram have adapted the LTLT manual, in ways that it extends maximum benefit to the community where we work. We have made it a point to ‘think globally but act locally” in short “GLO- CAL”. The LTLT manual is designed to engage 12 to 18 year old youth in constructive and creative character building. We used its essence to make it palatable for our kindergarten and primary school children.
We now teach those tiny tots the beauty of living together in the language they understand –GAMES and we have used the techniques given in the manual like – My life tree, ball in the air, field visits, diminishing island, reach the stars in a simplified manner. For the all time great Einstein had once said ‘if you can’t explain to a 6 year old, you don’t understand it yourself”. Our experience has should that children are more receptive and such constructive practices in primary school will go a long way in fostering brotherhood and collective action.
We have used the LTLT manual to train HIV affection sections to fight against the many odds stacked against them. By using role-plays, dramas; it gives them a platform to express their anguish and at the same time a chance to explain to the world that people with HIV also have a life as any other human and they don’t want anybody’s sympathy; for all they need is space and opportunity to live their life in their own terms.
We have used the manual to strengthen families, organise informal meetings with the parents of the children we train. Make them aware of LTLT and engage them in kiosks, my life tree, and other activities. The child within them awakens. So there is now a whole family that intends to do collective action. Well then, thats the beckoning of change for “Family forms the basic unit of a community” .
[how_have_you_provided_mentorship_and_guidance_to_trained_facilitators_400_words_] => The trainer facilitator relationship is like the sun and the sea, beautiful and vibrant. One of our volunteers, Mr.Prabu who was our core volunteer suddenly feel of the radar. He used to be an active volunteer and participant in all activities pertaining to LTLT. I was really surprised to find his sudden absence from our regular meetings and LTLT worshops. I travelled to his home to enquire about him .A rude shock awaited me when his family informed me that he had dropped of from school and was now working as a labourer. This set the alarm bells ringing. After multiple sessions of talking, cajoling and convincing I was successful in bring the boy out of daily wage labour. He rejoined school came out with flying colours and todays works at a top university in the city post his master’s in computer science. This is my method of providing mentorship. Be impactful, at the same time we must be ready to go deep into the emotional requirements of our students and strengthen their resolve. Our job is not to teach but to facilitate their progress in becoming self-reliant and resilient.
Another success story is of INDIA POVERTY SOLUTIONS where a bunch of our core volunteers set up a platform inspired by LTLT, to reach out to their brethren who weren’t fortunate as they were. It was one of a kind effort where they distributed HUNDI (mud pots ) and asked people to save for 3 months. The money was divided into 3 halves – their own selves, family and the society. The contribution for the society was collected and was used to prevent childhood anaemia, vaccinate children, provide scholarships. The stakeholders and the volunteers decided upon the beneficiaries. Today this programme is a one of a kind effort running successfully for the past 7 years , involving nearly 50 institutions, 4 cities in India and is a seed of change, a contribution of LTLT by shaping young minds early.
“When i started as a participant with LTLT tool kit during my college time in the year 2009, i was easily able to get into the concepts and core values of LTLT with practical approach was purely through the guidance of Mr.VIjayaragavan. I was able to understand through his skill of connecting in the local language. He connects me to the local challenges and also he guides to find the solution through our LTLT core values and its concepts.
The way he designs the activities during the workshops for the participants will be mind blowing because it connects to the participants in ease by making them to think intellectual. He always guides me to spend good amount of time in pre-workshops which will help me for the better agenda.
I always think LTLT is always for children but for me personally he opened the door to reach the LTLT concepts to even adults which eventually resulted me to train more students in college and even university faculties. He guides me to always plan for the follow up activities in all the sessions and workshops for greater impact and i learnt that i built a stronger communication.”
- Mr.Sudharson Jayakumar, LTLT Facilitator
[how_has_the_learning_to_live_together_programme_influenced_a_positive_transformation_in_you_in_a_personal_and_professional_level_400_words_] => My brush with LTLT started in 2006 at the South Asia Ethics Education Workshop in Coimbatore. It has been, what I call a long eventful journey of excellence for me. I started off as a facilitator, then a trainer, trainer of trainers and now over the last 12 years I have trained almost 149 young men and women who double up as young professions and facilitators. When I started this journey, I had never felt that these words like “Love Respect Empathy and reconciliation” were relevant in the society, at least not to be taught! as routine science topics. I thought that they were routine qualities that were to be learnt by personal experience and were not fit to be given as a learning module.
I always felt that these concepts if taught would be a moral sciences period renamed. But each time we see sectarian violence, the misogynistic temperament prevalent in the society, those millions of refugees stranded in the mid sea or that blood chilling face of Alyan Kurdi who was washed ashore the sands of Caspian sea, the stressful lifestyle and its dreadful complications; well learning is as incomplete as it can be imagined if we don’t infuse introspection based learning and self-driven learning. Of all the sciences practiced, learning to live together stands as a basic science that is of foremost importance because no progress is viable from a society that refuses to work together citing differences in name, gender, colour, race, religion and regions.
We will have a mould of unequal growth and inappropriate distribution of resources and chaos. LTLT is the only solution. This is the only science that makes us introspect, appreciate the joy of living, makes us feel that the journey is as beautiful as the goal, makes us think and propels us to go beyond facts and into dept of understanding and accepting realities. This is a transformation that will set in once we have started to delve deep into LTLT.
[please_explain_how_you_exemplify_a_strong_role_model_of_the_principles_of_learning_to_live_together_400_words_] => I have trained nearly 149 young people over the past 12 years. These young men and women are not just one timers or migratory birds that turn up once a blue moon but are regular volunteers and trainers who are with us contributing along with their professional commitments. This word role model is a huge term. I would never take upon myself this mantle. The primary of transformational leadership is that we must avoid such terms as role model, master, leader per say. It is a collective action, togetherness, where everyone is the leader in his own right. Each man is important. Each action is as relevant as the final outcome. There are no role models. We understand each other, accept shortcomings, strengthen each other’s resole and keep on with the work of building bridges. The cloak of royalty, the position to direct people to perform tasks trivialities the whole foundation of living together. It is built of empathy and not transient sympathy. Its mutual trust and respect that runs the show. This is what I exemplify as a string facilitator of the principles of LTLT.
"I’m thrilled to hear that Mr. Vijayaragavan has applied for the Most Committed Trainer award. In my mind there can be no one who is more worthy of that distinction. Vijay has been doing this work since 2007 and I have had the opportunity to work with him in many different settings for Ethics Workshops in Coimbatore, Chennai as well as Tokyo.
Vijay has a friendly style that puts people at their ease. He lives the content of the LTLT and can put together activities that are thought provoking as well as interesting and interactive. However, I feel his greatest strength lies in his ability to motivate and encourage young people to take up voluntary work. He has mobilized large groups of facilitators and volunteers in countless programmes and activities.
I can vouch for this even on a personal level. My daughter Janani who is now 17 has been volunteering at Shanti Ashram since she was about 10. Vijay was one of the main reasons that that shy, reserved child transformed into a strong, quiet, idealistic adolescent. I’m grateful to him for that. His non-judgmental acceptance and respect of all who he meets make young people flock to him. He has the incredible ability of making “being good” be cool!
In my knowledge Vijay is really one of the most committed trainers I have had the pleasure to work with in my long association with Shanti Ashram and Arigatou International. The number of facilitators he has helped develop alone is testimony for that. My best wishes to him..."
Prabha Karthik.LTLT Trainer
[explain_how_you_act_as_an_ambassador_and_advocator_of_the_learning_to_live_together_programme_in_your_local_context_600_words_] => LTLT is a way of life for me. Many of our programme bear the insignia of LTLT principles. The idea is to inculcate people the importance of harmonious living. I have never seen social work and LTLT as two different entities. Like our eyes are two but vision is one and beautiful. I have always tried to integrate the core philosophies of LTLT into whatever I do. I have used the LTLT manual to train HIV affected and infected families during our routine programmes of strengthening families affected by HIV. I use the core principles of LTLT when I interact with college students during their official NSS (National Social Service - India) Camps in rural and tribal areas.
LTLT becomes the launch pad to train families and integrate various religious heads and members during our regular interfaith council meetings. It won’t be an exaggeration to say that every meeting, programme or social gathering I take part be it official, public or family has taste of LTLT. Even if I were to speak about an another topic - the 12 years of being an LTLT trainer, the thousand and more sessions I would have facilitated, the 149 and counting facilitators I have trained, the countless number of times I would have used in word and deed the message of “ love, respect, empathy and reconciliation” naturally sets in during the course of my interaction. I haven’t exerted myself to emphasis the relevance of LTLT on others nor have I advised or heckled anyone to listen. The beauty is that learning to live together is a necessity and a basic need that today’s man must know. Its not a matter of the cortex but much deeper of the soul. No need to explain and teach. All we need is to show the way, clear the shadow of divisions and make people introspect – this soul searching is the key of living together.
My role in LTLT has been a facilitator, a trainer, trainer of trainer and a perpetual student. I work as the head of youth section in Shanti Ashram, an international NGO that works along the principles of Mahatma Gandiji; situated in the vibrant city of Coimbatore in the most diverse country India. I look after the aspirations of one lakh youth who come under our service wings. Be it one to one talk, field visits, peace festivals involving thousands of young people, or massive events like the super congress – involving thousands across the globe, or international meetings like the GNRC forum, GEN FEST; LTLT is our strength to reach out to people and be the change we wish to see in this world.
Through our work we have a footprint in 17 States of India and collaborations with 7 faith traditions of India (Bahai, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Islamic, Jain &Sikh communities). Through Shanti Ashram’s inspiring pool of 149 facilitators, the impact of the training led to transformation on ground. Out of this, our pride soars to recognize that 24 have completed their advance training and 4 trainers have successfully completed the ‘International Trainers course’ conducted by Arigatou International. Thus our service footprint goes far beyond the region and available to the global efforts of the Arigatou Family.
Thank you so much for this effort and I hope and assure to put myself to nurture the children for better and peaceful world.
I would like to conclude with my experience and my application with Mahatma Gandhi quote" If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children.."
[video_link] => https://ethicseducationforchildren.org/images/Vijayaragavan _Gopal.mp4
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Name: Mr.Vijayaragavan Gopal
Organization: Shanti Ashram
Location: India
Please explain how you have conducted trainings on the Learning to Live Together Programme. (600 words)
I have conducted LTLT training sessions from 2007. I have considered it as a part of my responsibility to spread the message of common brotherhood where ever I go. LTLT has provided me that platform. I strongly believe in self-driven learning. Our role as trainers is just to show the participants the strong and profound truths discussed in the LTLT guidelines. Beyond that we facilitate the learning process. I never advice, force and make long speeches of utopianism. Its all about motivation and the remaining process sets in on its own. That’s is introspection-based learning.
My experience both positive and negative is a reference for beginners. I make them to try out new methodologies, techniques and concepts – experiment-based learning. Only if you experiment and try out new ideas will innovation bloom- innovation based learning. All innovative techniques need not be successful. Some ideas brush the peaks and become critically acclaimed as a contribution for the goodness of humanity, but ideas even though may look comprehensive; may not find acceptance. It would invite scorn and brickbats. Well that’s experience based learning. Whatever be it, the learning process must go on. It’s a cycle of happenings.
I remember when I was doing my first training programme with children in 2007; to explain the word empathy seemed to be very difficult. So we arranged a trip to the local old age home and asked the children to interact with the elderly people there. Later we debriefed and made a role reversal, made the children role play as the elderly people and what they expect from young people. Now the writing was clear on the wall. Its not just sympathy; but it is to put ourselves in the place of people in need and to feel what they are experiencing. We may not be able to alleviate their problems each time but we can surely try to lend an ear, a comforting word and a warm hug. This has been the way how I have conducted my sessions through LTLT. We are mere bridges to link people.
In 2008; a boy called Arun called upon me and said “I and my friends have collected 22 kg rice what can I do anna (brother; in local language – Tamil)”. I said well we can try to distribute them to people in need, Hiv affected families. I guided and just showed them a way and what blossomed was an initiative named FOOD BANK which has sustained itself for the past 10 years and continues to grow stronger, better and more sustainable. The idea received great acknowledgement at the GNRC 5th Forum in Tanzania. In FOOD BANK initiative our volunteers collect handful if not possible fistfuls of rice and grains; store them and distribute them. We are now able to collect, pack and give way 500 kg per month. An innovation from the LTLT based learning – where the question “what I can do to be a solution for poverty” triggered the innovator in the young boy Arun; stands tall 10 years later and today is one of our flagship programmes.
How have you used the LTLT Ethics Education Framework? (400 words)
I have tried to use the LTLT Ethics Education framework in my own way by adapting it to the local needs, customs and requisites. The core values which I have made special care to incorporate in any of the workshops I conduct is to facilitate self-driven learning. I try to drive home the message by kindling their curiosity and to make the participants search out answers and seek the reasons behind them. His enables them to enjoy the joy of discovering solutions on their own, for each discovery even if most trivial is a moment of joy for the discoverer. Next is to create a safe learning environment. I try to create awareness on the context we are discussing.
I allow all the wildest of imaginations in my sessions, but the strong undercurrent of context sensitivity will be the fundamental unit. I like this concept of critical conscientiousness enshrined in the LTLT framework. I try to awaken the critical thinking part of their cortex and motivate them to mix empathy in the right proportions for the porridge of Critical conscientiousness. Imagination is our watchword and finally collective action is our goal. This forms my adaptation of the LTLT ethics education framework.
“I met Vijay first when he visited the school I was working in, leading a team of facilitators for a LTLT workshop with the children. It was a pleasure to watch him facilitate the workshop and also manage the facilitators’ team of 4. Since then, I have had the opportunity to work with Vijay myself, conducting LTLT training workshops in different contexts. In addition, I have also been witness to Vijay’s natural leadership and initiative at Shanti Ashram as the head of the Youth Leadership Programme there. In all of these instances, his commitment and dedication to the cause of the young adolescent has been always evident. His ability to seamlessly integrate the core philosophy of the LTLT framework in all his interactions with the youngsters and in all youth-related programmes is what is truly inspiring...” – Pavithra Rajagopalan, LTLT Trainer, India.
Explain how the conducted trainings have been sensitive to the local context. (400 words)
India is a melting point of cultures traditions and customs. For every 10 km radius there is a distinct change in the dialect of the spoken language. The only common thing in our nation is the diversity of unimaginable extent. We may be seen as a global powerhouse but our struggles continue against poverty. The positive note is that we have a striving youth population that has taken upon itself to heal the wounds of the colonial past and to bridge the gap between the shining and suffering societies that coexist in our nation. We use the LTLT manual to combat child poverty. We built the India Poverty Solutions – a multination initiative now on the lines of LTLT (principle wise). We emphasize on being the solution rather than the problem, we urge collective action and motivate a critical conscientiousness among the groups we interact.
We used role -plays, news reporting to highlight the rampant misogynistic practices of child marriage that are still prevalent in some sections of our society. We use the child friendly approaches enshrined in the manual to interact with children to educate them about a good and bad touch. Our fight against violence against children has been immensely boosted by using the LTLT manual. Small group meetings, interactive sessions have made the children to open up and also discuss issues that are considered to be a taboo in the society.
How has the conducted trainings impacted the trained facilitators? (400 words)
I have trained nearly 149 young facilitators in my 12 year journey. Some of them like Kaviya, Sudharson are today young professionals and also trainer of trainees. We have a huge base to volunteers who have been primed by LTLT workshops during their student period and continue to contribute as volunteers on a regular basis. Our volunteer base is something that must been seen – to understand. Young people cutting across lines of region, religions, diverse occupations come together to contribute their share; in our work of building a peaceful world.
Their contributions vary from time, ideas to physical work but whatever they contribute arises from shear passion and commitment that has been nurtured through our LTLT workshops and follow-up events. Our facilitators feel a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction. Being engineers, doctors, architects, human resource professionals our facilitators spend time to interact with young minds, make them introspect about good values, play games, laugh out loud and finally debrief the principles of LTLT. We feel younger and more energetic.” Joy is more infectious that leprosy “– Mother Teresa. LTLT gives everyone a chance to relive their youth. Even I fell as a teenager when I am into the workshop. Its not just contribution to the society but the inner evolution taking place in each of our volunteers and facilitators.
A transformation, a seed of change, a drop in the ocean, a brighter and more compassionate human added to the population of humanity. A foot forward. After all “A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step “ Chinese proverb.
Please give some examples to show your resourcefulness and creativity to organize trainings of facilitators. (600 words)
We at Shanti Ashram have adapted the LTLT manual, in ways that it extends maximum benefit to the community where we work. We have made it a point to ‘think globally but act locally” in short “GLO- CAL”. The LTLT manual is designed to engage 12 to 18 year old youth in constructive and creative character building. We used its essence to make it palatable for our kindergarten and primary school children.
We now teach those tiny tots the beauty of living together in the language they understand –GAMES and we have used the techniques given in the manual like – My life tree, ball in the air, field visits, diminishing island, reach the stars in a simplified manner. For the all time great Einstein had once said ‘if you can’t explain to a 6 year old, you don’t understand it yourself”. Our experience has should that children are more receptive and such constructive practices in primary school will go a long way in fostering brotherhood and collective action.
We have used the LTLT manual to train HIV affection sections to fight against the many odds stacked against them. By using role-plays, dramas; it gives them a platform to express their anguish and at the same time a chance to explain to the world that people with HIV also have a life as any other human and they don’t want anybody’s sympathy; for all they need is space and opportunity to live their life in their own terms.
We have used the manual to strengthen families, organise informal meetings with the parents of the children we train. Make them aware of LTLT and engage them in kiosks, my life tree, and other activities. The child within them awakens. So there is now a whole family that intends to do collective action. Well then, thats the beckoning of change for “Family forms the basic unit of a community” .
How have you provided mentorship and guidance to trained facilitators? (400 words)
The trainer facilitator relationship is like the sun and the sea, beautiful and vibrant. One of our volunteers, Mr.Prabu who was our core volunteer suddenly feel of the radar. He used to be an active volunteer and participant in all activities pertaining to LTLT. I was really surprised to find his sudden absence from our regular meetings and LTLT worshops. I travelled to his home to enquire about him .A rude shock awaited me when his family informed me that he had dropped of from school and was now working as a labourer. This set the alarm bells ringing. After multiple sessions of talking, cajoling and convincing I was successful in bring the boy out of daily wage labour. He rejoined school came out with flying colours and todays works at a top university in the city post his master’s in computer science. This is my method of providing mentorship. Be impactful, at the same time we must be ready to go deep into the emotional requirements of our students and strengthen their resolve. Our job is not to teach but to facilitate their progress in becoming self-reliant and resilient.
Another success story is of INDIA POVERTY SOLUTIONS where a bunch of our core volunteers set up a platform inspired by LTLT, to reach out to their brethren who weren’t fortunate as they were. It was one of a kind effort where they distributed HUNDI (mud pots ) and asked people to save for 3 months. The money was divided into 3 halves – their own selves, family and the society. The contribution for the society was collected and was used to prevent childhood anaemia, vaccinate children, provide scholarships. The stakeholders and the volunteers decided upon the beneficiaries. Today this programme is a one of a kind effort running successfully for the past 7 years , involving nearly 50 institutions, 4 cities in India and is a seed of change, a contribution of LTLT by shaping young minds early.
“When i started as a participant with LTLT tool kit during my college time in the year 2009, i was easily able to get into the concepts and core values of LTLT with practical approach was purely through the guidance of Mr.VIjayaragavan. I was able to understand through his skill of connecting in the local language. He connects me to the local challenges and also he guides to find the solution through our LTLT core values and its concepts.
The way he designs the activities during the workshops for the participants will be mind blowing because it connects to the participants in ease by making them to think intellectual. He always guides me to spend good amount of time in pre-workshops which will help me for the better agenda.
I always think LTLT is always for children but for me personally he opened the door to reach the LTLT concepts to even adults which eventually resulted me to train more students in college and even university faculties. He guides me to always plan for the follow up activities in all the sessions and workshops for greater impact and i learnt that i built a stronger communication.”
- Mr.Sudharson Jayakumar, LTLT Facilitator
How has the Learning to Live Together Programme influenced a positive transformation in you, in a personal and professional level? (400 words)
My brush with LTLT started in 2006 at the South Asia Ethics Education Workshop in Coimbatore. It has been, what I call a long eventful journey of excellence for me. I started off as a facilitator, then a trainer, trainer of trainers and now over the last 12 years I have trained almost 149 young men and women who double up as young professions and facilitators. When I started this journey, I had never felt that these words like “Love Respect Empathy and reconciliation” were relevant in the society, at least not to be taught! as routine science topics. I thought that they were routine qualities that were to be learnt by personal experience and were not fit to be given as a learning module.
I always felt that these concepts if taught would be a moral sciences period renamed. But each time we see sectarian violence, the misogynistic temperament prevalent in the society, those millions of refugees stranded in the mid sea or that blood chilling face of Alyan Kurdi who was washed ashore the sands of Caspian sea, the stressful lifestyle and its dreadful complications; well learning is as incomplete as it can be imagined if we don’t infuse introspection based learning and self-driven learning. Of all the sciences practiced, learning to live together stands as a basic science that is of foremost importance because no progress is viable from a society that refuses to work together citing differences in name, gender, colour, race, religion and regions.
We will have a mould of unequal growth and inappropriate distribution of resources and chaos. LTLT is the only solution. This is the only science that makes us introspect, appreciate the joy of living, makes us feel that the journey is as beautiful as the goal, makes us think and propels us to go beyond facts and into dept of understanding and accepting realities. This is a transformation that will set in once we have started to delve deep into LTLT.
Please explain how you exemplify a strong role-model of the principles of Learning to Live Together. (400 words)
I have trained nearly 149 young people over the past 12 years. These young men and women are not just one timers or migratory birds that turn up once a blue moon but are regular volunteers and trainers who are with us contributing along with their professional commitments. This word role model is a huge term. I would never take upon myself this mantle. The primary of transformational leadership is that we must avoid such terms as role model, master, leader per say. It is a collective action, togetherness, where everyone is the leader in his own right. Each man is important. Each action is as relevant as the final outcome. There are no role models. We understand each other, accept shortcomings, strengthen each other’s resole and keep on with the work of building bridges. The cloak of royalty, the position to direct people to perform tasks trivialities the whole foundation of living together. It is built of empathy and not transient sympathy. Its mutual trust and respect that runs the show. This is what I exemplify as a string facilitator of the principles of LTLT.
"I’m thrilled to hear that Mr. Vijayaragavan has applied for the Most Committed Trainer award. In my mind there can be no one who is more worthy of that distinction. Vijay has been doing this work since 2007 and I have had the opportunity to work with him in many different settings for Ethics Workshops in Coimbatore, Chennai as well as Tokyo.
Vijay has a friendly style that puts people at their ease. He lives the content of the LTLT and can put together activities that are thought provoking as well as interesting and interactive. However, I feel his greatest strength lies in his ability to motivate and encourage young people to take up voluntary work. He has mobilized large groups of facilitators and volunteers in countless programmes and activities.
I can vouch for this even on a personal level. My daughter Janani who is now 17 has been volunteering at Shanti Ashram since she was about 10. Vijay was one of the main reasons that that shy, reserved child transformed into a strong, quiet, idealistic adolescent. I’m grateful to him for that. His non-judgmental acceptance and respect of all who he meets make young people flock to him. He has the incredible ability of making “being good” be cool!
In my knowledge Vijay is really one of the most committed trainers I have had the pleasure to work with in my long association with Shanti Ashram and Arigatou International. The number of facilitators he has helped develop alone is testimony for that. My best wishes to him..."
Prabha Karthik.LTLT Trainer
Explain how you act as an ambassador and advocator of the Learning to Live Together Programme in your local context. (600 words)
LTLT is a way of life for me. Many of our programme bear the insignia of LTLT principles. The idea is to inculcate people the importance of harmonious living. I have never seen social work and LTLT as two different entities. Like our eyes are two but vision is one and beautiful. I have always tried to integrate the core philosophies of LTLT into whatever I do. I have used the LTLT manual to train HIV affected and infected families during our routine programmes of strengthening families affected by HIV. I use the core principles of LTLT when I interact with college students during their official NSS (National Social Service - India) Camps in rural and tribal areas.
LTLT becomes the launch pad to train families and integrate various religious heads and members during our regular interfaith council meetings. It won’t be an exaggeration to say that every meeting, programme or social gathering I take part be it official, public or family has taste of LTLT. Even if I were to speak about an another topic - the 12 years of being an LTLT trainer, the thousand and more sessions I would have facilitated, the 149 and counting facilitators I have trained, the countless number of times I would have used in word and deed the message of “ love, respect, empathy and reconciliation” naturally sets in during the course of my interaction. I haven’t exerted myself to emphasis the relevance of LTLT on others nor have I advised or heckled anyone to listen. The beauty is that learning to live together is a necessity and a basic need that today’s man must know. Its not a matter of the cortex but much deeper of the soul. No need to explain and teach. All we need is to show the way, clear the shadow of divisions and make people introspect – this soul searching is the key of living together.
My role in LTLT has been a facilitator, a trainer, trainer of trainer and a perpetual student. I work as the head of youth section in Shanti Ashram, an international NGO that works along the principles of Mahatma Gandiji; situated in the vibrant city of Coimbatore in the most diverse country India. I look after the aspirations of one lakh youth who come under our service wings. Be it one to one talk, field visits, peace festivals involving thousands of young people, or massive events like the super congress – involving thousands across the globe, or international meetings like the GNRC forum, GEN FEST; LTLT is our strength to reach out to people and be the change we wish to see in this world.
Through our work we have a footprint in 17 States of India and collaborations with 7 faith traditions of India (Bahai, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Islamic, Jain &Sikh communities). Through Shanti Ashram’s inspiring pool of 149 facilitators, the impact of the training led to transformation on ground. Out of this, our pride soars to recognize that 24 have completed their advance training and 4 trainers have successfully completed the ‘International Trainers course’ conducted by Arigatou International. Thus our service footprint goes far beyond the region and available to the global efforts of the Arigatou Family.
Thank you so much for this effort and I hope and assure to put myself to nurture the children for better and peaceful world.
I would like to conclude with my experience and my application with Mahatma Gandhi quote" If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children.."
Please explain how you have conducted trainings on the Learning to Live Together Programme. (600 words)
I have conducted LTLT training sessions from 2007. I have considered it as a part of my responsibility to spread the message of common brotherhood where ever I go. LTLT has provided me that platform. I strongly believe in self-driven learning. Our role as trainers is just to show the participants the strong and profound truths discussed in the LTLT guidelines. Beyond that we facilitate the learning process. I never advice, force and make long speeches of utopianism. Its all about motivation and the remaining process sets in on its own. That’s is introspection-based learning.
My experience both positive and negative is a reference for beginners. I make them to try out new methodologies, techniques and concepts – experiment-based learning. Only if you experiment and try out new ideas will innovation bloom- innovation based learning. All innovative techniques need not be successful. Some ideas brush the peaks and become critically acclaimed as a contribution for the goodness of humanity, but ideas even though may look comprehensive; may not find acceptance. It would invite scorn and brickbats. Well that’s experience based learning. Whatever be it, the learning process must go on. It’s a cycle of happenings.
I remember when I was doing my first training programme with children in 2007; to explain the word empathy seemed to be very difficult. So we arranged a trip to the local old age home and asked the children to interact with the elderly people there. Later we debriefed and made a role reversal, made the children role play as the elderly people and what they expect from young people. Now the writing was clear on the wall. Its not just sympathy; but it is to put ourselves in the place of people in need and to feel what they are experiencing. We may not be able to alleviate their problems each time but we can surely try to lend an ear, a comforting word and a warm hug. This has been the way how I have conducted my sessions through LTLT. We are mere bridges to link people.
In 2008; a boy called Arun called upon me and said “I and my friends have collected 22 kg rice what can I do anna (brother; in local language – Tamil)”. I said well we can try to distribute them to people in need, Hiv affected families. I guided and just showed them a way and what blossomed was an initiative named FOOD BANK which has sustained itself for the past 10 years and continues to grow stronger, better and more sustainable. The idea received great acknowledgement at the GNRC 5th Forum in Tanzania. In FOOD BANK initiative our volunteers collect handful if not possible fistfuls of rice and grains; store them and distribute them. We are now able to collect, pack and give way 500 kg per month. An innovation from the LTLT based learning – where the question “what I can do to be a solution for poverty” triggered the innovator in the young boy Arun; stands tall 10 years later and today is one of our flagship programmes.
How have you used the LTLT Ethics Education Framework? (400 words)
I have tried to use the LTLT Ethics Education framework in my own way by adapting it to the local needs, customs and requisites. The core values which I have made special care to incorporate in any of the workshops I conduct is to facilitate self-driven learning. I try to drive home the message by kindling their curiosity and to make the participants search out answers and seek the reasons behind them. His enables them to enjoy the joy of discovering solutions on their own, for each discovery even if most trivial is a moment of joy for the discoverer. Next is to create a safe learning environment. I try to create awareness on the context we are discussing.
I allow all the wildest of imaginations in my sessions, but the strong undercurrent of context sensitivity will be the fundamental unit. I like this concept of critical conscientiousness enshrined in the LTLT framework. I try to awaken the critical thinking part of their cortex and motivate them to mix empathy in the right proportions for the porridge of Critical conscientiousness. Imagination is our watchword and finally collective action is our goal. This forms my adaptation of the LTLT ethics education framework.
“I met Vijay first when he visited the school I was working in, leading a team of facilitators for a LTLT workshop with the children. It was a pleasure to watch him facilitate the workshop and also manage the facilitators’ team of 4. Since then, I have had the opportunity to work with Vijay myself, conducting LTLT training workshops in different contexts. In addition, I have also been witness to Vijay’s natural leadership and initiative at Shanti Ashram as the head of the Youth Leadership Programme there. In all of these instances, his commitment and dedication to the cause of the young adolescent has been always evident. His ability to seamlessly integrate the core philosophy of the LTLT framework in all his interactions with the youngsters and in all youth-related programmes is what is truly inspiring...” – Pavithra Rajagopalan, LTLT Trainer, India.
Explain how the conducted trainings have been sensitive to the local context. (400 words)
India is a melting point of cultures traditions and customs. For every 10 km radius there is a distinct change in the dialect of the spoken language. The only common thing in our nation is the diversity of unimaginable extent. We may be seen as a global powerhouse but our struggles continue against poverty. The positive note is that we have a striving youth population that has taken upon itself to heal the wounds of the colonial past and to bridge the gap between the shining and suffering societies that coexist in our nation. We use the LTLT manual to combat child poverty. We built the India Poverty Solutions – a multination initiative now on the lines of LTLT (principle wise). We emphasize on being the solution rather than the problem, we urge collective action and motivate a critical conscientiousness among the groups we interact.
We used role -plays, news reporting to highlight the rampant misogynistic practices of child marriage that are still prevalent in some sections of our society. We use the child friendly approaches enshrined in the manual to interact with children to educate them about a good and bad touch. Our fight against violence against children has been immensely boosted by using the LTLT manual. Small group meetings, interactive sessions have made the children to open up and also discuss issues that are considered to be a taboo in the society.
How has the conducted trainings impacted the trained facilitators? (400 words)
I have trained nearly 149 young facilitators in my 12 year journey. Some of them like Kaviya, Sudharson are today young professionals and also trainer of trainees. We have a huge base to volunteers who have been primed by LTLT workshops during their student period and continue to contribute as volunteers on a regular basis. Our volunteer base is something that must been seen – to understand. Young people cutting across lines of region, religions, diverse occupations come together to contribute their share; in our work of building a peaceful world.
Their contributions vary from time, ideas to physical work but whatever they contribute arises from shear passion and commitment that has been nurtured through our LTLT workshops and follow-up events. Our facilitators feel a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction. Being engineers, doctors, architects, human resource professionals our facilitators spend time to interact with young minds, make them introspect about good values, play games, laugh out loud and finally debrief the principles of LTLT. We feel younger and more energetic.” Joy is more infectious that leprosy “– Mother Teresa. LTLT gives everyone a chance to relive their youth. Even I fell as a teenager when I am into the workshop. Its not just contribution to the society but the inner evolution taking place in each of our volunteers and facilitators.
A transformation, a seed of change, a drop in the ocean, a brighter and more compassionate human added to the population of humanity. A foot forward. After all “A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step “ Chinese proverb.
Please give some examples to show your resourcefulness and creativity to organize trainings of facilitators. (600 words)
We at Shanti Ashram have adapted the LTLT manual, in ways that it extends maximum benefit to the community where we work. We have made it a point to ‘think globally but act locally” in short “GLO- CAL”. The LTLT manual is designed to engage 12 to 18 year old youth in constructive and creative character building. We used its essence to make it palatable for our kindergarten and primary school children.
We now teach those tiny tots the beauty of living together in the language they understand –GAMES and we have used the techniques given in the manual like – My life tree, ball in the air, field visits, diminishing island, reach the stars in a simplified manner. For the all time great Einstein had once said ‘if you can’t explain to a 6 year old, you don’t understand it yourself”. Our experience has should that children are more receptive and such constructive practices in primary school will go a long way in fostering brotherhood and collective action.
We have used the LTLT manual to train HIV affection sections to fight against the many odds stacked against them. By using role-plays, dramas; it gives them a platform to express their anguish and at the same time a chance to explain to the world that people with HIV also have a life as any other human and they don’t want anybody’s sympathy; for all they need is space and opportunity to live their life in their own terms.
We have used the manual to strengthen families, organise informal meetings with the parents of the children we train. Make them aware of LTLT and engage them in kiosks, my life tree, and other activities. The child within them awakens. So there is now a whole family that intends to do collective action. Well then, thats the beckoning of change for “Family forms the basic unit of a community” .
How have you provided mentorship and guidance to trained facilitators? (400 words)
The trainer facilitator relationship is like the sun and the sea, beautiful and vibrant. One of our volunteers, Mr.Prabu who was our core volunteer suddenly feel of the radar. He used to be an active volunteer and participant in all activities pertaining to LTLT. I was really surprised to find his sudden absence from our regular meetings and LTLT worshops. I travelled to his home to enquire about him .A rude shock awaited me when his family informed me that he had dropped of from school and was now working as a labourer. This set the alarm bells ringing. After multiple sessions of talking, cajoling and convincing I was successful in bring the boy out of daily wage labour. He rejoined school came out with flying colours and todays works at a top university in the city post his master’s in computer science. This is my method of providing mentorship. Be impactful, at the same time we must be ready to go deep into the emotional requirements of our students and strengthen their resolve. Our job is not to teach but to facilitate their progress in becoming self-reliant and resilient.
Another success story is of INDIA POVERTY SOLUTIONS where a bunch of our core volunteers set up a platform inspired by LTLT, to reach out to their brethren who weren’t fortunate as they were. It was one of a kind effort where they distributed HUNDI (mud pots ) and asked people to save for 3 months. The money was divided into 3 halves – their own selves, family and the society. The contribution for the society was collected and was used to prevent childhood anaemia, vaccinate children, provide scholarships. The stakeholders and the volunteers decided upon the beneficiaries. Today this programme is a one of a kind effort running successfully for the past 7 years , involving nearly 50 institutions, 4 cities in India and is a seed of change, a contribution of LTLT by shaping young minds early.
“When i started as a participant with LTLT tool kit during my college time in the year 2009, i was easily able to get into the concepts and core values of LTLT with practical approach was purely through the guidance of Mr.VIjayaragavan. I was able to understand through his skill of connecting in the local language. He connects me to the local challenges and also he guides to find the solution through our LTLT core values and its concepts.
The way he designs the activities during the workshops for the participants will be mind blowing because it connects to the participants in ease by making them to think intellectual. He always guides me to spend good amount of time in pre-workshops which will help me for the better agenda.
I always think LTLT is always for children but for me personally he opened the door to reach the LTLT concepts to even adults which eventually resulted me to train more students in college and even university faculties. He guides me to always plan for the follow up activities in all the sessions and workshops for greater impact and i learnt that i built a stronger communication.”
- Mr.Sudharson Jayakumar, LTLT Facilitator
How has the Learning to Live Together Programme influenced a positive transformation in you, in a personal and professional level? (400 words)
My brush with LTLT started in 2006 at the South Asia Ethics Education Workshop in Coimbatore. It has been, what I call a long eventful journey of excellence for me. I started off as a facilitator, then a trainer, trainer of trainers and now over the last 12 years I have trained almost 149 young men and women who double up as young professions and facilitators. When I started this journey, I had never felt that these words like “Love Respect Empathy and reconciliation” were relevant in the society, at least not to be taught! as routine science topics. I thought that they were routine qualities that were to be learnt by personal experience and were not fit to be given as a learning module.
I always felt that these concepts if taught would be a moral sciences period renamed. But each time we see sectarian violence, the misogynistic temperament prevalent in the society, those millions of refugees stranded in the mid sea or that blood chilling face of Alyan Kurdi who was washed ashore the sands of Caspian sea, the stressful lifestyle and its dreadful complications; well learning is as incomplete as it can be imagined if we don’t infuse introspection based learning and self-driven learning. Of all the sciences practiced, learning to live together stands as a basic science that is of foremost importance because no progress is viable from a society that refuses to work together citing differences in name, gender, colour, race, religion and regions.
We will have a mould of unequal growth and inappropriate distribution of resources and chaos. LTLT is the only solution. This is the only science that makes us introspect, appreciate the joy of living, makes us feel that the journey is as beautiful as the goal, makes us think and propels us to go beyond facts and into dept of understanding and accepting realities. This is a transformation that will set in once we have started to delve deep into LTLT.
Please explain how you exemplify a strong role-model of the principles of Learning to Live Together. (400 words)
I have trained nearly 149 young people over the past 12 years. These young men and women are not just one timers or migratory birds that turn up once a blue moon but are regular volunteers and trainers who are with us contributing along with their professional commitments. This word role model is a huge term. I would never take upon myself this mantle. The primary of transformational leadership is that we must avoid such terms as role model, master, leader per say. It is a collective action, togetherness, where everyone is the leader in his own right. Each man is important. Each action is as relevant as the final outcome. There are no role models. We understand each other, accept shortcomings, strengthen each other’s resole and keep on with the work of building bridges. The cloak of royalty, the position to direct people to perform tasks trivialities the whole foundation of living together. It is built of empathy and not transient sympathy. Its mutual trust and respect that runs the show. This is what I exemplify as a string facilitator of the principles of LTLT.
"I’m thrilled to hear that Mr. Vijayaragavan has applied for the Most Committed Trainer award. In my mind there can be no one who is more worthy of that distinction. Vijay has been doing this work since 2007 and I have had the opportunity to work with him in many different settings for Ethics Workshops in Coimbatore, Chennai as well as Tokyo.
Vijay has a friendly style that puts people at their ease. He lives the content of the LTLT and can put together activities that are thought provoking as well as interesting and interactive. However, I feel his greatest strength lies in his ability to motivate and encourage young people to take up voluntary work. He has mobilized large groups of facilitators and volunteers in countless programmes and activities.
I can vouch for this even on a personal level. My daughter Janani who is now 17 has been volunteering at Shanti Ashram since she was about 10. Vijay was one of the main reasons that that shy, reserved child transformed into a strong, quiet, idealistic adolescent. I’m grateful to him for that. His non-judgmental acceptance and respect of all who he meets make young people flock to him. He has the incredible ability of making “being good” be cool!
In my knowledge Vijay is really one of the most committed trainers I have had the pleasure to work with in my long association with Shanti Ashram and Arigatou International. The number of facilitators he has helped develop alone is testimony for that. My best wishes to him..."
Prabha Karthik.LTLT Trainer
Explain how you act as an ambassador and advocator of the Learning to Live Together Programme in your local context. (600 words)
LTLT is a way of life for me. Many of our programme bear the insignia of LTLT principles. The idea is to inculcate people the importance of harmonious living. I have never seen social work and LTLT as two different entities. Like our eyes are two but vision is one and beautiful. I have always tried to integrate the core philosophies of LTLT into whatever I do. I have used the LTLT manual to train HIV affected and infected families during our routine programmes of strengthening families affected by HIV. I use the core principles of LTLT when I interact with college students during their official NSS (National Social Service - India) Camps in rural and tribal areas.
LTLT becomes the launch pad to train families and integrate various religious heads and members during our regular interfaith council meetings. It won’t be an exaggeration to say that every meeting, programme or social gathering I take part be it official, public or family has taste of LTLT. Even if I were to speak about an another topic - the 12 years of being an LTLT trainer, the thousand and more sessions I would have facilitated, the 149 and counting facilitators I have trained, the countless number of times I would have used in word and deed the message of “ love, respect, empathy and reconciliation” naturally sets in during the course of my interaction. I haven’t exerted myself to emphasis the relevance of LTLT on others nor have I advised or heckled anyone to listen. The beauty is that learning to live together is a necessity and a basic need that today’s man must know. Its not a matter of the cortex but much deeper of the soul. No need to explain and teach. All we need is to show the way, clear the shadow of divisions and make people introspect – this soul searching is the key of living together.
My role in LTLT has been a facilitator, a trainer, trainer of trainer and a perpetual student. I work as the head of youth section in Shanti Ashram, an international NGO that works along the principles of Mahatma Gandiji; situated in the vibrant city of Coimbatore in the most diverse country India. I look after the aspirations of one lakh youth who come under our service wings. Be it one to one talk, field visits, peace festivals involving thousands of young people, or massive events like the super congress – involving thousands across the globe, or international meetings like the GNRC forum, GEN FEST; LTLT is our strength to reach out to people and be the change we wish to see in this world.
Through our work we have a footprint in 17 States of India and collaborations with 7 faith traditions of India (Bahai, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Islamic, Jain &Sikh communities). Through Shanti Ashram’s inspiring pool of 149 facilitators, the impact of the training led to transformation on ground. Out of this, our pride soars to recognize that 24 have completed their advance training and 4 trainers have successfully completed the ‘International Trainers course’ conducted by Arigatou International. Thus our service footprint goes far beyond the region and available to the global efforts of the Arigatou Family.
Thank you so much for this effort and I hope and assure to put myself to nurture the children for better and peaceful world.
I would like to conclude with my experience and my application with Mahatma Gandhi quote" If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children.."
Array
(
[name_of_applicant] => JANE WANJIRU NYAGA
[email] => janenyaga64@gmail.com
[name_of_organization] => KENYA INSTITUTE OF CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT
[country] => KENYA
[city] => NAIROBI
[please_explain_how_you_have_conducted_trainings_on_the_learning_to_live_together_programme_600_words_] =>
1. 4-8 September 2017: Trained Teacher Trainers from Diploma Teacher Training Colleges as TOTs to train teachers in Secondary schools on Peace - Building
2. 4-8 September 2017 at Imperial Botanical Beach Hotel Entebbe, Uganda 2018: Trained as a trainer on “Teacher Training and Development for Peace-Building in the Horn of Africa and Surrounding Countries”
3. 9th to 13th April 2017 was trained in the Second Train the trainers Workshop on Learning to Live Together that was held at Menthon – Saint – Bernard, France.
4. March, 2017 : Organized workshop to develop Source Books on VbE to guide in the training of teachers and other stakeholders in the implementation of VbE in Kenya. Three Source Books were developed which are yet to be finalized. These are:
• VbE Source Book for Primary School Teachers
• VbE Source Book for Secondary School Teachers
• VbE Source Book for Secondary School Managers
5. 26TH JANUARY, 2017: Organized The Consultative for stakeholders in Values Based ( VbE) who included Arigatou International . The meeting intended to support KICD in efforts to adopt a Value Based Education Approach and identify good practices in promoting value Based Education, respect for diversity and inclusiveness, as well as dialogue, mutual understanding, and social cohesion through curricula
6. 6TH TO 10TH FEBURUARY, 2017 In partnership with Arigatou International and the Aga Khan Foundation, I Organized a Technical Workshop To Develop A Framework For Values Based Education. The workshop intends to support KICD in efforts to adopt a Values Based Education Approach. The workshop aims at developing a framework on Value Based Education and programme to be piloted later in the year.
7. 2017: In partnership with Twaweza Communications, a Non Governmental Organization working with youth on Peace and Conflict resolution developed content and training teachers on Amani / Peace Hangout Bridges using the LTLT Framework, Approach and activities for a pilot program aimed forging relationships between high school students in Kenya of different ethnic, racial, social, economic, cultural and religious backgrounds. It utilized ICT as a solution to build bridges across divides and was Implemented through Amani / Peace Clubs.
From 27th – 30th September, 2016 – With support from the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), Arigatou International and ACT! Organized a conference dubbed “Learning to Live Together through History & Government Education
8. From 11 to 13 November 2015, in partnership with KICD and Arigatou International organized the second Basic Training Workshop for 30 Curriculum Developers from KICD on the use of the Learning to Live Together Programme.
9. From 18 to 20 May 2015, in partnership with KICD and Arigatou International organized the first Basic Training Workshop for 36 Curriculum Developers. This was a 3 day non-residential workshop at the KICD with the aim to introduce the approach, methodology and resources of the Learning To Live Together Ethics Education program to contribute towards strengthening the curriculum and related processes.
10. From 22-23 September, 2015 participated as a facilitator in the reflection meeting following the completion of the Learning to Live Together pilot program in Kenya. It was conducted as a two-day workshop to provide space for teachers to reflect together at the end of the pilot program and to follow-up on the final steps of the M&E process.
11. From 01 February - 06 March, 2015 Successfully completed the online course as advanced facilitator of the Learning to Live Together Programme On Cooperative Games: Enhancing Children's Participation and Collaborative Learning
12. From 9th September to 13th September 2014 Participated in the Learning to Live Together (LTLT) facilitators’ training workshop held in Kenya
[how_have_you_used_the_ltlt_ethics_education_framework_400_words_] => I have used the LTLT Framework to influence curriculum reform processes in Kenya. To start with after I was trained as a facilitator, I was able to organize the two trainings of 65 curriculum developers. The curriculum developers in Kenya underwent an experiential learning of the ethics education framework which helped them to reflect and internalize the values, Concepts, Education approach and methodologies of LTLT. This was aimed at enabling them to mainstream the same as they develop curriculum in the different learning areas and in other curriculum reform processes. These are curriculum experts in different learning areas in the curriculum who will mainstream LTLT in their respective subjects. Indeed many of the concepts have been mainstreamed in the curriculum designs for the Early Years Education. This is Pre - Primary 1, Pre - Primary 2, Grades 1, 2 and 3.After the training of the 65 curriculum developers Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development embarked on developing a matrix for Values based Education (VbE) to guide curriculum developers in mainstreaming of Values in the new curriculum in Kenya. Most of the curriculum developers who participated in the development of the Values Matrix were trained in LTLT. The VbE Matrix has borrowed a lot from the LTLT Ethics Education Framework. Indeed, Arigatou International was a key partner in the conceptualization of VbE in Kenya and development of the VbE Framework in Kenya to guide the curriculum reform process. The core Values which KICD has identified in the curriculum reform process include:
1. Love
2. Respect
3. Responsibility
4. Unity
5. Peace
6. Social Justice
7. Patriotism
8. Integrity
These core values go in line with the LTLT Values of Respect, Responsibility, Reconciliation and empathy.
The new curriculum in Kenya has also adopted trans formative pedagogy in the implementation process. This is in line with the LTLT Approach and pedagogy. KICD has adopted Inquiry based learning where curriculum implementers provide Key inquiry questions for every strand/ topic to guide teachers to develop key inquiry questions in the lesson development and instruction. This process follows the LTLT Learning Process.
Furthermore in partnership with Twaweza Communications, I developed the Amani/ Peace Google Hangout Bridges in line with the LTLT Concepts, Approach and Learning Process. The programme demonstrated the power of technology in bridging divides between people, communities and cultures.
LTLT Framework has been used to implement and sustain ethics education in Kenya is through mainstreaming in the curriculum.The overall wellbeing of a child is critical for the survival of any society. The nurturing of values will facilitate the achievement of the curriculum reforms' vision, particularly with respect to molding ethical citizens. Curriculum is used as a channel through which Ethics education can be enhanced for sustainable peace in the world. The reformed curriculum in Kenya adopts a multi-dimensional approach in addressing Ethics education. In order to prepare the future generations to be creative and responsible global citizens and to foster Ethics education, teaching and learning activities in formal and non–formal education settings must be facilitated. The vision of the Basic Education Curriculum Reforms Framework (BECRF) is to enable every Kenyan to become an engaged, empowered and ethical citizen. Its Mission is to nurture every learner’s potential.
The first pillar of the BECF is Values. KICD is adopting a Value based Approach to Education in the reformed curriculum. In view of this 65 curriculum developers across all learning areas have undertaken the Basic LTLT Training which was conducted in two phases in 2016. The training of curriculum developers was aimed at enabling them to mainstream ethics education in the reformed curriculum in Kenya.
Overall Goal of VbE in Kenya
“To nurture core values in learners to become empowered, engaged and ethical citizens for positive and holistic transformation of society”. VbE will be implemented through Whole-School Approach which will involve learners, teachers, support staff, Board of Management, family members, wider school community and relevant stakeholders;
In view of this, KICD in collaboration with other stakeholders has identified eight (8) Core values:
1. Love
2. Respect
3. Responsibility
4. Patriotism
5. Unity
6. Peace
7. Social Justice
8. Integrity
These core values and related ones will be mainstreamed in all learning areas at all levels of basic education in Kenya. A mainstreaming matrix on values has already been developed to guide curriculum developers in mainstreaming values in the Formal, Non Formal and Informal dimensions of the curriculum. In this regard, the curriculum adopts a “Whole and Holistic Schools Approach in mainstreaming values. (See attached mainstreaming Matrix). KICD in collaboration with MOE and other partners has developed three Draft VbE Source Books:
• Primary School Teachers VbE Source Book
• Secondary school teachers VbE Source Book
• School Managers VbE Source
[explain_how_the_conducted_trainings_have_been_sensitive_to_the_local_context_400_words_] => The implementation of LTLT in at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) in Kenya has been sensitive to the local context. The trainings of curriculum developers who guide curriculum development processes on LTLT was aimed at to facilitating ownership at by Support staff, curriculum developers and management who were all included in the training. The choice of participants for the training in the institute took into consideration inclusion of all departments at the institute. Participants were also drawn from all learning areas in the curriculum and representation from the different levels which included those in Early Childhood Education, Primary, Teacher Education and Post School Education.
The institute has a representation of all the three major faiths / religions in the country which include Islam, Hinduism and Christianity. These were represented in the trainings. Gender, Ethnic and racial, considerations were also made in enlisting participants for the two training workshops.
All training sessions provided for an opportunity for context analysis (reality check). This helped the participants to analyze their situation in relation to the challenges related to peace, the causes and their proposed interventions. This also helped the facilitators to understand the world of the participants and the issues they were grappling with in relation to peace and mutual understanding such as conflicts at school level amongst learners, teachers and parents due to ethnic background, religious diversity and gender. Curriculum developers indicated that teachers face challenges resolving issues among learners. The LTLT endeavoured to address these issues
The trainings utilized local resources within the learning process such as songs, skits. Participants had opportunity for interfaith and intercultural exchanges based on the local context.
Curriculum developers developed a contextualized VbE Framework and three Handbooks /Source books to guide implementation in Kenya. This three values-based Education Source / handbooks for Primary school, secondary school and school leaders / management serves as a blue print for the whole school leadership personnel. They give an insight on Values-based Education engagement and embedment both personally and collectively. They provide a starting point for conversations and actions their understanding and practices in providing education for holistic development of students in a more systematic and focused way. The handbooks target, the entire school leadership namely the teachers , school Board of Management, the school Principals and Head teachers, heads of departments and panels, teachers, auxiliary staff, student leaders and students. It should be remembered that everyone is a leader of self-first and foremost and has potential to influence, inspire and motivate the implementation of values within and beyond school. The various stakeholders have been addressed with a whole school lenses. The understanding is to have a non-formal/informal approach to embedding values in the school. The resources are aimed at supporting and strengthening the content based formal approach that teachers adapt in classroom at the primary and secondary school levels.
[how_has_the_conducted_trainings_impacted_the_trained_facilitators_400_words_] => The curriculum developers in Kenya underwent an experiential learning of the ethics education framework which helped them to reflect and internalize the values, Concepts, Education approach and methodologies of LTLT. This was aimed at enabling them to mainstream the same as they develop curriculum in the different learning areas and in other curriculum reform processes. Values are part and parcel of what teachers are expected to teach and be assessed on. The trans formative learning pedagogies have replaced the teacher centered methods and even curriculum developers as they train teachers they have to model trans formative pedagogies.
During the capacity building workshops for teachers, one of the sessions is on mainstreaming of values and pertinent and contemporary issues.
[please_give_some_examples_to_show_your_resourcefulness_and_creativity_to_organize_trainings_of_facilitators_600_words_] => Curriculum should take advantage of the fact that learners spend most of their formative years in school, which presents opportunities for the curriculum to mould and reinforce values upon which the learner’s character is formed. The emerging trend in terms of curriculum is to adopt a value-based approach to education that will create learning opportunities within the formal, non-formal and informal curriculum dimensions to inculcate the desired values in all learners. Indeed, the envisaged curriculum reform in Kenya recognizes values are as important to the socio-economic development and stability of the country, in the same way that competencies in academics are important. Indeed, values form one of the four pillars in the envisaged curriculum. This is in line with the LTLT Ethics Education Approach.As stipulated in the UNESCO Constitution” Since wars (conflicts) begins in the minds of men (and women) it is in the minds of men (and women) that the defences of peace must be constructed”.
So Education and curriculum in particular is the most sustainable way to implement LTLT.
Africa has diverse cultures, multiple ethnic groups, different religions and languages. It is therefore imperative that its 1.2 billion people appreciate and live the fullness of this diversity. The Africa Agenda 2063 envisions “An integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena’ under the slogan – The Africa we want.” One of the seven aspirations for the ‘Africa we want’ is to have a peaceful and secure continent, with harmony among communities starting from grassroots level. Effective management of this diversity will lead to peaceful coexistence amongst communities and social-economic transformation. In order to achieve this, a culture of peace and tolerance must be nurtured among Africans including children and youth. LTLT is the panacea to instill and inculcate respect for other people, their history, traditions and values, as well as promoting a culture of peace and understanding. It is envisaged that by 2063, Africa will have entrenched and nourished a culture of human rights, democracy, gender equality, inclusion, peace, prosperity, security and safety for all citizens.
In view of this, after I was trained as a facilitator in LTLT, with the support of Arigatou International, I organized training of 65 curriculum developers to help in the conceptualization of Values based Education (VbE) and implementation. I organized a VbE stakeholder’s consultative meeting to conceptualize VbE in the curriculum reform. This was followed by a technical workshop to develop a Frame work and guidelines for VbE. This culminated in development of three handbooks to guide in the implementation of VbE in Kenya.
• I also organized a conference dubbed “Learning to Live Together in Kenya through History Education”. When Twaweza approached KICD to provide a resource person to work with them to develop a program on “Goggle Hangout Bridges for peace” I was tasked to work with them and we developed a pilot program aimed at forging relationships between high school students in Kenya of different ethnic, racial, social, economic, cultural and religious backgrounds using ICT as a solution to build bridges across divides. The program was implemented as a non – formal program through Amani / Peace Clubs. The program demonstrated the power of technology in bridging divides between people, communities and cultures by setting up virtual and human networks that share and apply the values of peace, co-existence and cohesion among socially and culturally diverse communities. Students engage in online and offline activities on alternate weeks using goggle tools. During the Hangouts they share their ideas, learning experiences and undertake co-creation projects with other participating schools.
[how_have_you_provided_mentorship_and_guidance_to_trained_facilitators_400_words_] => Achieving national cohesion in Kenya still remains a big challenge despite concerted efforts by the Government of Kenya to promote reconciliation and national cohesion through institutions such as the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) and the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC).
The education sector has a great potential of promoting national cohesion and integration amongst communities in Kenya. The History and Government curriculum can play a significant role in enhancing peaceful co –existence among communities in the country. The conference brought key stakeholders in the education sector including representatives from the Ministry of Education, Government Agencies, School Heads Associations, Teachers, Public and Private Universities, Publishers and Civil Society. History & Government Education can be used to promote “Learning to Live Together”. The History & Government curriculum and textbooks can play a significant role in enhancing national and regional dynamics of conflict and peace in the country.
The conference fitted under the Global Citizenship Education (GCE) agenda of the Global Education First Initiative (GEFI) launched by the UN Secretary General in 2012. In line with the GCE agenda, the ultimate goal of the conference was “to forge more just, peaceful, tolerant and inclusive societies” by encouraging understanding, skills and values that will allow the younger generations to effectively respond to the interconnected challenges of the 21st century. This is also in line with the SDG 4.7 which states thus: ‘Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels’.
The conference was to mentor my colleagues in other subject areas to think of practical ways in which the different subjects in the curriculum can be used to promote Learning to Live Together. Some of the textbooks in the different subjects promote prejudices and stereotypes. The conference was also aimed at sensitizing to participants to address such issues in the curriculum support materials and ensure they are inclusive and embrace diversity.
The program I spearheaded on Goggle Hangout bridges on peace also demonstrated that any subject can be used to promote living together.
[how_has_the_learning_to_live_together_programme_influenced_a_positive_transformation_in_you_in_a_personal_and_professional_level_400_words_] => The Learning to Live Together Programme has influenced a positive transformation in me in a personal and also professional way. It has made me aware of my biases and prejudices and I have become very cautious when dealing with other people. I have become more appreciative of people despite their cultural, religious, racial or traditional backgrounds. I have become more careful of the “other” in me and accommodative in my daily interactions and professional work. I have learnt to appreciate and respect diversity.
I am more conscious of prejudices and stereotypes in people. The programme has made me more aware of the need to create a safe environment. I have developed skills of facilitating higher level child participation. This has challenging me to move from the comfort of being the centre of activities to allowing participants to take a centre stage.
The program has empowered me and I feel more ready to challenge injustices in society and to appreciate the contribution of everyone as we are all interconnected.
Even I have been empowered to see the need to create horizontal relations with children and others at home, at work and in social interactions. The need to affirm all asIinteract with them.
[please_explain_how_you_exemplify_a_strong_role_model_of_the_principles_of_learning_to_live_together_400_words_] => I exemplify a strong role model of the principles of LTLT by being conscious of my biases and prejudices as I interact with others. I challenge these and appreciate and respect diversity. I like to listen more and talk less to allow me understand peoples perspectives.
I like to allow people and even children at home to make decisions on issues that affect them and not dictate on them.
I appreciate the rich diverse cultures in Kenya and I am always eager to learn from others. I am keen to understand cultural practices form other communities. I am appreciative of other religions.
I am always looking out to give the best I can in the spirit of "UBUNTU" / being Humane. I respect human dignity.
[explain_how_you_act_as_an_ambassador_and_advocator_of_the_learning_to_live_together_programme_in_your_local_context_600_words_] => I am an advocate and ambassador of LTLT as I exemplify the principles of LTLT and the values of empathy, Responsibility , Reconciliation and Respect. As develop curriculum I am conscious of the concepts, values , learning process and approach of LTLT. When conducting workshops I always want to create a safe learning environment and allow for participation of participants. In creating a safe environment I always want to use the Horse Shoe or U- shaped sitting arrangement and ensure that I carry out o context analysis of my participants to know where they are coming from and to understand them and their needs. I am careful of the language that I use.
I engage participants in discussions, refection , group work to promote collaboration.
I ensure the personal introductions are elaborate to break any barriers. I allow for plenary discussions to allow participants express themselves.
I also solicit for feed back on sessions covered to capture areas of weakness and improve.
I vary my training methods to cater for all the participants. I promote the following approaches:
• Discussion-based learning
• Problem solving-based learning
• Collaboration-based learning
• Introspection-based learning
• Experience-based learning
This so as to enable people / children develop capacity to think critically, spirituality, inter-cultural and inter-faith learning, relationships, empathizing with the ‘other’, opening up to multiple narratives as an constructivist approach towards addressing radicalization and violent extremism.
[video_link] => https://ethicseducationforchildren.org/images/Jane_Nyaga_Trainer.mp4
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Name: JANE WANJIRU NYAGA
Organization: KENYA INSTITUTE OF...
Location: KENYA
Please explain how you have conducted trainings on the Learning to Live Together Programme. (600 words)
1. 4-8 September 2017: Trained Teacher Trainers from Diploma Teacher Training Colleges as TOTs to train teachers in Secondary schools on Peace - Building
2. 4-8 September 2017 at Imperial Botanical Beach Hotel Entebbe, Uganda 2018: Trained as a trainer on “Teacher Training and Development for Peace-Building in the Horn of Africa and Surrounding Countries”
3. 9th to 13th April 2017 was trained in the Second Train the trainers Workshop on Learning to Live Together that was held at Menthon – Saint – Bernard, France.
4. March, 2017 : Organized workshop to develop Source Books on VbE to guide in the training of teachers and other stakeholders in the implementation of VbE in Kenya. Three Source Books were developed which are yet to be finalized. These are:
• VbE Source Book for Primary School Teachers
• VbE Source Book for Secondary School Teachers
• VbE Source Book for Secondary School Managers
5. 26TH JANUARY, 2017: Organized The Consultative for stakeholders in Values Based ( VbE) who included Arigatou International . The meeting intended to support KICD in efforts to adopt a Value Based Education Approach and identify good practices in promoting value Based Education, respect for diversity and inclusiveness, as well as dialogue, mutual understanding, and social cohesion through curricula
6. 6TH TO 10TH FEBURUARY, 2017 In partnership with Arigatou International and the Aga Khan Foundation, I Organized a Technical Workshop To Develop A Framework For Values Based Education. The workshop intends to support KICD in efforts to adopt a Values Based Education Approach. The workshop aims at developing a framework on Value Based Education and programme to be piloted later in the year.
7. 2017: In partnership with Twaweza Communications, a Non Governmental Organization working with youth on Peace and Conflict resolution developed content and training teachers on Amani / Peace Hangout Bridges using the LTLT Framework, Approach and activities for a pilot program aimed forging relationships between high school students in Kenya of different ethnic, racial, social, economic, cultural and religious backgrounds. It utilized ICT as a solution to build bridges across divides and was Implemented through Amani / Peace Clubs.
From 27th – 30th September, 2016 – With support from the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), Arigatou International and ACT! Organized a conference dubbed “Learning to Live Together through History & Government Education
8. From 11 to 13 November 2015, in partnership with KICD and Arigatou International organized the second Basic Training Workshop for 30 Curriculum Developers from KICD on the use of the Learning to Live Together Programme.
9. From 18 to 20 May 2015, in partnership with KICD and Arigatou International organized the first Basic Training Workshop for 36 Curriculum Developers. This was a 3 day non-residential workshop at the KICD with the aim to introduce the approach, methodology and resources of the Learning To Live Together Ethics Education program to contribute towards strengthening the curriculum and related processes.
10. From 22-23 September, 2015 participated as a facilitator in the reflection meeting following the completion of the Learning to Live Together pilot program in Kenya. It was conducted as a two-day workshop to provide space for teachers to reflect together at the end of the pilot program and to follow-up on the final steps of the M&E process.
11. From 01 February - 06 March, 2015 Successfully completed the online course as advanced facilitator of the Learning to Live Together Programme On Cooperative Games: Enhancing Children's Participation and Collaborative Learning
12. From 9th September to 13th September 2014 Participated in the Learning to Live Together (LTLT) facilitators’ training workshop held in Kenya
How have you used the LTLT Ethics Education Framework? (400 words)
I have used the LTLT Framework to influence curriculum reform processes in Kenya. To start with after I was trained as a facilitator, I was able to organize the two trainings of 65 curriculum developers. The curriculum developers in Kenya underwent an experiential learning of the ethics education framework which helped them to reflect and internalize the values, Concepts, Education approach and methodologies of LTLT. This was aimed at enabling them to mainstream the same as they develop curriculum in the different learning areas and in other curriculum reform processes. These are curriculum experts in different learning areas in the curriculum who will mainstream LTLT in their respective subjects. Indeed many of the concepts have been mainstreamed in the curriculum designs for the Early Years Education. This is Pre - Primary 1, Pre - Primary 2, Grades 1, 2 and 3.After the training of the 65 curriculum developers Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development embarked on developing a matrix for Values based Education (VbE) to guide curriculum developers in mainstreaming of Values in the new curriculum in Kenya. Most of the curriculum developers who participated in the development of the Values Matrix were trained in LTLT. The VbE Matrix has borrowed a lot from the LTLT Ethics Education Framework. Indeed, Arigatou International was a key partner in the conceptualization of VbE in Kenya and development of the VbE Framework in Kenya to guide the curriculum reform process. The core Values which KICD has identified in the curriculum reform process include:
1. Love
2. Respect
3. Responsibility
4. Unity
5. Peace
6. Social Justice
7. Patriotism
8. Integrity
These core values go in line with the LTLT Values of Respect, Responsibility, Reconciliation and empathy.
The new curriculum in Kenya has also adopted trans formative pedagogy in the implementation process. This is in line with the LTLT Approach and pedagogy. KICD has adopted Inquiry based learning where curriculum implementers provide Key inquiry questions for every strand/ topic to guide teachers to develop key inquiry questions in the lesson development and instruction. This process follows the LTLT Learning Process.
Furthermore in partnership with Twaweza Communications, I developed the Amani/ Peace Google Hangout Bridges in line with the LTLT Concepts, Approach and Learning Process. The programme demonstrated the power of technology in bridging divides between people, communities and cultures.
LTLT Framework has been used to implement and sustain ethics education in Kenya is through mainstreaming in the curriculum.The overall wellbeing of a child is critical for the survival of any society. The nurturing of values will facilitate the achievement of the curriculum reforms' vision, particularly with respect to molding ethical citizens. Curriculum is used as a channel through which Ethics education can be enhanced for sustainable peace in the world. The reformed curriculum in Kenya adopts a multi-dimensional approach in addressing Ethics education. In order to prepare the future generations to be creative and responsible global citizens and to foster Ethics education, teaching and learning activities in formal and non–formal education settings must be facilitated. The vision of the Basic Education Curriculum Reforms Framework (BECRF) is to enable every Kenyan to become an engaged, empowered and ethical citizen. Its Mission is to nurture every learner’s potential.
The first pillar of the BECF is Values. KICD is adopting a Value based Approach to Education in the reformed curriculum. In view of this 65 curriculum developers across all learning areas have undertaken the Basic LTLT Training which was conducted in two phases in 2016. The training of curriculum developers was aimed at enabling them to mainstream ethics education in the reformed curriculum in Kenya.
Overall Goal of VbE in Kenya
“To nurture core values in learners to become empowered, engaged and ethical citizens for positive and holistic transformation of society”. VbE will be implemented through Whole-School Approach which will involve learners, teachers, support staff, Board of Management, family members, wider school community and relevant stakeholders;
In view of this, KICD in collaboration with other stakeholders has identified eight (8) Core values:
1. Love
2. Respect
3. Responsibility
4. Patriotism
5. Unity
6. Peace
7. Social Justice
8. Integrity
These core values and related ones will be mainstreamed in all learning areas at all levels of basic education in Kenya. A mainstreaming matrix on values has already been developed to guide curriculum developers in mainstreaming values in the Formal, Non Formal and Informal dimensions of the curriculum. In this regard, the curriculum adopts a “Whole and Holistic Schools Approach in mainstreaming values. (See attached mainstreaming Matrix). KICD in collaboration with MOE and other partners has developed three Draft VbE Source Books:
• Primary School Teachers VbE Source Book
• Secondary school teachers VbE Source Book
• School Managers VbE Source
Explain how the conducted trainings have been sensitive to the local context. (400 words)
The implementation of LTLT in at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) in Kenya has been sensitive to the local context. The trainings of curriculum developers who guide curriculum development processes on LTLT was aimed at to facilitating ownership at by Support staff, curriculum developers and management who were all included in the training. The choice of participants for the training in the institute took into consideration inclusion of all departments at the institute. Participants were also drawn from all learning areas in the curriculum and representation from the different levels which included those in Early Childhood Education, Primary, Teacher Education and Post School Education.
The institute has a representation of all the three major faiths / religions in the country which include Islam, Hinduism and Christianity. These were represented in the trainings. Gender, Ethnic and racial, considerations were also made in enlisting participants for the two training workshops.
All training sessions provided for an opportunity for context analysis (reality check). This helped the participants to analyze their situation in relation to the challenges related to peace, the causes and their proposed interventions. This also helped the facilitators to understand the world of the participants and the issues they were grappling with in relation to peace and mutual understanding such as conflicts at school level amongst learners, teachers and parents due to ethnic background, religious diversity and gender. Curriculum developers indicated that teachers face challenges resolving issues among learners. The LTLT endeavoured to address these issues
The trainings utilized local resources within the learning process such as songs, skits. Participants had opportunity for interfaith and intercultural exchanges based on the local context.
Curriculum developers developed a contextualized VbE Framework and three Handbooks /Source books to guide implementation in Kenya. This three values-based Education Source / handbooks for Primary school, secondary school and school leaders / management serves as a blue print for the whole school leadership personnel. They give an insight on Values-based Education engagement and embedment both personally and collectively. They provide a starting point for conversations and actions their understanding and practices in providing education for holistic development of students in a more systematic and focused way. The handbooks target, the entire school leadership namely the teachers , school Board of Management, the school Principals and Head teachers, heads of departments and panels, teachers, auxiliary staff, student leaders and students. It should be remembered that everyone is a leader of self-first and foremost and has potential to influence, inspire and motivate the implementation of values within and beyond school. The various stakeholders have been addressed with a whole school lenses. The understanding is to have a non-formal/informal approach to embedding values in the school. The resources are aimed at supporting and strengthening the content based formal approach that teachers adapt in classroom at the primary and secondary school levels.
How has the conducted trainings impacted the trained facilitators? (400 words)
The curriculum developers in Kenya underwent an experiential learning of the ethics education framework which helped them to reflect and internalize the values, Concepts, Education approach and methodologies of LTLT. This was aimed at enabling them to mainstream the same as they develop curriculum in the different learning areas and in other curriculum reform processes. Values are part and parcel of what teachers are expected to teach and be assessed on. The trans formative learning pedagogies have replaced the teacher centered methods and even curriculum developers as they train teachers they have to model trans formative pedagogies.
During the capacity building workshops for teachers, one of the sessions is on mainstreaming of values and pertinent and contemporary issues.
Please give some examples to show your resourcefulness and creativity to organize trainings of facilitators. (600 words)
Curriculum should take advantage of the fact that learners spend most of their formative years in school, which presents opportunities for the curriculum to mould and reinforce values upon which the learner’s character is formed. The emerging trend in terms of curriculum is to adopt a value-based approach to education that will create learning opportunities within the formal, non-formal and informal curriculum dimensions to inculcate the desired values in all learners. Indeed, the envisaged curriculum reform in Kenya recognizes values are as important to the socio-economic development and stability of the country, in the same way that competencies in academics are important. Indeed, values form one of the four pillars in the envisaged curriculum. This is in line with the LTLT Ethics Education Approach.As stipulated in the UNESCO Constitution” Since wars (conflicts) begins in the minds of men (and women) it is in the minds of men (and women) that the defences of peace must be constructed”.
So Education and curriculum in particular is the most sustainable way to implement LTLT.
Africa has diverse cultures, multiple ethnic groups, different religions and languages. It is therefore imperative that its 1.2 billion people appreciate and live the fullness of this diversity. The Africa Agenda 2063 envisions “An integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena’ under the slogan – The Africa we want.” One of the seven aspirations for the ‘Africa we want’ is to have a peaceful and secure continent, with harmony among communities starting from grassroots level. Effective management of this diversity will lead to peaceful coexistence amongst communities and social-economic transformation. In order to achieve this, a culture of peace and tolerance must be nurtured among Africans including children and youth. LTLT is the panacea to instill and inculcate respect for other people, their history, traditions and values, as well as promoting a culture of peace and understanding. It is envisaged that by 2063, Africa will have entrenched and nourished a culture of human rights, democracy, gender equality, inclusion, peace, prosperity, security and safety for all citizens.
In view of this, after I was trained as a facilitator in LTLT, with the support of Arigatou International, I organized training of 65 curriculum developers to help in the conceptualization of Values based Education (VbE) and implementation. I organized a VbE stakeholder’s consultative meeting to conceptualize VbE in the curriculum reform. This was followed by a technical workshop to develop a Frame work and guidelines for VbE. This culminated in development of three handbooks to guide in the implementation of VbE in Kenya.
• I also organized a conference dubbed “Learning to Live Together in Kenya through History Education”. When Twaweza approached KICD to provide a resource person to work with them to develop a program on “Goggle Hangout Bridges for peace” I was tasked to work with them and we developed a pilot program aimed at forging relationships between high school students in Kenya of different ethnic, racial, social, economic, cultural and religious backgrounds using ICT as a solution to build bridges across divides. The program was implemented as a non – formal program through Amani / Peace Clubs. The program demonstrated the power of technology in bridging divides between people, communities and cultures by setting up virtual and human networks that share and apply the values of peace, co-existence and cohesion among socially and culturally diverse communities. Students engage in online and offline activities on alternate weeks using goggle tools. During the Hangouts they share their ideas, learning experiences and undertake co-creation projects with other participating schools.
How have you provided mentorship and guidance to trained facilitators? (400 words)
Achieving national cohesion in Kenya still remains a big challenge despite concerted efforts by the Government of Kenya to promote reconciliation and national cohesion through institutions such as the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) and the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC).
The education sector has a great potential of promoting national cohesion and integration amongst communities in Kenya. The History and Government curriculum can play a significant role in enhancing peaceful co –existence among communities in the country. The conference brought key stakeholders in the education sector including representatives from the Ministry of Education, Government Agencies, School Heads Associations, Teachers, Public and Private Universities, Publishers and Civil Society. History & Government Education can be used to promote “Learning to Live Together”. The History & Government curriculum and textbooks can play a significant role in enhancing national and regional dynamics of conflict and peace in the country.
The conference fitted under the Global Citizenship Education (GCE) agenda of the Global Education First Initiative (GEFI) launched by the UN Secretary General in 2012. In line with the GCE agenda, the ultimate goal of the conference was “to forge more just, peaceful, tolerant and inclusive societies” by encouraging understanding, skills and values that will allow the younger generations to effectively respond to the interconnected challenges of the 21st century. This is also in line with the SDG 4.7 which states thus: ‘Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels’.
The conference was to mentor my colleagues in other subject areas to think of practical ways in which the different subjects in the curriculum can be used to promote Learning to Live Together. Some of the textbooks in the different subjects promote prejudices and stereotypes. The conference was also aimed at sensitizing to participants to address such issues in the curriculum support materials and ensure they are inclusive and embrace diversity.
The program I spearheaded on Goggle Hangout bridges on peace also demonstrated that any subject can be used to promote living together.
How has the Learning to Live Together Programme influenced a positive transformation in you, in a personal and professional level? (400 words)
The Learning to Live Together Programme has influenced a positive transformation in me in a personal and also professional way. It has made me aware of my biases and prejudices and I have become very cautious when dealing with other people. I have become more appreciative of people despite their cultural, religious, racial or traditional backgrounds. I have become more careful of the “other” in me and accommodative in my daily interactions and professional work. I have learnt to appreciate and respect diversity.
I am more conscious of prejudices and stereotypes in people. The programme has made me more aware of the need to create a safe environment. I have developed skills of facilitating higher level child participation. This has challenging me to move from the comfort of being the centre of activities to allowing participants to take a centre stage.
The program has empowered me and I feel more ready to challenge injustices in society and to appreciate the contribution of everyone as we are all interconnected.
Even I have been empowered to see the need to create horizontal relations with children and others at home, at work and in social interactions. The need to affirm all asIinteract with them.
Please explain how you exemplify a strong role-model of the principles of Learning to Live Together. (400 words)
I exemplify a strong role model of the principles of LTLT by being conscious of my biases and prejudices as I interact with others. I challenge these and appreciate and respect diversity. I like to listen more and talk less to allow me understand peoples perspectives.
I like to allow people and even children at home to make decisions on issues that affect them and not dictate on them.
I appreciate the rich diverse cultures in Kenya and I am always eager to learn from others. I am keen to understand cultural practices form other communities. I am appreciative of other religions.
I am always looking out to give the best I can in the spirit of "UBUNTU" / being Humane. I respect human dignity.
Explain how you act as an ambassador and advocator of the Learning to Live Together Programme in your local context. (600 words)
I am an advocate and ambassador of LTLT as I exemplify the principles of LTLT and the values of empathy, Responsibility , Reconciliation and Respect. As develop curriculum I am conscious of the concepts, values , learning process and approach of LTLT. When conducting workshops I always want to create a safe learning environment and allow for participation of participants. In creating a safe environment I always want to use the Horse Shoe or U- shaped sitting arrangement and ensure that I carry out o context analysis of my participants to know where they are coming from and to understand them and their needs. I am careful of the language that I use.
I engage participants in discussions, refection , group work to promote collaboration.
I ensure the personal introductions are elaborate to break any barriers. I allow for plenary discussions to allow participants express themselves.
I also solicit for feed back on sessions covered to capture areas of weakness and improve.
I vary my training methods to cater for all the participants. I promote the following approaches:
• Discussion-based learning
• Problem solving-based learning
• Collaboration-based learning
• Introspection-based learning
• Experience-based learning
This so as to enable people / children develop capacity to think critically, spirituality, inter-cultural and inter-faith learning, relationships, empathizing with the ‘other’, opening up to multiple narratives as an constructivist approach towards addressing radicalization and violent extremism.
Organization: KENYA INSTITUTE OF CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT
Location: NAIROBI, KENYA
Please explain how you have conducted trainings on the Learning to Live Together Programme. (600 words)
1. 4-8 September 2017: Trained Teacher Trainers from Diploma Teacher Training Colleges as TOTs to train teachers in Secondary schools on Peace - Building
2. 4-8 September 2017 at Imperial Botanical Beach Hotel Entebbe, Uganda 2018: Trained as a trainer on “Teacher Training and Development for Peace-Building in the Horn of Africa and Surrounding Countries”
3. 9th to 13th April 2017 was trained in the Second Train the trainers Workshop on Learning to Live Together that was held at Menthon – Saint – Bernard, France.
4. March, 2017 : Organized workshop to develop Source Books on VbE to guide in the training of teachers and other stakeholders in the implementation of VbE in Kenya. Three Source Books were developed which are yet to be finalized. These are:
• VbE Source Book for Primary School Teachers
• VbE Source Book for Secondary School Teachers
• VbE Source Book for Secondary School Managers
5. 26TH JANUARY, 2017: Organized The Consultative for stakeholders in Values Based ( VbE) who included Arigatou International . The meeting intended to support KICD in efforts to adopt a Value Based Education Approach and identify good practices in promoting value Based Education, respect for diversity and inclusiveness, as well as dialogue, mutual understanding, and social cohesion through curricula
6. 6TH TO 10TH FEBURUARY, 2017 In partnership with Arigatou International and the Aga Khan Foundation, I Organized a Technical Workshop To Develop A Framework For Values Based Education. The workshop intends to support KICD in efforts to adopt a Values Based Education Approach. The workshop aims at developing a framework on Value Based Education and programme to be piloted later in the year.
7. 2017: In partnership with Twaweza Communications, a Non Governmental Organization working with youth on Peace and Conflict resolution developed content and training teachers on Amani / Peace Hangout Bridges using the LTLT Framework, Approach and activities for a pilot program aimed forging relationships between high school students in Kenya of different ethnic, racial, social, economic, cultural and religious backgrounds. It utilized ICT as a solution to build bridges across divides and was Implemented through Amani / Peace Clubs.
From 27th – 30th September, 2016 – With support from the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), Arigatou International and ACT! Organized a conference dubbed “Learning to Live Together through History & Government Education
8. From 11 to 13 November 2015, in partnership with KICD and Arigatou International organized the second Basic Training Workshop for 30 Curriculum Developers from KICD on the use of the Learning to Live Together Programme.
9. From 18 to 20 May 2015, in partnership with KICD and Arigatou International organized the first Basic Training Workshop for 36 Curriculum Developers. This was a 3 day non-residential workshop at the KICD with the aim to introduce the approach, methodology and resources of the Learning To Live Together Ethics Education program to contribute towards strengthening the curriculum and related processes.
10. From 22-23 September, 2015 participated as a facilitator in the reflection meeting following the completion of the Learning to Live Together pilot program in Kenya. It was conducted as a two-day workshop to provide space for teachers to reflect together at the end of the pilot program and to follow-up on the final steps of the M&E process.
11. From 01 February - 06 March, 2015 Successfully completed the online course as advanced facilitator of the Learning to Live Together Programme On Cooperative Games: Enhancing Children's Participation and Collaborative Learning
12. From 9th September to 13th September 2014 Participated in the Learning to Live Together (LTLT) facilitators’ training workshop held in Kenya
How have you used the LTLT Ethics Education Framework? (400 words)
I have used the LTLT Framework to influence curriculum reform processes in Kenya. To start with after I was trained as a facilitator, I was able to organize the two trainings of 65 curriculum developers. The curriculum developers in Kenya underwent an experiential learning of the ethics education framework which helped them to reflect and internalize the values, Concepts, Education approach and methodologies of LTLT. This was aimed at enabling them to mainstream the same as they develop curriculum in the different learning areas and in other curriculum reform processes. These are curriculum experts in different learning areas in the curriculum who will mainstream LTLT in their respective subjects. Indeed many of the concepts have been mainstreamed in the curriculum designs for the Early Years Education. This is Pre - Primary 1, Pre - Primary 2, Grades 1, 2 and 3.After the training of the 65 curriculum developers Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development embarked on developing a matrix for Values based Education (VbE) to guide curriculum developers in mainstreaming of Values in the new curriculum in Kenya. Most of the curriculum developers who participated in the development of the Values Matrix were trained in LTLT. The VbE Matrix has borrowed a lot from the LTLT Ethics Education Framework. Indeed, Arigatou International was a key partner in the conceptualization of VbE in Kenya and development of the VbE Framework in Kenya to guide the curriculum reform process. The core Values which KICD has identified in the curriculum reform process include:
1. Love
2. Respect
3. Responsibility
4. Unity
5. Peace
6. Social Justice
7. Patriotism
8. Integrity
These core values go in line with the LTLT Values of Respect, Responsibility, Reconciliation and empathy.
The new curriculum in Kenya has also adopted trans formative pedagogy in the implementation process. This is in line with the LTLT Approach and pedagogy. KICD has adopted Inquiry based learning where curriculum implementers provide Key inquiry questions for every strand/ topic to guide teachers to develop key inquiry questions in the lesson development and instruction. This process follows the LTLT Learning Process.
Furthermore in partnership with Twaweza Communications, I developed the Amani/ Peace Google Hangout Bridges in line with the LTLT Concepts, Approach and Learning Process. The programme demonstrated the power of technology in bridging divides between people, communities and cultures.
LTLT Framework has been used to implement and sustain ethics education in Kenya is through mainstreaming in the curriculum.The overall wellbeing of a child is critical for the survival of any society. The nurturing of values will facilitate the achievement of the curriculum reforms' vision, particularly with respect to molding ethical citizens. Curriculum is used as a channel through which Ethics education can be enhanced for sustainable peace in the world. The reformed curriculum in Kenya adopts a multi-dimensional approach in addressing Ethics education. In order to prepare the future generations to be creative and responsible global citizens and to foster Ethics education, teaching and learning activities in formal and non–formal education settings must be facilitated. The vision of the Basic Education Curriculum Reforms Framework (BECRF) is to enable every Kenyan to become an engaged, empowered and ethical citizen. Its Mission is to nurture every learner’s potential.
The first pillar of the BECF is Values. KICD is adopting a Value based Approach to Education in the reformed curriculum. In view of this 65 curriculum developers across all learning areas have undertaken the Basic LTLT Training which was conducted in two phases in 2016. The training of curriculum developers was aimed at enabling them to mainstream ethics education in the reformed curriculum in Kenya.
Overall Goal of VbE in Kenya
“To nurture core values in learners to become empowered, engaged and ethical citizens for positive and holistic transformation of society”. VbE will be implemented through Whole-School Approach which will involve learners, teachers, support staff, Board of Management, family members, wider school community and relevant stakeholders;
In view of this, KICD in collaboration with other stakeholders has identified eight (8) Core values:
1. Love
2. Respect
3. Responsibility
4. Patriotism
5. Unity
6. Peace
7. Social Justice
8. Integrity
These core values and related ones will be mainstreamed in all learning areas at all levels of basic education in Kenya. A mainstreaming matrix on values has already been developed to guide curriculum developers in mainstreaming values in the Formal, Non Formal and Informal dimensions of the curriculum. In this regard, the curriculum adopts a “Whole and Holistic Schools Approach in mainstreaming values. (See attached mainstreaming Matrix). KICD in collaboration with MOE and other partners has developed three Draft VbE Source Books:
• Primary School Teachers VbE Source Book
• Secondary school teachers VbE Source Book
• School Managers VbE Source
Explain how the conducted trainings have been sensitive to the local context. (400 words)
The implementation of LTLT in at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) in Kenya has been sensitive to the local context. The trainings of curriculum developers who guide curriculum development processes on LTLT was aimed at to facilitating ownership at by Support staff, curriculum developers and management who were all included in the training. The choice of participants for the training in the institute took into consideration inclusion of all departments at the institute. Participants were also drawn from all learning areas in the curriculum and representation from the different levels which included those in Early Childhood Education, Primary, Teacher Education and Post School Education.
The institute has a representation of all the three major faiths / religions in the country which include Islam, Hinduism and Christianity. These were represented in the trainings. Gender, Ethnic and racial, considerations were also made in enlisting participants for the two training workshops.
All training sessions provided for an opportunity for context analysis (reality check). This helped the participants to analyze their situation in relation to the challenges related to peace, the causes and their proposed interventions. This also helped the facilitators to understand the world of the participants and the issues they were grappling with in relation to peace and mutual understanding such as conflicts at school level amongst learners, teachers and parents due to ethnic background, religious diversity and gender. Curriculum developers indicated that teachers face challenges resolving issues among learners. The LTLT endeavoured to address these issues
The trainings utilized local resources within the learning process such as songs, skits. Participants had opportunity for interfaith and intercultural exchanges based on the local context.
Curriculum developers developed a contextualized VbE Framework and three Handbooks /Source books to guide implementation in Kenya. This three values-based Education Source / handbooks for Primary school, secondary school and school leaders / management serves as a blue print for the whole school leadership personnel. They give an insight on Values-based Education engagement and embedment both personally and collectively. They provide a starting point for conversations and actions their understanding and practices in providing education for holistic development of students in a more systematic and focused way. The handbooks target, the entire school leadership namely the teachers , school Board of Management, the school Principals and Head teachers, heads of departments and panels, teachers, auxiliary staff, student leaders and students. It should be remembered that everyone is a leader of self-first and foremost and has potential to influence, inspire and motivate the implementation of values within and beyond school. The various stakeholders have been addressed with a whole school lenses. The understanding is to have a non-formal/informal approach to embedding values in the school. The resources are aimed at supporting and strengthening the content based formal approach that teachers adapt in classroom at the primary and secondary school levels.
How has the conducted trainings impacted the trained facilitators? (400 words)
The curriculum developers in Kenya underwent an experiential learning of the ethics education framework which helped them to reflect and internalize the values, Concepts, Education approach and methodologies of LTLT. This was aimed at enabling them to mainstream the same as they develop curriculum in the different learning areas and in other curriculum reform processes. Values are part and parcel of what teachers are expected to teach and be assessed on. The trans formative learning pedagogies have replaced the teacher centered methods and even curriculum developers as they train teachers they have to model trans formative pedagogies.
During the capacity building workshops for teachers, one of the sessions is on mainstreaming of values and pertinent and contemporary issues.
Please give some examples to show your resourcefulness and creativity to organize trainings of facilitators. (600 words)
Curriculum should take advantage of the fact that learners spend most of their formative years in school, which presents opportunities for the curriculum to mould and reinforce values upon which the learner’s character is formed. The emerging trend in terms of curriculum is to adopt a value-based approach to education that will create learning opportunities within the formal, non-formal and informal curriculum dimensions to inculcate the desired values in all learners. Indeed, the envisaged curriculum reform in Kenya recognizes values are as important to the socio-economic development and stability of the country, in the same way that competencies in academics are important. Indeed, values form one of the four pillars in the envisaged curriculum. This is in line with the LTLT Ethics Education Approach.As stipulated in the UNESCO Constitution” Since wars (conflicts) begins in the minds of men (and women) it is in the minds of men (and women) that the defences of peace must be constructed”.
So Education and curriculum in particular is the most sustainable way to implement LTLT.
Africa has diverse cultures, multiple ethnic groups, different religions and languages. It is therefore imperative that its 1.2 billion people appreciate and live the fullness of this diversity. The Africa Agenda 2063 envisions “An integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena’ under the slogan – The Africa we want.” One of the seven aspirations for the ‘Africa we want’ is to have a peaceful and secure continent, with harmony among communities starting from grassroots level. Effective management of this diversity will lead to peaceful coexistence amongst communities and social-economic transformation. In order to achieve this, a culture of peace and tolerance must be nurtured among Africans including children and youth. LTLT is the panacea to instill and inculcate respect for other people, their history, traditions and values, as well as promoting a culture of peace and understanding. It is envisaged that by 2063, Africa will have entrenched and nourished a culture of human rights, democracy, gender equality, inclusion, peace, prosperity, security and safety for all citizens.
In view of this, after I was trained as a facilitator in LTLT, with the support of Arigatou International, I organized training of 65 curriculum developers to help in the conceptualization of Values based Education (VbE) and implementation. I organized a VbE stakeholder’s consultative meeting to conceptualize VbE in the curriculum reform. This was followed by a technical workshop to develop a Frame work and guidelines for VbE. This culminated in development of three handbooks to guide in the implementation of VbE in Kenya.
• I also organized a conference dubbed “Learning to Live Together in Kenya through History Education”. When Twaweza approached KICD to provide a resource person to work with them to develop a program on “Goggle Hangout Bridges for peace” I was tasked to work with them and we developed a pilot program aimed at forging relationships between high school students in Kenya of different ethnic, racial, social, economic, cultural and religious backgrounds using ICT as a solution to build bridges across divides. The program was implemented as a non – formal program through Amani / Peace Clubs. The program demonstrated the power of technology in bridging divides between people, communities and cultures by setting up virtual and human networks that share and apply the values of peace, co-existence and cohesion among socially and culturally diverse communities. Students engage in online and offline activities on alternate weeks using goggle tools. During the Hangouts they share their ideas, learning experiences and undertake co-creation projects with other participating schools.
How have you provided mentorship and guidance to trained facilitators? (400 words)
Achieving national cohesion in Kenya still remains a big challenge despite concerted efforts by the Government of Kenya to promote reconciliation and national cohesion through institutions such as the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) and the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC).
The education sector has a great potential of promoting national cohesion and integration amongst communities in Kenya. The History and Government curriculum can play a significant role in enhancing peaceful co –existence among communities in the country. The conference brought key stakeholders in the education sector including representatives from the Ministry of Education, Government Agencies, School Heads Associations, Teachers, Public and Private Universities, Publishers and Civil Society. History & Government Education can be used to promote “Learning to Live Together”. The History & Government curriculum and textbooks can play a significant role in enhancing national and regional dynamics of conflict and peace in the country.
The conference fitted under the Global Citizenship Education (GCE) agenda of the Global Education First Initiative (GEFI) launched by the UN Secretary General in 2012. In line with the GCE agenda, the ultimate goal of the conference was “to forge more just, peaceful, tolerant and inclusive societies” by encouraging understanding, skills and values that will allow the younger generations to effectively respond to the interconnected challenges of the 21st century. This is also in line with the SDG 4.7 which states thus: ‘Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels’.
The conference was to mentor my colleagues in other subject areas to think of practical ways in which the different subjects in the curriculum can be used to promote Learning to Live Together. Some of the textbooks in the different subjects promote prejudices and stereotypes. The conference was also aimed at sensitizing to participants to address such issues in the curriculum support materials and ensure they are inclusive and embrace diversity.
The program I spearheaded on Goggle Hangout bridges on peace also demonstrated that any subject can be used to promote living together.
How has the Learning to Live Together Programme influenced a positive transformation in you, in a personal and professional level? (400 words)
The Learning to Live Together Programme has influenced a positive transformation in me in a personal and also professional way. It has made me aware of my biases and prejudices and I have become very cautious when dealing with other people. I have become more appreciative of people despite their cultural, religious, racial or traditional backgrounds. I have become more careful of the “other” in me and accommodative in my daily interactions and professional work. I have learnt to appreciate and respect diversity.
I am more conscious of prejudices and stereotypes in people. The programme has made me more aware of the need to create a safe environment. I have developed skills of facilitating higher level child participation. This has challenging me to move from the comfort of being the centre of activities to allowing participants to take a centre stage.
The program has empowered me and I feel more ready to challenge injustices in society and to appreciate the contribution of everyone as we are all interconnected.
Even I have been empowered to see the need to create horizontal relations with children and others at home, at work and in social interactions. The need to affirm all asIinteract with them.
Please explain how you exemplify a strong role-model of the principles of Learning to Live Together. (400 words)
I exemplify a strong role model of the principles of LTLT by being conscious of my biases and prejudices as I interact with others. I challenge these and appreciate and respect diversity. I like to listen more and talk less to allow me understand peoples perspectives.
I like to allow people and even children at home to make decisions on issues that affect them and not dictate on them.
I appreciate the rich diverse cultures in Kenya and I am always eager to learn from others. I am keen to understand cultural practices form other communities. I am appreciative of other religions.
I am always looking out to give the best I can in the spirit of "UBUNTU" / being Humane. I respect human dignity.
Explain how you act as an ambassador and advocator of the Learning to Live Together Programme in your local context. (600 words)
I am an advocate and ambassador of LTLT as I exemplify the principles of LTLT and the values of empathy, Responsibility , Reconciliation and Respect. As develop curriculum I am conscious of the concepts, values , learning process and approach of LTLT. When conducting workshops I always want to create a safe learning environment and allow for participation of participants. In creating a safe environment I always want to use the Horse Shoe or U- shaped sitting arrangement and ensure that I carry out o context analysis of my participants to know where they are coming from and to understand them and their needs. I am careful of the language that I use.
I engage participants in discussions, refection , group work to promote collaboration.
I ensure the personal introductions are elaborate to break any barriers. I allow for plenary discussions to allow participants express themselves.
I also solicit for feed back on sessions covered to capture areas of weakness and improve.
I vary my training methods to cater for all the participants. I promote the following approaches:
• Discussion-based learning
• Problem solving-based learning
• Collaboration-based learning
• Introspection-based learning
• Experience-based learning
This so as to enable people / children develop capacity to think critically, spirituality, inter-cultural and inter-faith learning, relationships, empathizing with the ‘other’, opening up to multiple narratives as an constructivist approach towards addressing radicalization and violent extremism.
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[name_of_applicant] => Aroni Gelly
[email] => gellyaroni@gmail.com
[name_of_organization] => Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs
[country] => Greece
[city] => Athens
[please_explain_how_you_have_conducted_trainings_on_the_learning_to_live_together_programme_600_words_] => During the last eight years I had the privilege of organizing and participating in various trainings of Learning to Live Together programme not only in my home country, Greece, but in many other countries in Europe, Asia and Africa. In this international context, I have worked and trained teachers, teacher trainers, physical educators, facilitators, youth, vulnerable social groups, University students, administrators on the Learning to Live Together programme. I also had the opportunity to implement trainings on the best practice I created, Learning to Play Together (LTPT). LTPT is a manual on promoting intercultural cohesion through school based Physical Education and cooperative games.
In order to conduct trainings of LTLT, I always had to start by considering a series of factors. Placing the learner at the center, which was a priority, means giving time and investing at the preparation of each and every training as they all shared common but also very diverse characteristics and elements. Having the objectives of the training and the Ethics Education Framework in mind I had to identify the:
the personal and the professional profile of the participants (age, gender, occupation, their role in their work etc)
the cultural and faith background of the group
the local context of the country the training took place
the educational context in which LTLT would be used (formal, non-formal, informal)
the participants’ needs and expectations
the facilities available for the training as in several ways the space provided defined ways and methods of implementation.
In my experience as a trainer I have been asked to plan and facilitate a diverse range of trainings on the Learning to Live Together Programme. Trainings that would make participants aware that LTLT is more than just another educational manual with tools and resources for educators. LTLT provides an intercultural and interfaith framework for ethics education for children as well as a pedagogical approach to learning. I took every training as a challenge and while planning and conducting them I grew both as a professional and a person. My trainings included: Sensitization Workshops on Learning to Live Together (Kenya, 2014) with participants who were representatives from the Directorates at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and UNESCO officials. The main aim was for them to gain an understanding of the Learning to Live Together Programme, its use around the world and key elements of the Ethics Education Framework to contribute to peace building. Trainings of trainers (Kenya, 2014) where Ministry of Education officers, Curriculum developers, Teacher trainers and selected teachers participated in order to be equipped to train teachers on how to use the Learning to Live Together programme with their classrooms, create clear guidelines on integration of the ‘Learning To Live Together’ initiative into the curriculum and to promote initiatives to promote LTLT’s values. I conducted local Basic and International trainings for teachers (Greece, 2013, Paris, 2011, Bosnia & Herzegovina, 2014) with the objective to train teachers on the use of the manual Learning to Live Together by making them familiar with its main concepts and methodologies and able to use it with children and youth in their particular contexts. I facilitated Training Courses for Youth involved in Peace initiatives (Azerbaijan, 2011, India 2014) and most recently Teacher Trainings on the use of the LTLT approach, framework and manual for teachers of schools dealing with the Refugee crisis (Lebanon 2016, Greece, 2017, 2018).
[how_have_you_used_the_ltlt_ethics_education_framework_400_words_] => The Ethics Education Framework was the backbone behind my preparation for the trainings. Key concepts, Key Values, the Educational Approach, Learning Modules, Learning Process and Methodologies were my compass while planning for a training. Because of the diversity of participants, trainings’ objectives, educational needs and local contexts defined by the social reality of the places the Framework was my orientation and my destination. No matter which part of the world I found myself into I knew that Human Dignity and Child Rights, Ethics and Ethics Education, Spirituality and Interfaith and Intercultural Learning were my cause. I was there to advocate for these concepts. I was there to work for, about and through the key values. I used the Framework for nurturing the values of participants. For equipping them to be able to work towards participation, empowerment and transformation through collaborative action. I was there to also discuss and reflect about these values and the way they promote respect for their own and others’ cultures and beliefs. I also facilitated and trained through these values, by embodying them, by facilitating in a responsible, respectful way, by creating safe learning environments, by promoting pparticipatory and collaborative learning and by applying appropriate methodologies.
The Ethics Education framework by promoting a dynamic way of thinking about ethics is a powerful tool in a global and plural society where fluidity is a prominent trait. Education about ethics is something all religions and societies can do independently; what is unique about this initiative is that it is done inter-religiously and inter-culturally. The Ethics Education Programme acknowledges and affirms diversity. It is not a new teaching method or school of thought but a new way of emphasizing the building of positive relationships. In an ever changing world its approach asserts dialogue and communication within oneself and with others in an ongoing process of individual and collective learning. For me having multiple professional roles (physical education teacher, teacher trainer, Ministry of Education’s Official in Refugee education) the ethics education framework offers me a golden thread that can cut across the different positions and through the different roles.
[explain_how_the_conducted_trainings_have_been_sensitive_to_the_local_context_400_words_] => Each LTLT training has to be customized to the social reality of the place it is addressed to. This is achieved by thorough preparation. When a specific type of training is being decided the first step is to choose the facilitators for its implementation. Even though LTLT is an Intercultural and Interfaith programme and the diversity of its trainers and experts is among its strengths, every training includes facilitators from the local community. People who are not only trained to implement workshops in LTLP but also locals who are knowledgeable of the country’s culture, customs, traditions. Local facilitators who know better the needs and several times the expectations of the participants. Local facilitators can adapt material, methodologies and techniques to better suit the profile of the participants and at the same time handle possible sensitive issues. They can help with providing cultural and local based activities that are sensitive to local and cultural traditions, and also possibilities to include different perspectives and resources.
Secondly, a training, being a dynamic process, especially when the learners have a central role needs to take into consideration their characteristics. Prior knowledge on the local participants’ profile as well as the collective profile of the group is something that needs exploration beforehand. It requires awareness of the issues affecting children and the community, and any socio-political conflict between the groups of participants.
Reading and studying material related to the local context is a third effective way to become sensitive to the local reality and social environment. For example having learned about curricula, history of the ethnic fractionalization and their recourse-related conflicts, the concept and philosophy of ubuntu, the Harambi practices, the PEV (Post Election Violence) and the Peace Education initiative set the foundation while preparing for trainings in Africa where constructive social action in the areas of Sustainable development and Youth Leadership, the Bala Shanti and Gandhi Institute scope better prepared me for India.
In addition to preparing a training, when implementing one, the end of the day evaluation is a key element to monitor the impact and efficiency of the training and since contextualisation and customisation is a constant concern the skill to be perceptive and critical, the attitude to be open to suggestions and willingness to adapt accordingly lies at the heart of a successful context-sensitive training.
[how_has_the_conducted_trainings_impacted_the_trained_facilitators_400_words_] => It was with great pleasure to observe during the training sometimes small, but important changes at the level of the attitude of the facilitators. Sometimes so small as the way the question or an answer to a peer was given or the self initiated reflection upon the way a professional, for instance a teacher, had been doing its work until now. As a trainer I always ensured that one of the things that achieved, was that the participants were leaving with a "suitcase" filled with methods, tools, positive memories and experiences of working and learning together. In certain cases they were also living together for the duration of the training making the impact stronger on them. As a trainer and facilitator, I have always took care to provide as much material and practice as possible, knowing by myself that the real impact of a training is understood, when years later I look for the educational material, my notes, photos, the contact of a participant in order to adapt and use in my work. Those of us working with LTLP Learning process know that Reflection and Action might take years to sink in.
Through the networks established after training, especially in Greece, I have been having meetings with several facilitators and have personally witnessed their transformation both professionally and personally. But what pleases me most is when I read about the wonderful work facilitators do in their own contexts all around the world. In the Ethics Education platform of Arigatou I am witness of amazing stories of implementation, photos and projects that document in the most vivid way possible the impact the trainings have on the trained facilitators.
[please_give_some_examples_to_show_your_resourcefulness_and_creativity_to_organize_trainings_of_facilitators_600_words_] => I can think of several examples of my creativity but what stands out is the organization and implementation of trainings that combine Learning to Live Together with Learning to Play Together. While in the LTLT trainings there has always been a team of facilitators to collectively organize and design a training in the “combined” ones it was my responsibility to do so as I was the one who created Learning to Play Together in the first place. Resourcefulness and creativity were needed not only for the theoretical part of combining concepts and values, methodologies and techniques but mostly for motivating physical educators. Sport teachers who had to be inspired to participate on the first hand and implement on the second hand a programme where physical education is combined with ethics education to promote intercultural understanding.
It was my task to make them familiar with LTLT first and prove afterwards that an adaptation of the programme’s basic concepts, values and methodological approach was feasible and applicable to the physical education curriculum.
In order to do so, I decided to have them participate as students. Not as teachers who would be trained on the use of the programme and the manual. But simple students who had to participate at the same sessions, activities, games, reflections I use with my elementary students. They had to feel it in their hands, hearts and heads before starting implementing it with their own students. Their feedback was amazing but it is another discussion....
In the second training I had with the same group or phys ed teachers, upon their own request, I had again to be creative as I wanted them to witness the impact LTLT and LTPT had on children. One of their reservations and doubts was the ability of children to reflect. I wanted them to see that the children are indeed capable if they are properly equipped and guided to do so. Even after playing a game...!!!!
What I did is to include refugee children in the training and implement a model lesson. I facilitated a workshop for teachers while implementing LTPT activities with refugee children. After a whole day with them observing we started the next day with a long reflection session on what they had witnessed. That reflection was at the same time the best motivation for the learning process that followed.
There are other examples of my “applied” resourcefulness in places like Africa when all material was stolen the night before and we discovered just an hour before starting the training. Or times in India when because of power cuts we could not use the power points we had prepared or the music we had planned. Or in Azerbaijan when we were given a lecture room with unmovable chairs and tables completely inappropriate for our training methods and techniques. I had to be imaginative and inventive in several trainings in Greece when, due to austerity measures, resources were scarce and I had to keep the quality with the little I had.
But having “less” drives me and inspires me to be “more”....
[how_have_you_provided_mentorship_and_guidance_to_trained_facilitators_400_words_] => The main way I have achieved so is by making myself available and accessible through mails, phone calls, skype sessions and on site visits (locally) in order to support the development of teaching and training materials, training programs or implementation of projects. Even though I do not feel that it was thanks to me, that an informal network of sensilble teachers exist in Greece, I believe that an accessible mentor is important to the dynamic of such informal teams.
Communities of Practice formed after a training were another source of provision of mentorship and guidance. I had the opportunity to facilitate one in Greece. As most of these communities of interested practicioners, it transforms its self after the completion of its work and is engaged in new initiatives such as in the time being the refugee education.
In Learning to Play Together trainings I have been supporting physical education and sports teachers through the approach of the so called model teaching. This technique uses the direct instruction either through the support of a group of students, or by testing materials and methods with the trainees as mock students. In this way we avoid many unnecessary discussions but also support directly the combination of gaining knowledge and skills. My experience shows, that many teachers understand very well the importance of changing the routine or the classroom management. The ‘what’ very often is not the problem, but the ‘how’ is. In my trainings I support teachers in their self esteem and their skills as professionals, making them aware, that change starts with small steps and right away, the very next day.
Last but not least in 2016 I facilitated an Online course for Learning To Live Together during which I supported trained facilitators to reflect and learn how the use of cooperative games can help to promote, through active participation and collaborative learning, the principles, content and values of Ethics Education.
[how_has_the_learning_to_live_together_programme_influenced_a_positive_transformation_in_you_in_a_personal_and_professional_level_400_words_] => Working with Learning to Live Together, whether with my Primary school students in the Intercultural school or with teachers and trainers all around the world, had a profound effect in my personal and professional development.
Every country I worked in has provided a distinctive local context, was addressed to a specific target group requiring the constant refining of my context-sensitivity skills. Each training had to be customized to the particularities of the place it was implemented. Working on participants’ conscientization, I was simultaneously becoming more aware of the social reality of the country I found myself working in and the complexity of the world as a whole. My perspective and world view was widened after each training and my competence to relate LTLT concepts, methodologies and activities to specific local contexts and people was developed.
In many cases I found myself working with teachers’ trainers and co facilitators with substantial typical as well as essential skills and knowledge not only in pedagogical issues but in counseling and peace education, too. Trainers who possessed a great amount of experience in their field and demonstrated an advanced level of both cognitive and meta-cognitive skills. Through their deep and thought provoking inputs and feedback, their constant questioning and exploration of ways to contextualize the topics, the methods, the techniques, the reflections, they pushed my facilitation skills to an equally explorative mode of continuous elaboration of the sessions’ outcomes in order to meet their expectations and learning needs. I became more efficient, more flexible more open minded and adaptive.
LTLT transformed the physical educator in me and developed the psychosocial potential of the subject I taught. Because of it the Best Practice Learning to Play Together was created and became a valuable resource for teachers who wanted to use cooperative activities and games for interethnic cohesion and peace building.
Last but not least the greatest transformation was my spiritual growth. As a professional athlete and a great achiever I was once told during an advanced Capacity Building meeting of LTLT that I had to stop being a human-doing and start accepting and embracing my human-being dimension. That I can be without doing. That my inner spiritual self is of equal importance and value of my external works and actions. LTLT gave me inner peace and together with it I can better promote peace in a world that is in desperate need for it.
[please_explain_how_you_exemplify_a_strong_role_model_of_the_principles_of_learning_to_live_together_400_words_] => In Greek we say that we have to “do what we preach”. I always followed this and have been trying to live my professional and personal life with the value system I nurtured for my students, teachers and trainers I work with. I always did as I “preached” or so I was told. By being honest and caring. By leading by example when my professional choices were positions that made vulnerable social groups my work. For twenty years I worked with immigrant children teaching, playing, laughing, supporting, standing by them inside and outside school. I became the “personal volunteer” for several of them living in hostels and under social care and I took them out at weekends for strolls, theatre, museums or just to hang around in order for them to have a glimpse of “normality” in their institutionalized life. Two years ago, because of the work I did (both as a teacher and a teacher trainer) I was asked to join the Ministry of Education in a newly formed Department on Refuge Education as the flows were unprecedented and the State had to take measures. It was while in this position that I became consciously aware of my being a role model.
In March I was invited by a young couple in their flat for a celebration they were having. I gladly accepted the invitation and joined them. I was the only Greek there, the only non farsi speaking, probably the older one, also. The couple is from Iran and had been living for two years in one of the many Refugee Accommodation Centers in Athens. Because of my work as I had visited the Centers many times, got to know the children and the young people there and had worked with a few of them when in an Erasmus + sport project I needed mediators and interpreters. It was at that party that I was told “Gelly you really like us. I mean really. Like friends whom you socialize with. Not just because you work with and for them”. I believe I do. I respect diversity, I am a highly empathic and compassionate individual. I am a responsible and passionate reflective practitioner. I do simply work in Ethics Education. I practice ethics with my life. I do not preach about respecting different faiths and religions. I celebrate spring together with my Zoroastrian friends with NowRuz.
[explain_how_you_act_as_an_ambassador_and_advocator_of_the_learning_to_live_together_programme_in_your_local_context_600_words_] => My role as an ambassador and advocator is achieved through my different professional roles. More specifically:
Peer to peer: Through the various projects on LTLT and LTPT I am involved in I have the opportunity to share the experience and integrate my teacher colleagues in Intercultural school into testing and applying LTLT’s innovative approach and materials and to sharpen together with them the profile of the school. Moreover, I motivate young colleagues from my school to participate in LTLT seminars and trainings. I can say, that our joint development in our school team has helped to make our school known better as a specialized place for the integration of migrant children which has, among other factors, made the school a prominent example of refugee integration since the refugee crisis started in Greece two years ago. More can be found at the schools’ website we developed in order for our work to be disseminated: http://www.interculturalschool.gr/about-school/our-activities/
Training of teachers and of teacher trainers: Through seminars, workshops and trainings as trainer and expert on LTLT and LTPT I come in contact with teachers, principals, education professionals, University students, NGO’s officials who are involved in children education. Through carefully planned and conducted trainings I advocate LTLT principles and values. By being a dedicated, passionate teacher and trainer myself I advocate that Learning to Live Together is a cross cutting theme. It provides space for reflection, dialogue, internalization and spiritual development regardless the expertise or the subject taught. I motivate teachers to nurture a deep, unconditional love for the children and the well fare of their lives. In my sport background what mattered was to be the fastest, the strongest. The principle was “The survival of the fittest”. I, on the other hand, decided early on when started working with LTLT and later LTPT that I want to make everyone “fit to survive”. And thrive. And this I advocate and stand for.
Head of the Department for Refugee Education, Ministry of Education. For the last two years I was recruited at the Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs in Greece and later appointed as a Head of the newly established Department. In my role as such I am often invited to deliver speeches and give presentations on Intercultural and Interfaith education as a means for refugee integration. Since my work in Learning to Play Together has also been published and disseminated through the years I am also invited as a key note speaker to events promoting the role of Games and Sports in social cohesion, development of self-esteem of women refugees, promotion of equality and so on and so forth. In all these, Learning to Live Together framework is an integral part that shapes the content and the presentation of it. Photos, storytelling and experiences from my LTLT engagement always give my audience the motivation to explore and discuss more about the programme. Together we reflect and find ways they can apply it to their context and work.
At the same time as Head of the Department my mandates include monitoring and management of non formal and informal education provided to refugees from the various NGOs. In regular monthly meetings we have established I have the opportunity to promote LTLT programme and using our Learning Process again motivate them to explore and discover on their own the effect and impact it can have in the refugee population they work with.
[video_link] => https://ethicseducationforchildren.org/images/Gelly_Aroni-Trainer.mp4
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Name: Aroni Gelly
Organization: Ministry of Education,...
Location: Greece
Please explain how you have conducted trainings on the Learning to Live Together Programme. (600 words)
During the last eight years I had the privilege of organizing and participating in various trainings of Learning to Live Together programme not only in my home country, Greece, but in many other countries in Europe, Asia and Africa. In this international context, I have worked and trained teachers, teacher trainers, physical educators, facilitators, youth, vulnerable social groups, University students, administrators on the Learning to Live Together programme. I also had the opportunity to implement trainings on the best practice I created, Learning to Play Together (LTPT). LTPT is a manual on promoting intercultural cohesion through school based Physical Education and cooperative games.
In order to conduct trainings of LTLT, I always had to start by considering a series of factors. Placing the learner at the center, which was a priority, means giving time and investing at the preparation of each and every training as they all shared common but also very diverse characteristics and elements. Having the objectives of the training and the Ethics Education Framework in mind I had to identify the:
the personal and the professional profile of the participants (age, gender, occupation, their role in their work etc)
the cultural and faith background of the group
the local context of the country the training took place
the educational context in which LTLT would be used (formal, non-formal, informal)
the participants’ needs and expectations
the facilities available for the training as in several ways the space provided defined ways and methods of implementation.
In my experience as a trainer I have been asked to plan and facilitate a diverse range of trainings on the Learning to Live Together Programme. Trainings that would make participants aware that LTLT is more than just another educational manual with tools and resources for educators. LTLT provides an intercultural and interfaith framework for ethics education for children as well as a pedagogical approach to learning. I took every training as a challenge and while planning and conducting them I grew both as a professional and a person. My trainings included: Sensitization Workshops on Learning to Live Together (Kenya, 2014) with participants who were representatives from the Directorates at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and UNESCO officials. The main aim was for them to gain an understanding of the Learning to Live Together Programme, its use around the world and key elements of the Ethics Education Framework to contribute to peace building. Trainings of trainers (Kenya, 2014) where Ministry of Education officers, Curriculum developers, Teacher trainers and selected teachers participated in order to be equipped to train teachers on how to use the Learning to Live Together programme with their classrooms, create clear guidelines on integration of the ‘Learning To Live Together’ initiative into the curriculum and to promote initiatives to promote LTLT’s values. I conducted local Basic and International trainings for teachers (Greece, 2013, Paris, 2011, Bosnia & Herzegovina, 2014) with the objective to train teachers on the use of the manual Learning to Live Together by making them familiar with its main concepts and methodologies and able to use it with children and youth in their particular contexts. I facilitated Training Courses for Youth involved in Peace initiatives (Azerbaijan, 2011, India 2014) and most recently Teacher Trainings on the use of the LTLT approach, framework and manual for teachers of schools dealing with the Refugee crisis (Lebanon 2016, Greece, 2017, 2018).
How have you used the LTLT Ethics Education Framework? (400 words)
The Ethics Education Framework was the backbone behind my preparation for the trainings. Key concepts, Key Values, the Educational Approach, Learning Modules, Learning Process and Methodologies were my compass while planning for a training. Because of the diversity of participants, trainings’ objectives, educational needs and local contexts defined by the social reality of the places the Framework was my orientation and my destination. No matter which part of the world I found myself into I knew that Human Dignity and Child Rights, Ethics and Ethics Education, Spirituality and Interfaith and Intercultural Learning were my cause. I was there to advocate for these concepts. I was there to work for, about and through the key values. I used the Framework for nurturing the values of participants. For equipping them to be able to work towards participation, empowerment and transformation through collaborative action. I was there to also discuss and reflect about these values and the way they promote respect for their own and others’ cultures and beliefs. I also facilitated and trained through these values, by embodying them, by facilitating in a responsible, respectful way, by creating safe learning environments, by promoting pparticipatory and collaborative learning and by applying appropriate methodologies.
The Ethics Education framework by promoting a dynamic way of thinking about ethics is a powerful tool in a global and plural society where fluidity is a prominent trait. Education about ethics is something all religions and societies can do independently; what is unique about this initiative is that it is done inter-religiously and inter-culturally. The Ethics Education Programme acknowledges and affirms diversity. It is not a new teaching method or school of thought but a new way of emphasizing the building of positive relationships. In an ever changing world its approach asserts dialogue and communication within oneself and with others in an ongoing process of individual and collective learning. For me having multiple professional roles (physical education teacher, teacher trainer, Ministry of Education’s Official in Refugee education) the ethics education framework offers me a golden thread that can cut across the different positions and through the different roles.
Explain how the conducted trainings have been sensitive to the local context. (400 words)
Each LTLT training has to be customized to the social reality of the place it is addressed to. This is achieved by thorough preparation. When a specific type of training is being decided the first step is to choose the facilitators for its implementation. Even though LTLT is an Intercultural and Interfaith programme and the diversity of its trainers and experts is among its strengths, every training includes facilitators from the local community. People who are not only trained to implement workshops in LTLP but also locals who are knowledgeable of the country’s culture, customs, traditions. Local facilitators who know better the needs and several times the expectations of the participants. Local facilitators can adapt material, methodologies and techniques to better suit the profile of the participants and at the same time handle possible sensitive issues. They can help with providing cultural and local based activities that are sensitive to local and cultural traditions, and also possibilities to include different perspectives and resources.
Secondly, a training, being a dynamic process, especially when the learners have a central role needs to take into consideration their characteristics. Prior knowledge on the local participants’ profile as well as the collective profile of the group is something that needs exploration beforehand. It requires awareness of the issues affecting children and the community, and any socio-political conflict between the groups of participants.
Reading and studying material related to the local context is a third effective way to become sensitive to the local reality and social environment. For example having learned about curricula, history of the ethnic fractionalization and their recourse-related conflicts, the concept and philosophy of ubuntu, the Harambi practices, the PEV (Post Election Violence) and the Peace Education initiative set the foundation while preparing for trainings in Africa where constructive social action in the areas of Sustainable development and Youth Leadership, the Bala Shanti and Gandhi Institute scope better prepared me for India.
In addition to preparing a training, when implementing one, the end of the day evaluation is a key element to monitor the impact and efficiency of the training and since contextualisation and customisation is a constant concern the skill to be perceptive and critical, the attitude to be open to suggestions and willingness to adapt accordingly lies at the heart of a successful context-sensitive training.
How has the conducted trainings impacted the trained facilitators? (400 words)
It was with great pleasure to observe during the training sometimes small, but important changes at the level of the attitude of the facilitators. Sometimes so small as the way the question or an answer to a peer was given or the self initiated reflection upon the way a professional, for instance a teacher, had been doing its work until now. As a trainer I always ensured that one of the things that achieved, was that the participants were leaving with a "suitcase" filled with methods, tools, positive memories and experiences of working and learning together. In certain cases they were also living together for the duration of the training making the impact stronger on them. As a trainer and facilitator, I have always took care to provide as much material and practice as possible, knowing by myself that the real impact of a training is understood, when years later I look for the educational material, my notes, photos, the contact of a participant in order to adapt and use in my work. Those of us working with LTLP Learning process know that Reflection and Action might take years to sink in.
Through the networks established after training, especially in Greece, I have been having meetings with several facilitators and have personally witnessed their transformation both professionally and personally. But what pleases me most is when I read about the wonderful work facilitators do in their own contexts all around the world. In the Ethics Education platform of Arigatou I am witness of amazing stories of implementation, photos and projects that document in the most vivid way possible the impact the trainings have on the trained facilitators.
Please give some examples to show your resourcefulness and creativity to organize trainings of facilitators. (600 words)
I can think of several examples of my creativity but what stands out is the organization and implementation of trainings that combine Learning to Live Together with Learning to Play Together. While in the LTLT trainings there has always been a team of facilitators to collectively organize and design a training in the “combined” ones it was my responsibility to do so as I was the one who created Learning to Play Together in the first place. Resourcefulness and creativity were needed not only for the theoretical part of combining concepts and values, methodologies and techniques but mostly for motivating physical educators. Sport teachers who had to be inspired to participate on the first hand and implement on the second hand a programme where physical education is combined with ethics education to promote intercultural understanding.
It was my task to make them familiar with LTLT first and prove afterwards that an adaptation of the programme’s basic concepts, values and methodological approach was feasible and applicable to the physical education curriculum.
In order to do so, I decided to have them participate as students. Not as teachers who would be trained on the use of the programme and the manual. But simple students who had to participate at the same sessions, activities, games, reflections I use with my elementary students. They had to feel it in their hands, hearts and heads before starting implementing it with their own students. Their feedback was amazing but it is another discussion....
In the second training I had with the same group or phys ed teachers, upon their own request, I had again to be creative as I wanted them to witness the impact LTLT and LTPT had on children. One of their reservations and doubts was the ability of children to reflect. I wanted them to see that the children are indeed capable if they are properly equipped and guided to do so. Even after playing a game...!!!!
What I did is to include refugee children in the training and implement a model lesson. I facilitated a workshop for teachers while implementing LTPT activities with refugee children. After a whole day with them observing we started the next day with a long reflection session on what they had witnessed. That reflection was at the same time the best motivation for the learning process that followed.
There are other examples of my “applied” resourcefulness in places like Africa when all material was stolen the night before and we discovered just an hour before starting the training. Or times in India when because of power cuts we could not use the power points we had prepared or the music we had planned. Or in Azerbaijan when we were given a lecture room with unmovable chairs and tables completely inappropriate for our training methods and techniques. I had to be imaginative and inventive in several trainings in Greece when, due to austerity measures, resources were scarce and I had to keep the quality with the little I had.
But having “less” drives me and inspires me to be “more”....
How have you provided mentorship and guidance to trained facilitators? (400 words)
The main way I have achieved so is by making myself available and accessible through mails, phone calls, skype sessions and on site visits (locally) in order to support the development of teaching and training materials, training programs or implementation of projects. Even though I do not feel that it was thanks to me, that an informal network of sensilble teachers exist in Greece, I believe that an accessible mentor is important to the dynamic of such informal teams.
Communities of Practice formed after a training were another source of provision of mentorship and guidance. I had the opportunity to facilitate one in Greece. As most of these communities of interested practicioners, it transforms its self after the completion of its work and is engaged in new initiatives such as in the time being the refugee education.
In Learning to Play Together trainings I have been supporting physical education and sports teachers through the approach of the so called model teaching. This technique uses the direct instruction either through the support of a group of students, or by testing materials and methods with the trainees as mock students. In this way we avoid many unnecessary discussions but also support directly the combination of gaining knowledge and skills. My experience shows, that many teachers understand very well the importance of changing the routine or the classroom management. The ‘what’ very often is not the problem, but the ‘how’ is. In my trainings I support teachers in their self esteem and their skills as professionals, making them aware, that change starts with small steps and right away, the very next day.
Last but not least in 2016 I facilitated an Online course for Learning To Live Together during which I supported trained facilitators to reflect and learn how the use of cooperative games can help to promote, through active participation and collaborative learning, the principles, content and values of Ethics Education.
How has the Learning to Live Together Programme influenced a positive transformation in you, in a personal and professional level? (400 words)
Working with Learning to Live Together, whether with my Primary school students in the Intercultural school or with teachers and trainers all around the world, had a profound effect in my personal and professional development.
Every country I worked in has provided a distinctive local context, was addressed to a specific target group requiring the constant refining of my context-sensitivity skills. Each training had to be customized to the particularities of the place it was implemented. Working on participants’ conscientization, I was simultaneously becoming more aware of the social reality of the country I found myself working in and the complexity of the world as a whole. My perspective and world view was widened after each training and my competence to relate LTLT concepts, methodologies and activities to specific local contexts and people was developed.
In many cases I found myself working with teachers’ trainers and co facilitators with substantial typical as well as essential skills and knowledge not only in pedagogical issues but in counseling and peace education, too. Trainers who possessed a great amount of experience in their field and demonstrated an advanced level of both cognitive and meta-cognitive skills. Through their deep and thought provoking inputs and feedback, their constant questioning and exploration of ways to contextualize the topics, the methods, the techniques, the reflections, they pushed my facilitation skills to an equally explorative mode of continuous elaboration of the sessions’ outcomes in order to meet their expectations and learning needs. I became more efficient, more flexible more open minded and adaptive.
LTLT transformed the physical educator in me and developed the psychosocial potential of the subject I taught. Because of it the Best Practice Learning to Play Together was created and became a valuable resource for teachers who wanted to use cooperative activities and games for interethnic cohesion and peace building.
Last but not least the greatest transformation was my spiritual growth. As a professional athlete and a great achiever I was once told during an advanced Capacity Building meeting of LTLT that I had to stop being a human-doing and start accepting and embracing my human-being dimension. That I can be without doing. That my inner spiritual self is of equal importance and value of my external works and actions. LTLT gave me inner peace and together with it I can better promote peace in a world that is in desperate need for it.
Please explain how you exemplify a strong role-model of the principles of Learning to Live Together. (400 words)
In Greek we say that we have to “do what we preach”. I always followed this and have been trying to live my professional and personal life with the value system I nurtured for my students, teachers and trainers I work with. I always did as I “preached” or so I was told. By being honest and caring. By leading by example when my professional choices were positions that made vulnerable social groups my work. For twenty years I worked with immigrant children teaching, playing, laughing, supporting, standing by them inside and outside school. I became the “personal volunteer” for several of them living in hostels and under social care and I took them out at weekends for strolls, theatre, museums or just to hang around in order for them to have a glimpse of “normality” in their institutionalized life. Two years ago, because of the work I did (both as a teacher and a teacher trainer) I was asked to join the Ministry of Education in a newly formed Department on Refuge Education as the flows were unprecedented and the State had to take measures. It was while in this position that I became consciously aware of my being a role model.
In March I was invited by a young couple in their flat for a celebration they were having. I gladly accepted the invitation and joined them. I was the only Greek there, the only non farsi speaking, probably the older one, also. The couple is from Iran and had been living for two years in one of the many Refugee Accommodation Centers in Athens. Because of my work as I had visited the Centers many times, got to know the children and the young people there and had worked with a few of them when in an Erasmus + sport project I needed mediators and interpreters. It was at that party that I was told “Gelly you really like us. I mean really. Like friends whom you socialize with. Not just because you work with and for them”. I believe I do. I respect diversity, I am a highly empathic and compassionate individual. I am a responsible and passionate reflective practitioner. I do simply work in Ethics Education. I practice ethics with my life. I do not preach about respecting different faiths and religions. I celebrate spring together with my Zoroastrian friends with NowRuz.
Explain how you act as an ambassador and advocator of the Learning to Live Together Programme in your local context. (600 words)
My role as an ambassador and advocator is achieved through my different professional roles. More specifically:
Peer to peer: Through the various projects on LTLT and LTPT I am involved in I have the opportunity to share the experience and integrate my teacher colleagues in Intercultural school into testing and applying LTLT’s innovative approach and materials and to sharpen together with them the profile of the school. Moreover, I motivate young colleagues from my school to participate in LTLT seminars and trainings. I can say, that our joint development in our school team has helped to make our school known better as a specialized place for the integration of migrant children which has, among other factors, made the school a prominent example of refugee integration since the refugee crisis started in Greece two years ago. More can be found at the schools’ website we developed in order for our work to be disseminated: http://www.interculturalschool.gr/about-school/our-activities/
Training of teachers and of teacher trainers: Through seminars, workshops and trainings as trainer and expert on LTLT and LTPT I come in contact with teachers, principals, education professionals, University students, NGO’s officials who are involved in children education. Through carefully planned and conducted trainings I advocate LTLT principles and values. By being a dedicated, passionate teacher and trainer myself I advocate that Learning to Live Together is a cross cutting theme. It provides space for reflection, dialogue, internalization and spiritual development regardless the expertise or the subject taught. I motivate teachers to nurture a deep, unconditional love for the children and the well fare of their lives. In my sport background what mattered was to be the fastest, the strongest. The principle was “The survival of the fittest”. I, on the other hand, decided early on when started working with LTLT and later LTPT that I want to make everyone “fit to survive”. And thrive. And this I advocate and stand for.
Head of the Department for Refugee Education, Ministry of Education. For the last two years I was recruited at the Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs in Greece and later appointed as a Head of the newly established Department. In my role as such I am often invited to deliver speeches and give presentations on Intercultural and Interfaith education as a means for refugee integration. Since my work in Learning to Play Together has also been published and disseminated through the years I am also invited as a key note speaker to events promoting the role of Games and Sports in social cohesion, development of self-esteem of women refugees, promotion of equality and so on and so forth. In all these, Learning to Live Together framework is an integral part that shapes the content and the presentation of it. Photos, storytelling and experiences from my LTLT engagement always give my audience the motivation to explore and discuss more about the programme. Together we reflect and find ways they can apply it to their context and work.
At the same time as Head of the Department my mandates include monitoring and management of non formal and informal education provided to refugees from the various NGOs. In regular monthly meetings we have established I have the opportunity to promote LTLT programme and using our Learning Process again motivate them to explore and discover on their own the effect and impact it can have in the refugee population they work with.
Organization: Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs
Location: Athens, Greece
Please explain how you have conducted trainings on the Learning to Live Together Programme. (600 words)
During the last eight years I had the privilege of organizing and participating in various trainings of Learning to Live Together programme not only in my home country, Greece, but in many other countries in Europe, Asia and Africa. In this international context, I have worked and trained teachers, teacher trainers, physical educators, facilitators, youth, vulnerable social groups, University students, administrators on the Learning to Live Together programme. I also had the opportunity to implement trainings on the best practice I created, Learning to Play Together (LTPT). LTPT is a manual on promoting intercultural cohesion through school based Physical Education and cooperative games.
In order to conduct trainings of LTLT, I always had to start by considering a series of factors. Placing the learner at the center, which was a priority, means giving time and investing at the preparation of each and every training as they all shared common but also very diverse characteristics and elements. Having the objectives of the training and the Ethics Education Framework in mind I had to identify the:
the personal and the professional profile of the participants (age, gender, occupation, their role in their work etc)
the cultural and faith background of the group
the local context of the country the training took place
the educational context in which LTLT would be used (formal, non-formal, informal)
the participants’ needs and expectations
the facilities available for the training as in several ways the space provided defined ways and methods of implementation.
In my experience as a trainer I have been asked to plan and facilitate a diverse range of trainings on the Learning to Live Together Programme. Trainings that would make participants aware that LTLT is more than just another educational manual with tools and resources for educators. LTLT provides an intercultural and interfaith framework for ethics education for children as well as a pedagogical approach to learning. I took every training as a challenge and while planning and conducting them I grew both as a professional and a person. My trainings included: Sensitization Workshops on Learning to Live Together (Kenya, 2014) with participants who were representatives from the Directorates at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and UNESCO officials. The main aim was for them to gain an understanding of the Learning to Live Together Programme, its use around the world and key elements of the Ethics Education Framework to contribute to peace building. Trainings of trainers (Kenya, 2014) where Ministry of Education officers, Curriculum developers, Teacher trainers and selected teachers participated in order to be equipped to train teachers on how to use the Learning to Live Together programme with their classrooms, create clear guidelines on integration of the ‘Learning To Live Together’ initiative into the curriculum and to promote initiatives to promote LTLT’s values. I conducted local Basic and International trainings for teachers (Greece, 2013, Paris, 2011, Bosnia & Herzegovina, 2014) with the objective to train teachers on the use of the manual Learning to Live Together by making them familiar with its main concepts and methodologies and able to use it with children and youth in their particular contexts. I facilitated Training Courses for Youth involved in Peace initiatives (Azerbaijan, 2011, India 2014) and most recently Teacher Trainings on the use of the LTLT approach, framework and manual for teachers of schools dealing with the Refugee crisis (Lebanon 2016, Greece, 2017, 2018).
How have you used the LTLT Ethics Education Framework? (400 words)
The Ethics Education Framework was the backbone behind my preparation for the trainings. Key concepts, Key Values, the Educational Approach, Learning Modules, Learning Process and Methodologies were my compass while planning for a training. Because of the diversity of participants, trainings’ objectives, educational needs and local contexts defined by the social reality of the places the Framework was my orientation and my destination. No matter which part of the world I found myself into I knew that Human Dignity and Child Rights, Ethics and Ethics Education, Spirituality and Interfaith and Intercultural Learning were my cause. I was there to advocate for these concepts. I was there to work for, about and through the key values. I used the Framework for nurturing the values of participants. For equipping them to be able to work towards participation, empowerment and transformation through collaborative action. I was there to also discuss and reflect about these values and the way they promote respect for their own and others’ cultures and beliefs. I also facilitated and trained through these values, by embodying them, by facilitating in a responsible, respectful way, by creating safe learning environments, by promoting pparticipatory and collaborative learning and by applying appropriate methodologies.
The Ethics Education framework by promoting a dynamic way of thinking about ethics is a powerful tool in a global and plural society where fluidity is a prominent trait. Education about ethics is something all religions and societies can do independently; what is unique about this initiative is that it is done inter-religiously and inter-culturally. The Ethics Education Programme acknowledges and affirms diversity. It is not a new teaching method or school of thought but a new way of emphasizing the building of positive relationships. In an ever changing world its approach asserts dialogue and communication within oneself and with others in an ongoing process of individual and collective learning. For me having multiple professional roles (physical education teacher, teacher trainer, Ministry of Education’s Official in Refugee education) the ethics education framework offers me a golden thread that can cut across the different positions and through the different roles.
Explain how the conducted trainings have been sensitive to the local context. (400 words)
Each LTLT training has to be customized to the social reality of the place it is addressed to. This is achieved by thorough preparation. When a specific type of training is being decided the first step is to choose the facilitators for its implementation. Even though LTLT is an Intercultural and Interfaith programme and the diversity of its trainers and experts is among its strengths, every training includes facilitators from the local community. People who are not only trained to implement workshops in LTLP but also locals who are knowledgeable of the country’s culture, customs, traditions. Local facilitators who know better the needs and several times the expectations of the participants. Local facilitators can adapt material, methodologies and techniques to better suit the profile of the participants and at the same time handle possible sensitive issues. They can help with providing cultural and local based activities that are sensitive to local and cultural traditions, and also possibilities to include different perspectives and resources.
Secondly, a training, being a dynamic process, especially when the learners have a central role needs to take into consideration their characteristics. Prior knowledge on the local participants’ profile as well as the collective profile of the group is something that needs exploration beforehand. It requires awareness of the issues affecting children and the community, and any socio-political conflict between the groups of participants.
Reading and studying material related to the local context is a third effective way to become sensitive to the local reality and social environment. For example having learned about curricula, history of the ethnic fractionalization and their recourse-related conflicts, the concept and philosophy of ubuntu, the Harambi practices, the PEV (Post Election Violence) and the Peace Education initiative set the foundation while preparing for trainings in Africa where constructive social action in the areas of Sustainable development and Youth Leadership, the Bala Shanti and Gandhi Institute scope better prepared me for India.
In addition to preparing a training, when implementing one, the end of the day evaluation is a key element to monitor the impact and efficiency of the training and since contextualisation and customisation is a constant concern the skill to be perceptive and critical, the attitude to be open to suggestions and willingness to adapt accordingly lies at the heart of a successful context-sensitive training.
How has the conducted trainings impacted the trained facilitators? (400 words)
It was with great pleasure to observe during the training sometimes small, but important changes at the level of the attitude of the facilitators. Sometimes so small as the way the question or an answer to a peer was given or the self initiated reflection upon the way a professional, for instance a teacher, had been doing its work until now. As a trainer I always ensured that one of the things that achieved, was that the participants were leaving with a "suitcase" filled with methods, tools, positive memories and experiences of working and learning together. In certain cases they were also living together for the duration of the training making the impact stronger on them. As a trainer and facilitator, I have always took care to provide as much material and practice as possible, knowing by myself that the real impact of a training is understood, when years later I look for the educational material, my notes, photos, the contact of a participant in order to adapt and use in my work. Those of us working with LTLP Learning process know that Reflection and Action might take years to sink in.
Through the networks established after training, especially in Greece, I have been having meetings with several facilitators and have personally witnessed their transformation both professionally and personally. But what pleases me most is when I read about the wonderful work facilitators do in their own contexts all around the world. In the Ethics Education platform of Arigatou I am witness of amazing stories of implementation, photos and projects that document in the most vivid way possible the impact the trainings have on the trained facilitators.
Please give some examples to show your resourcefulness and creativity to organize trainings of facilitators. (600 words)
I can think of several examples of my creativity but what stands out is the organization and implementation of trainings that combine Learning to Live Together with Learning to Play Together. While in the LTLT trainings there has always been a team of facilitators to collectively organize and design a training in the “combined” ones it was my responsibility to do so as I was the one who created Learning to Play Together in the first place. Resourcefulness and creativity were needed not only for the theoretical part of combining concepts and values, methodologies and techniques but mostly for motivating physical educators. Sport teachers who had to be inspired to participate on the first hand and implement on the second hand a programme where physical education is combined with ethics education to promote intercultural understanding.
It was my task to make them familiar with LTLT first and prove afterwards that an adaptation of the programme’s basic concepts, values and methodological approach was feasible and applicable to the physical education curriculum.
In order to do so, I decided to have them participate as students. Not as teachers who would be trained on the use of the programme and the manual. But simple students who had to participate at the same sessions, activities, games, reflections I use with my elementary students. They had to feel it in their hands, hearts and heads before starting implementing it with their own students. Their feedback was amazing but it is another discussion....
In the second training I had with the same group or phys ed teachers, upon their own request, I had again to be creative as I wanted them to witness the impact LTLT and LTPT had on children. One of their reservations and doubts was the ability of children to reflect. I wanted them to see that the children are indeed capable if they are properly equipped and guided to do so. Even after playing a game...!!!!
What I did is to include refugee children in the training and implement a model lesson. I facilitated a workshop for teachers while implementing LTPT activities with refugee children. After a whole day with them observing we started the next day with a long reflection session on what they had witnessed. That reflection was at the same time the best motivation for the learning process that followed.
There are other examples of my “applied” resourcefulness in places like Africa when all material was stolen the night before and we discovered just an hour before starting the training. Or times in India when because of power cuts we could not use the power points we had prepared or the music we had planned. Or in Azerbaijan when we were given a lecture room with unmovable chairs and tables completely inappropriate for our training methods and techniques. I had to be imaginative and inventive in several trainings in Greece when, due to austerity measures, resources were scarce and I had to keep the quality with the little I had.
But having “less” drives me and inspires me to be “more”....
How have you provided mentorship and guidance to trained facilitators? (400 words)
The main way I have achieved so is by making myself available and accessible through mails, phone calls, skype sessions and on site visits (locally) in order to support the development of teaching and training materials, training programs or implementation of projects. Even though I do not feel that it was thanks to me, that an informal network of sensilble teachers exist in Greece, I believe that an accessible mentor is important to the dynamic of such informal teams.
Communities of Practice formed after a training were another source of provision of mentorship and guidance. I had the opportunity to facilitate one in Greece. As most of these communities of interested practicioners, it transforms its self after the completion of its work and is engaged in new initiatives such as in the time being the refugee education.
In Learning to Play Together trainings I have been supporting physical education and sports teachers through the approach of the so called model teaching. This technique uses the direct instruction either through the support of a group of students, or by testing materials and methods with the trainees as mock students. In this way we avoid many unnecessary discussions but also support directly the combination of gaining knowledge and skills. My experience shows, that many teachers understand very well the importance of changing the routine or the classroom management. The ‘what’ very often is not the problem, but the ‘how’ is. In my trainings I support teachers in their self esteem and their skills as professionals, making them aware, that change starts with small steps and right away, the very next day.
Last but not least in 2016 I facilitated an Online course for Learning To Live Together during which I supported trained facilitators to reflect and learn how the use of cooperative games can help to promote, through active participation and collaborative learning, the principles, content and values of Ethics Education.
How has the Learning to Live Together Programme influenced a positive transformation in you, in a personal and professional level? (400 words)
Working with Learning to Live Together, whether with my Primary school students in the Intercultural school or with teachers and trainers all around the world, had a profound effect in my personal and professional development.
Every country I worked in has provided a distinctive local context, was addressed to a specific target group requiring the constant refining of my context-sensitivity skills. Each training had to be customized to the particularities of the place it was implemented. Working on participants’ conscientization, I was simultaneously becoming more aware of the social reality of the country I found myself working in and the complexity of the world as a whole. My perspective and world view was widened after each training and my competence to relate LTLT concepts, methodologies and activities to specific local contexts and people was developed.
In many cases I found myself working with teachers’ trainers and co facilitators with substantial typical as well as essential skills and knowledge not only in pedagogical issues but in counseling and peace education, too. Trainers who possessed a great amount of experience in their field and demonstrated an advanced level of both cognitive and meta-cognitive skills. Through their deep and thought provoking inputs and feedback, their constant questioning and exploration of ways to contextualize the topics, the methods, the techniques, the reflections, they pushed my facilitation skills to an equally explorative mode of continuous elaboration of the sessions’ outcomes in order to meet their expectations and learning needs. I became more efficient, more flexible more open minded and adaptive.
LTLT transformed the physical educator in me and developed the psychosocial potential of the subject I taught. Because of it the Best Practice Learning to Play Together was created and became a valuable resource for teachers who wanted to use cooperative activities and games for interethnic cohesion and peace building.
Last but not least the greatest transformation was my spiritual growth. As a professional athlete and a great achiever I was once told during an advanced Capacity Building meeting of LTLT that I had to stop being a human-doing and start accepting and embracing my human-being dimension. That I can be without doing. That my inner spiritual self is of equal importance and value of my external works and actions. LTLT gave me inner peace and together with it I can better promote peace in a world that is in desperate need for it.
Please explain how you exemplify a strong role-model of the principles of Learning to Live Together. (400 words)
In Greek we say that we have to “do what we preach”. I always followed this and have been trying to live my professional and personal life with the value system I nurtured for my students, teachers and trainers I work with. I always did as I “preached” or so I was told. By being honest and caring. By leading by example when my professional choices were positions that made vulnerable social groups my work. For twenty years I worked with immigrant children teaching, playing, laughing, supporting, standing by them inside and outside school. I became the “personal volunteer” for several of them living in hostels and under social care and I took them out at weekends for strolls, theatre, museums or just to hang around in order for them to have a glimpse of “normality” in their institutionalized life. Two years ago, because of the work I did (both as a teacher and a teacher trainer) I was asked to join the Ministry of Education in a newly formed Department on Refuge Education as the flows were unprecedented and the State had to take measures. It was while in this position that I became consciously aware of my being a role model.
In March I was invited by a young couple in their flat for a celebration they were having. I gladly accepted the invitation and joined them. I was the only Greek there, the only non farsi speaking, probably the older one, also. The couple is from Iran and had been living for two years in one of the many Refugee Accommodation Centers in Athens. Because of my work as I had visited the Centers many times, got to know the children and the young people there and had worked with a few of them when in an Erasmus + sport project I needed mediators and interpreters. It was at that party that I was told “Gelly you really like us. I mean really. Like friends whom you socialize with. Not just because you work with and for them”. I believe I do. I respect diversity, I am a highly empathic and compassionate individual. I am a responsible and passionate reflective practitioner. I do simply work in Ethics Education. I practice ethics with my life. I do not preach about respecting different faiths and religions. I celebrate spring together with my Zoroastrian friends with NowRuz.
Explain how you act as an ambassador and advocator of the Learning to Live Together Programme in your local context. (600 words)
My role as an ambassador and advocator is achieved through my different professional roles. More specifically:
Peer to peer: Through the various projects on LTLT and LTPT I am involved in I have the opportunity to share the experience and integrate my teacher colleagues in Intercultural school into testing and applying LTLT’s innovative approach and materials and to sharpen together with them the profile of the school. Moreover, I motivate young colleagues from my school to participate in LTLT seminars and trainings. I can say, that our joint development in our school team has helped to make our school known better as a specialized place for the integration of migrant children which has, among other factors, made the school a prominent example of refugee integration since the refugee crisis started in Greece two years ago. More can be found at the schools’ website we developed in order for our work to be disseminated: http://www.interculturalschool.gr/about-school/our-activities/
Training of teachers and of teacher trainers: Through seminars, workshops and trainings as trainer and expert on LTLT and LTPT I come in contact with teachers, principals, education professionals, University students, NGO’s officials who are involved in children education. Through carefully planned and conducted trainings I advocate LTLT principles and values. By being a dedicated, passionate teacher and trainer myself I advocate that Learning to Live Together is a cross cutting theme. It provides space for reflection, dialogue, internalization and spiritual development regardless the expertise or the subject taught. I motivate teachers to nurture a deep, unconditional love for the children and the well fare of their lives. In my sport background what mattered was to be the fastest, the strongest. The principle was “The survival of the fittest”. I, on the other hand, decided early on when started working with LTLT and later LTPT that I want to make everyone “fit to survive”. And thrive. And this I advocate and stand for.
Head of the Department for Refugee Education, Ministry of Education. For the last two years I was recruited at the Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs in Greece and later appointed as a Head of the newly established Department. In my role as such I am often invited to deliver speeches and give presentations on Intercultural and Interfaith education as a means for refugee integration. Since my work in Learning to Play Together has also been published and disseminated through the years I am also invited as a key note speaker to events promoting the role of Games and Sports in social cohesion, development of self-esteem of women refugees, promotion of equality and so on and so forth. In all these, Learning to Live Together framework is an integral part that shapes the content and the presentation of it. Photos, storytelling and experiences from my LTLT engagement always give my audience the motivation to explore and discuss more about the programme. Together we reflect and find ways they can apply it to their context and work.
At the same time as Head of the Department my mandates include monitoring and management of non formal and informal education provided to refugees from the various NGOs. In regular monthly meetings we have established I have the opportunity to promote LTLT programme and using our Learning Process again motivate them to explore and discover on their own the effect and impact it can have in the refugee population they work with.
Array
(
[name_of_applicant] => Clara Mduma
[email] => claramduma@yahoo.com
[name_of_organization] => GNRC-TANZANIA
[country] => TANZANIA
[city] => Dar es salaam
[please_explain_how_you_have_conducted_trainings_on_the_learning_to_live_together_programme_600_words_] => LTLT Programme I was part of the program since 2016 where it was tested as tool kit and children from around the world were invited to attend the workshop, when the LTLT manual was launched in 2008, we continue organizing the activities in peace clubs but it was not structured since I was not trained as facilitator, but I applied the FTW which was organized here in Dar es salaam in 2016, and I started using the manual in schools especial with peace clubs.
In 2017 after attained the TTT certificate as trainer I manage to train 29 teachers who peace clubs matrons and patrons to use the program to address violence against children in schools especially corporal punishment and bullying, the program has reached 1194 children in primary/secondary school and madrasa in Dar es salaam. The programme is implemented in extra-curriculum act ivies where schools have 45 min session per week.
[how_have_you_used_the_ltlt_ethics_education_framework_400_words_] => The Ethics Education Framework it enable us with the approaches that encourage children participation in all aspect and it insures through the process children experience different ways of thinking on ethics. From my experience, this framework has ensured the active participation of the children and they have been full engage in every process. It also give opportunity for children to reflect on themselves and understand themselves better which it become easy for them to relate with others in the community. This approach as well it enables us trainers and facilitators to put children at the center in ways we relate to them and create safe learning environment where children will be able to express their thought and full participate.
[explain_how_the_conducted_trainings_have_been_sensitive_to_the_local_context_400_words_] => I decide to use the LTLT program to address the corporal punishment and bulling, most of adult are the perpetuators when come to corporal punishment, and with our local beliefs that a child is taught with a stick, so session was designed first to change individual behavior of the teachers and volunteers. So it was not only for them to learn and implement the program but also challenge their beliefs on corporal punishment. It’s better the changes starts with 29 teachers in schools and continue planting the seeds to others.
Also children through the training they learn to change their own behavior that discriminate others, and also for children to put themselves in the shoes of other children who suffer from bullying. Most of children in school are bullying because of their economic situation either they poor they cannot afford to have good school uniform, so through LTLT it facilitate children to understand their responsibility towards helping other children.
And the context was considered in different ways, we ensure that during the session children comes from different backgrounds they all engage and full participated
[how_has_the_conducted_trainings_impacted_the_trained_facilitators_400_words_] => I see the difference in most of the teachers, they way they relate to students within their respective schools, now days when schools have social events, the school management appoints peace clubs patrons and matrons just because they have positive relationship with students. And the approach they used when organizing activities with children motivates children participation.
The program has transformed the teachers themselves, it gives opportunity for teachers as well to reflect their own decisions and relate with their inner self before transform the learning to children.
[please_give_some_examples_to_show_your_resourcefulness_and_creativity_to_organize_trainings_of_facilitators_600_words_] => My aim using the LTLT program is motivate teachers as well to identify the alternative disciplinary methods that will contribute to children development instead of corporal punishment.
[how_have_you_provided_mentorship_and_guidance_to_trained_facilitators_400_words_] => We meet for community of practice once after every three months, and when we meet we identify areas that facilitators need assistance more, and mostly I have been co-facilitating with teacher and helping them to understand better the LTLT Framework and its approach. Peace club teachers before becoming the facilitators have been part of the LTLT programs through the volunteers who usually visited their schools frequent for implementing the programs. We have a whatsApp group as platform for teachers to share their progress of the implementations of the programs
[how_has_the_learning_to_live_together_programme_influenced_a_positive_transformation_in_you_in_a_personal_and_professional_level_400_words_] => LTLT has transformed me in different ways as a young person and now as a youth mentor and I’m very grateful to be part of the program since I was young. Being part of the LTLT program not only shaped me but shaped the other peace club members I was involved with. Ethics education was not in our school curriculum growing up, so being a part of the program has nurtured me and helped me grow spiritually. It made me aware of my responsibilities and the role I could have with contributing to positive change within my community. I was able to become a champion and a child rights activist; I led activities in my school that contributed to the wellbeing of children, and it was all possible not just because of my passion in my work, but also because of the knowledge I gained from the LTLT program. The LTLT program helped me understand my role and responsibility towards my community and helped me to discover and understand myself better with what I want to become.
I am very grateful that I was part of the program, and now I can work to address the issue of violence against children at the grassroots level, especially with bullying and corporal punishment in schools. It is my hope that after the implementation of the LTLT in the Peace Clubs, teachers themselves will be able to come up with a positive alternative to punishment that will contribute to the child’s development.
[please_explain_how_you_exemplify_a_strong_role_model_of_the_principles_of_learning_to_live_together_400_words_] => We as adult children look at us as role model, so they way we behave and act towards other people is the best lesson for children as well, if I as a trainer treat others without prejudice or stereotypes, treat all children equal and provide a space for children to free express their thought. Our actions are the best learning for children, I make sure to I live the LTLT approaches and principles in my daily life, exercising this every day until it become part of my life. We as adult have to live the values for children to understand them better.
[explain_how_you_act_as_an_ambassador_and_advocator_of_the_learning_to_live_together_programme_in_your_local_context_600_words_] => I have promoted LTLT with different programs that are initiated here with GNRC Tanzania, and now the program is used in the awareness and advocacy campaign about Albinism (HAKI YETU) where Children with albinism are most Vulnerable group. The Values of the Ethics Education during this project has played an important role to remind the community on the responsibilities in making sure the security and safety of the children with albinism.
[video_link] => https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XV-Zig6Zihg
[formFiles] => stdClass Object
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[_isComplex] => 1
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Name: Clara Mduma
Organization: GNRC-TANZANIA
Location: TANZANIA
Please explain how you have conducted trainings on the Learning to Live Together Programme. (600 words)
LTLT Programme I was part of the program since 2016 where it was tested as tool kit and children from around the world were invited to attend the workshop, when the LTLT manual was launched in 2008, we continue organizing the activities in peace clubs but it was not structured since I was not trained as facilitator, but I applied the FTW which was organized here in Dar es salaam in 2016, and I started using the manual in schools especial with peace clubs.
In 2017 after attained the TTT certificate as trainer I manage to train 29 teachers who peace clubs matrons and patrons to use the program to address violence against children in schools especially corporal punishment and bullying, the program has reached 1194 children in primary/secondary school and madrasa in Dar es salaam. The programme is implemented in extra-curriculum act ivies where schools have 45 min session per week.
How have you used the LTLT Ethics Education Framework? (400 words)
The Ethics Education Framework it enable us with the approaches that encourage children participation in all aspect and it insures through the process children experience different ways of thinking on ethics. From my experience, this framework has ensured the active participation of the children and they have been full engage in every process. It also give opportunity for children to reflect on themselves and understand themselves better which it become easy for them to relate with others in the community. This approach as well it enables us trainers and facilitators to put children at the center in ways we relate to them and create safe learning environment where children will be able to express their thought and full participate.
Explain how the conducted trainings have been sensitive to the local context. (400 words)
I decide to use the LTLT program to address the corporal punishment and bulling, most of adult are the perpetuators when come to corporal punishment, and with our local beliefs that a child is taught with a stick, so session was designed first to change individual behavior of the teachers and volunteers. So it was not only for them to learn and implement the program but also challenge their beliefs on corporal punishment. It’s better the changes starts with 29 teachers in schools and continue planting the seeds to others.
Also children through the training they learn to change their own behavior that discriminate others, and also for children to put themselves in the shoes of other children who suffer from bullying. Most of children in school are bullying because of their economic situation either they poor they cannot afford to have good school uniform, so through LTLT it facilitate children to understand their responsibility towards helping other children.
And the context was considered in different ways, we ensure that during the session children comes from different backgrounds they all engage and full participated
How has the conducted trainings impacted the trained facilitators? (400 words)
I see the difference in most of the teachers, they way they relate to students within their respective schools, now days when schools have social events, the school management appoints peace clubs patrons and matrons just because they have positive relationship with students. And the approach they used when organizing activities with children motivates children participation.
The program has transformed the teachers themselves, it gives opportunity for teachers as well to reflect their own decisions and relate with their inner self before transform the learning to children.
Please give some examples to show your resourcefulness and creativity to organize trainings of facilitators. (600 words)
My aim using the LTLT program is motivate teachers as well to identify the alternative disciplinary methods that will contribute to children development instead of corporal punishment.
How have you provided mentorship and guidance to trained facilitators? (400 words)
We meet for community of practice once after every three months, and when we meet we identify areas that facilitators need assistance more, and mostly I have been co-facilitating with teacher and helping them to understand better the LTLT Framework and its approach. Peace club teachers before becoming the facilitators have been part of the LTLT programs through the volunteers who usually visited their schools frequent for implementing the programs. We have a whatsApp group as platform for teachers to share their progress of the implementations of the programs
How has the Learning to Live Together Programme influenced a positive transformation in you, in a personal and professional level? (400 words)
LTLT has transformed me in different ways as a young person and now as a youth mentor and I’m very grateful to be part of the program since I was young. Being part of the LTLT program not only shaped me but shaped the other peace club members I was involved with. Ethics education was not in our school curriculum growing up, so being a part of the program has nurtured me and helped me grow spiritually. It made me aware of my responsibilities and the role I could have with contributing to positive change within my community. I was able to become a champion and a child rights activist; I led activities in my school that contributed to the wellbeing of children, and it was all possible not just because of my passion in my work, but also because of the knowledge I gained from the LTLT program. The LTLT program helped me understand my role and responsibility towards my community and helped me to discover and understand myself better with what I want to become.
I am very grateful that I was part of the program, and now I can work to address the issue of violence against children at the grassroots level, especially with bullying and corporal punishment in schools. It is my hope that after the implementation of the LTLT in the Peace Clubs, teachers themselves will be able to come up with a positive alternative to punishment that will contribute to the child’s development.
Please explain how you exemplify a strong role-model of the principles of Learning to Live Together. (400 words)
We as adult children look at us as role model, so they way we behave and act towards other people is the best lesson for children as well, if I as a trainer treat others without prejudice or stereotypes, treat all children equal and provide a space for children to free express their thought. Our actions are the best learning for children, I make sure to I live the LTLT approaches and principles in my daily life, exercising this every day until it become part of my life. We as adult have to live the values for children to understand them better.
Explain how you act as an ambassador and advocator of the Learning to Live Together Programme in your local context. (600 words)
I have promoted LTLT with different programs that are initiated here with GNRC Tanzania, and now the program is used in the awareness and advocacy campaign about Albinism (HAKI YETU) where Children with albinism are most Vulnerable group. The Values of the Ethics Education during this project has played an important role to remind the community on the responsibilities in making sure the security and safety of the children with albinism.
Please explain how you have conducted trainings on the Learning to Live Together Programme. (600 words)
LTLT Programme I was part of the program since 2016 where it was tested as tool kit and children from around the world were invited to attend the workshop, when the LTLT manual was launched in 2008, we continue organizing the activities in peace clubs but it was not structured since I was not trained as facilitator, but I applied the FTW which was organized here in Dar es salaam in 2016, and I started using the manual in schools especial with peace clubs.
In 2017 after attained the TTT certificate as trainer I manage to train 29 teachers who peace clubs matrons and patrons to use the program to address violence against children in schools especially corporal punishment and bullying, the program has reached 1194 children in primary/secondary school and madrasa in Dar es salaam. The programme is implemented in extra-curriculum act ivies where schools have 45 min session per week.
How have you used the LTLT Ethics Education Framework? (400 words)
The Ethics Education Framework it enable us with the approaches that encourage children participation in all aspect and it insures through the process children experience different ways of thinking on ethics. From my experience, this framework has ensured the active participation of the children and they have been full engage in every process. It also give opportunity for children to reflect on themselves and understand themselves better which it become easy for them to relate with others in the community. This approach as well it enables us trainers and facilitators to put children at the center in ways we relate to them and create safe learning environment where children will be able to express their thought and full participate.
Explain how the conducted trainings have been sensitive to the local context. (400 words)
I decide to use the LTLT program to address the corporal punishment and bulling, most of adult are the perpetuators when come to corporal punishment, and with our local beliefs that a child is taught with a stick, so session was designed first to change individual behavior of the teachers and volunteers. So it was not only for them to learn and implement the program but also challenge their beliefs on corporal punishment. It’s better the changes starts with 29 teachers in schools and continue planting the seeds to others.
Also children through the training they learn to change their own behavior that discriminate others, and also for children to put themselves in the shoes of other children who suffer from bullying. Most of children in school are bullying because of their economic situation either they poor they cannot afford to have good school uniform, so through LTLT it facilitate children to understand their responsibility towards helping other children.
And the context was considered in different ways, we ensure that during the session children comes from different backgrounds they all engage and full participated
How has the conducted trainings impacted the trained facilitators? (400 words)
I see the difference in most of the teachers, they way they relate to students within their respective schools, now days when schools have social events, the school management appoints peace clubs patrons and matrons just because they have positive relationship with students. And the approach they used when organizing activities with children motivates children participation.
The program has transformed the teachers themselves, it gives opportunity for teachers as well to reflect their own decisions and relate with their inner self before transform the learning to children.
Please give some examples to show your resourcefulness and creativity to organize trainings of facilitators. (600 words)
My aim using the LTLT program is motivate teachers as well to identify the alternative disciplinary methods that will contribute to children development instead of corporal punishment.
How have you provided mentorship and guidance to trained facilitators? (400 words)
We meet for community of practice once after every three months, and when we meet we identify areas that facilitators need assistance more, and mostly I have been co-facilitating with teacher and helping them to understand better the LTLT Framework and its approach. Peace club teachers before becoming the facilitators have been part of the LTLT programs through the volunteers who usually visited their schools frequent for implementing the programs. We have a whatsApp group as platform for teachers to share their progress of the implementations of the programs
How has the Learning to Live Together Programme influenced a positive transformation in you, in a personal and professional level? (400 words)
LTLT has transformed me in different ways as a young person and now as a youth mentor and I’m very grateful to be part of the program since I was young. Being part of the LTLT program not only shaped me but shaped the other peace club members I was involved with. Ethics education was not in our school curriculum growing up, so being a part of the program has nurtured me and helped me grow spiritually. It made me aware of my responsibilities and the role I could have with contributing to positive change within my community. I was able to become a champion and a child rights activist; I led activities in my school that contributed to the wellbeing of children, and it was all possible not just because of my passion in my work, but also because of the knowledge I gained from the LTLT program. The LTLT program helped me understand my role and responsibility towards my community and helped me to discover and understand myself better with what I want to become.
I am very grateful that I was part of the program, and now I can work to address the issue of violence against children at the grassroots level, especially with bullying and corporal punishment in schools. It is my hope that after the implementation of the LTLT in the Peace Clubs, teachers themselves will be able to come up with a positive alternative to punishment that will contribute to the child’s development.
Please explain how you exemplify a strong role-model of the principles of Learning to Live Together. (400 words)
We as adult children look at us as role model, so they way we behave and act towards other people is the best lesson for children as well, if I as a trainer treat others without prejudice or stereotypes, treat all children equal and provide a space for children to free express their thought. Our actions are the best learning for children, I make sure to I live the LTLT approaches and principles in my daily life, exercising this every day until it become part of my life. We as adult have to live the values for children to understand them better.
Explain how you act as an ambassador and advocator of the Learning to Live Together Programme in your local context. (600 words)
I have promoted LTLT with different programs that are initiated here with GNRC Tanzania, and now the program is used in the awareness and advocacy campaign about Albinism (HAKI YETU) where Children with albinism are most Vulnerable group. The Values of the Ethics Education during this project has played an important role to remind the community on the responsibilities in making sure the security and safety of the children with albinism.
Array
(
[name_of_applicant] => Larry José Madrigal Rajo.
[email] => larryjose.cbc@gmail.com
[name_of_organization] => Fundación Centro Bartolomé de las Casas
[country] => El Salvador
[city] => San Salvador
[please_explain_how_you_have_conducted_trainings_on_the_learning_to_live_together_programme_600_words_] => Talleres locales en El Salvador - con GNRC y con CBC.
Brisa y atardecer al aire libre bajo un árbol, juegos cooperativos, los valores representados en murales, estudio en pequeños grupos, visitas a lugares sagrados o de culto de las religiones… son las maneras concretas en las que normalmente ocurre una de las capacitaciones de AVJ.
La modalidad de capacitación depende mucho del contexto local, los recursos y las posibilidades de las personas que participan. A veces sólo es posible desarrollar varias sesiones de 04 u 08 horas por algunas semanas, en un lugar disponible en una comunidad. Otras veces es posible organizar varios días intensivos en residencia en un lugar especifico (normalmente una casa de retiros católica) que ha sido previamente visitado para asegurar las condiciones de seguridad, comodidad e idoneidad pedagógica.
Los talleres de capacitación se han desarrollado con jóvenes y adultos que trabajan en o vienen de comunidades muy vulnerables a la violencia generada por las pandillas en el Gran San Salvador. Estas personas son líderes comunitarios y religiosos, docentes de escuelas, promotores de salud o de las municipalidades, personajes clave de las comunidades y miembros de la GNRC. También se ha desarrollado procesos con gente joven y mujeres adultas campesinas de zonas rurales, casi todas sobrevivientes de primera, segunda o tercera generación de las masacres y la violencia político-militar de la guerra civil salvadoreña.
Los talleres de capacitación son siempre realizados en alianza con entidades religiosas o civiles que se articulan con la GNRC o con los proyectos de CBC, en los cuales soy un capacitador. Estas alianzas permiten ajustar mucho mejor los contenidos y metodologías, facilitan la logística necesaria para sostener el trabajo un grupo grande y ofrecen mejores garantías de seguimiento, monitoreo y documentación de impactos.
Los contenidos son siempre mediados por una metodología que toma en cuenta la corporalidad, las emociones, el contexto y los valores clave que articulan toda propuesta de Educación Ética. Es importante para mí el hecho de que las capacitaciones son mejor conducidas cuando se hacen en un equipo con el cual podemos facilitar mejor y de manera integral los diferentes aspectos del programa. Por lo tanto, la preparación, la facilitación compartida, la evaluación intermedia del taller y la evaluación son acciones de equipo.
Taller internacionales con GNRC LAC y con AI Ginebra.
Las capacitaciones en las que participo son también realizadas en otros países de la región, por invitación de la GNRC LAC o de Arigatou International Ginebra.
En estos casos, la capacitación se realiza a lo largo de varios días intensivos en residencia, donde acuden personas de los más variados contextos sociales y religiosos. Estas capacitaciones requieren mucho tiempo de preparación anticipada virtual, donde se ajustan los contenidos y herramientas a partir del conocimiento disponible sobre el grupo de participantes. Cuando estas capacitaciones concluyen, a menudo existe la posibilidad de continuar el contacto y asesoría a través de redes sociales o en encuentros puntuales ofrecidos a la GNRC.
Compartir de experiencias en contextos internacionales
En El Salvador he estado liderando el equipo facilitador que organizó el intercambio metodológico de Educación Ética entre equipos facilitadores que trabajan AVJ con niñez y juventudes en Guatemala, República Dominicana, Panamá, Colombia y Ecuador. Este intercambio fue posible gracias a un proyecto que ejecutamos en CBC con Vastenactie (Holanda). Los equipos facilitadores de los países fueron identificados por la Oficina de Arigatou en Ginebra como lugares donde la implementación ha crecido y ha pasado a una fase de mayor evaluación e impacto. El intercambio se realizó en jornadas intensivas en residencia en las montañas de El Salvador.
A veces, es posible organizar sesiones para compartir experiencias formativas sobre AVJ en algunas actividades puntuales, lo cual requiere de una facilitación ágil y adecuada en contextos que no siempre son aptos para la metodología de AVJ (auditorios, espacios académicos o personas de grupos no familiarizadas con la educación)
[how_have_you_used_the_ltlt_ethics_education_framework_400_words_] => Compartimos el marco de EE de manera completa en todos los procesos de capacitación, no sólo leyendo o discutiendo teóricamente, sino con ejemplos concretos de la practica adocene o comunitaria, pero también de la práctica personal. Desarrollamos técnicas y ejercicios con los que este marco puede ser “aprehendido” y no sólo solamente estudiado.
Dado el contexto salvadoreño, destaco algunos elementos del enfoque educativo del marco de EE.
1. Ponemos mucha atención en el contar con Espacios seguros. Esto se refiere no solamente a las condiciones físicas (que no pocas veces implica un fuerte riesgo para la vida de los participantes, especialmente hombres jóvenes) y al tratamiento ético con las personas que acuden al taller, sino en la construcción de la confianza y las relaciones de respeto y horizontalidad con que las personas cuentan más allá del espacio de taller, para saber que sus experiencias serán honradas y respetadas y que encontrarán ayuda y coherencia con lo aprendido entre las personas que fueron participantes.
2. La conciencia pedagógica sobre la integralidad de AVJ tiene que ver no sólo con la interrelación de los contenidos, articulados de maneras coherente y efectiva para el aprendizaje de los valores y enfoques del manual, sino también en el diseño concretos de los tiempos, lugares, materiales y ritmos generales de la capacitación.
Un ejemplo de esa interrelación son los espacios de comida común, el tiempo libre, las pausas de descanso entre sesiones, son oportunidad para conocernos más libremente, sin poses formales y con la espontaneidad de la vida cotidiana. Otro ejemplo es cuando el grupo asume labores domésticas que genera nuestro accionar pedagógico, como limpiar el salón, mover los muebles, preparar los alimentos o recoger y limpiar los platos; estas cuestiones muchas veces son realizadas por el grupo de participantes y son experiencias clave para entender y sentir AVJ no solamente como contenidos para otros, sino como experiencias para sí mismo en relación con los demás.
3. Otro elemento que en América latina destacamos con mucho énfasis es el pensamiento crítico, que desde las intuiciones del gran pedagogo Paulo Freire, implica el establecimiento de relaciones horizontales entre quienes facilitan el aprendizaje colectivo y las personas que participan. Es quizá uno de los aspectos más difíciles de alcanzar porque requiere de tiempo, voluntad y paciencia de quienes facilitan y de la apertura de los participantes para superar la expectativa de clases magistrales o de educación bancaria. Un ejemplo concreto es cuando motivo a pensar en palabras clave y preguntas generadoras sobre el proceso que estamos viviendo en la capacitación: “palabra clave” es una palabra que abre a nuevas cosas, que resume experiencias que no son fácilmente explicadas; “pregunta generadora” es una pregunta que no pretende ser respondida, sino que nos abre a un horizonte de ideas, de cuestionamientos que nos movilizan para reflexionar y pensar y entonces tomar decisiones.
[explain_how_the_conducted_trainings_have_been_sensitive_to_the_local_context_400_words_] => Desde mi experiencia trabajo con comunidades muy vulnerables a la pobreza y la violencia, las capacitaciones son un momento de un largo proceso de acercamiento a grupos, comunidades con necesidades concretas. No es un curso libre o abierto para quienes casualmente desean conocer más o sólo quieren certificar sus competencias pedagógicas.
Una de las formas en que promuevo la sensibilidad al contexto es atendiendo a los ritmos locales (horarios, lugares, comidas, seguridad ciudadana) de los personas que finalmente atenderán los participantes. Los horarios pueden diferir mucho según las labores económicas de la zona o según la cultura local, por ejemplo, en el campo, la hora de la siesta (cuando se suspende labores para descansar a mitad del día) o la hora de las oraciones, los días de los ciclos agrícolas por lluvia o sequía y las distancias que deben recorrer (a veces caminando) para llegar hasta el lugar donde se realiza la capacitación. En la ciudad, la presencia o no de pandillas, de operativos policiales, de emergencias, marcan mucho el diseño de una capacitación que a veces requiere de más pausas o de horarios y modos no tradicionales (feriados nacionales o inicios muy temprano en la madrugada).
Utilizo mucho de la cultura local (idioma, símbolos, rituales, historia). A veces las personas mejor preparadas y aptas para recibir la capacitación en zonas indígenas hablan muy básicamente el castellano y por supuesto, no hablan inglés. El castellano es la lengua vehicular de AVJ en El Salvador, Honduras y Guatemala, lugares donde desarrollo mi trabajo. Esto requiere de la participación de traductores locales con los cuales es necesario reunirnos previamente, viviendo algún ejercicio de la capacitación, para que pueden construir los códigos necesarios para la interpretación a los idiomas mayas (K’ekch’i y K’iche’), Nawat y Lenca. También la inclusión de historias, rituales o símbolos locales requiere de una investigación previa a los talleres que requiere investigación con paciencia, tiempo personal y mucha humildad. ¡Algo de estos idiomas en mi vocabulario es muy importante!
Procuro estar atento a la economía local (recursos) y el ambiente), siendo sensible al contexto con las cadenas de producción local, evitando en lo posible productos industriales y fomentando alimentación producida y/o elaborada en las cercanías por referentes de la comunidad. Con mis colegas nunca proporcionamos empaques desechables (por ejemplo, botellas de agua o platos de plástico) e intentamos reutilizar todo el material pedagógico que sea posible (lanas, marcadores, papeles por los dos lados, etc). Esto a veces es difícil porque implica más preparación y a veces cargar nuestros propios utensilios para los lugares donde haremos la capacitación.
[how_has_the_conducted_trainings_impacted_the_trained_facilitators_400_words_] => La mayoría de las personas declaran sentirse satisfechas con una capacitación valorada como excelente, de alta calidad, con enfoque pedagógico idóneo y en la que es posible documentar el uso de herramientas didácticas apropiadas y actualizadas. Esta satisfacción la he comprobado en varios casos cuando sus referentes laborales o comunitarios valoran su trabajo y se documenta en impactos no previstos para otras áreas de su acción social y en la aplicación en sus propias familias y entornos.
Me consta que se ha generado una actitud de aprendizaje y diálogo en las personas que concluyen la capacitación. Esta actitud con sus propios pares de capacitación, con sus colegas de trabajo, con sus vecinos y amigos en la comunidad, con las personas de comunidad religiosa. Un elemento muy importante que hemos obtenido con las historias de vida es la conciencia de varias personas adultas sobre su adultocentrismo y la apertura de canales de comprensión mutua con niñas, niños y gente joven. Y en casi toda la gente joven capacitada, un interés genuino por el diálogo intergeneracional con personas mayores.
El establecimiento de amistades duraderas es un impacto no previsto que ayuda muchísimo a compartir, procesar y superar las dificultades de un entorno difícil que no siempre ayuda y defiende los valores de AVJ y a compartir las esperanzas y hallazgos para perseverar. Estas amistades se han desarrollado a veces entre personas muy dispares (en edad, religión, residencia o nivel educativo) pero siguen en el tiempo, a veces virtualmente, demostrando que los lazos no son sólo formales y profesionales, sino muy espontáneos y humanos
Sentido de espiritualidad, mística. La mayoría de las personas capacitadas reportan y mi experiencia con ellas lo confirma, que se ha desarrollado un sentido muy profundo y diferente de espiritualidad, de mística en el quehacer pedagógico del programa AVJ. Esta mística se expresa no sólo con rituales, oraciones o lectura de textos sagrados, sino con la actitud de todos los días cuando se desarrolla una sesión o proceso de AVJ y los momentos más duros de contextos vulnerables donde trabaja la mayoría de las personas capacitadas, a veces en solitario y muchas otras incluso a través de países diferentes con comunicaciones virtuales.
[please_give_some_examples_to_show_your_resourcefulness_and_creativity_to_organize_trainings_of_facilitators_600_words_] => En Arcatao (Chalatenango), algunos jóvenes que asistieron a los primeros procesos de capacitación, contaron la descripción de su lugar de origen. Cuando finalmente pudimos hacer una visita y conocer a sus familias, los jóvenes nos contaron que cuando veían los kioskos recordaban las casitas quemadas durante la guerra que sus padres les contaban. Así que descubrimos que la vivencia del programa podía reflejarse a tamaño natural con un mapa de los dos módulos con los kioskos. Nació la idea de los senderos de la memoria, un lugar donde se puede recorrer en vivo los diferentes kioskos y sus nombres, siguiendo un camino con diferentes incidencias (lugares donde se vivieron masacres, donde hay miradores de paisajes, donde existen monumentos naturales o históricos, donde se puede apreciar flora y fauna nativa). Cuando el resto del grupo conoció este lugar y pudo visitarlo, la autoestima de la comunidad se fortaleció y se reflexionó la responsabilidad de todos en mantener viva la memoria y trabajar por la reconciliación. Todos juntos diseñamos las rutas, se levantó los kioskos con bioconstrución y se actualmente hay visitas de otros grupos de AVJ.
En la zona Montreal (Mejicanos, San Salvador), no teníamos un lugar agradable y pedagógico donde reunirnos cuando iniciamos con el proceso de capacitación. Todo estaba encerrado o era demasiado caluroso. Así que motivé a visitar familias y recibimos reportes de que vive a la orilla de un barranco, donde existe un antiguo árbol de mango. Este árbol ha sido testigo de muchas historias de la comunidad, desde los primeros residentes: tiene balas de la guerra civil alojadas en su tronco, sus ramas han sido quemadas por los incendios de basura, sus raíces estaban fuera por la erosión y los viejos contaban que cuando eran niños cortaban sus frutos por las tardes. El proyecto de CBC motivó a la comunidad para crear un lugar accesible, lindo y fresco bajo el árbol, donde pudieran ofrecer juegos y técnicas de AVJ a niñas, niños y jóvenes de la comunidad. Y el grupo de personas capacitadas hizo una investigación entrevistando a las familias sobre las historias que las personas mayores han vivido bajo ese árbol o con él. Después hemos convertido esas historias en dibujos que se pueden ver en el mural elaborado colectivamente y que se pueden escuchar todas las tardes bajo el árbol. Tenemos el plan de un cuaderno con fotos para recordar, dibujos para que los niños pinten y las historias escritas como cuentos.
El camino pedagógico en Panamá. En un taller realizado en la selva del canal de Panamá, sin tiendas cercanas y sin comunicaciones, con irregular servicio de energía eléctrica, encontramos que no teníamos electricidad para el proyecto y presentar el power point con el marco de Educación Ética y tampoco papelería para escribir los elementos. Propuse a mis colegas organizar grupos que buscarían entre el bosque -utilizando pistas- los diferentes elementos del enfoque educativo, repartidos en pequeños papeles. Cada grupo vivió en el camino la experiencia de dialogar, pensar y organizarse para usar el tiempo disponible, capacidades físicas en el grupo y tomar decisiones sobre la marcha para estudiar el documento. Fue una experiencia estupenda incluso para los grupos que no lograron encontrar todos los elementos, porque la experiencia sobre el camino les marcó en una metáfora de la realidad de la implementación. Al final hicimos un plenario donde todos pudieron compartir sus hallazgos. Esta técnica he usado después en capacitación de AVJ en El Salvador, Guatemala y recientemente en Colombia.
La evaluación cuando no es posible leer y escribir, en zonas indígenas. Cuando la gente no puede interactuar con un formulario muy grande y teórico de evaluación, he propuesto una técnica sencilla de usar una o dos manos, para evaluar aspectos diferentes de la capacitación. Cada persona pinta con un color de marcador o pintura un símbolo, dibujo o palabra que refleja su experiencia sobre un aspecto que se pregunta. Por ejemplo: movemos los pies y anotamos en el dedo meñique, un ejercicio que gustó mucho; en el dedo medio, colocado antes sobre el corazón, una emoción significativa que vivió durante el taller; en el dedo anular, dos ideas claras que se llevan del taller, para lo cual colocan su dedo en la sien y así sucesivamente. Y cuando están todos los dedos de una o las dos manos, según el aspecto a evaluar, se comparte en parejas alternativas un dedo a la vez, con los colegas del grupo. Quienes han vivido esta experiencia, dicen que es linda, profunda y útil para una apreciación cualitativa.
[how_have_you_provided_mentorship_and_guidance_to_trained_facilitators_400_words_] => La manera más frecuente es con encuentros de persona a persona porque los talleres de capacitación generan relaciones muy sólidas que requieren de tiempo posterior para orientar, ofrecer recursos pedagógicos complementarios, compartir ideas y evaluar el proceso de implementación. Muchas veces estos encuentros se hacen en el camino, bajo árboles o en la oficina local donde trabaja el facilitador. También puede ser en mi propia oficina o en espacios comunes en los que participamos.
Cuando no es posible un encuentro personal o cuando los talleres se realizaron en otros países, hemos desarrollado los grupos especiales en facebook para facilitar el contacto entre las personas de un grupo concreto de un proceso formativo y se cuenta para esto con el apoyo de la oficina de Ginebra, que lo ha implementado en otros grupos. Por las redes y las vías virtuales, a veces años después, esta asesoría sigue, de forma más puntual y madura.
En El Salvador esta orientación la realizo también los encuentros de autocuidado, que son espacios para personas facilitadoras en los que durante una mañana al mes o en dos días un par de veces al año, nos reunimos para compartir y procesar las incidencias de la implementación. Usamos co-escucha y escucha activa para dialogar sobre lo que está sucediendo y a veces, documento en audiovisual alguna experiencia concreta. Esto ayuda mucho a personas que necesitan una atención más profunda debido a situaciones límite y eventualmente, con necesidad de atención terapéutica.
A veces también la asesoría se ha desarrollado aprovechando actividades extracurriculares como las visitas interreligiosas o el DPAC y también en encuentros de la GNRC, donde algunas personas que he capacitado me preguntan sobre cuestiones de género y masculinidades, juegos cooperativos, espiritualidad o implementación de EE en El Salvador y hacemos revisión de ejercicios o literatura complementaria.
[how_has_the_learning_to_live_together_programme_influenced_a_positive_transformation_in_you_in_a_personal_and_professional_level_400_words_] => Crecí en una familia muy diversa: por nacionalidad, de Costa Rica y El Salvador; por religión, judía y católica; por diversidad de roles, con tías mujeres muy fuertes y sobrevivientes de situaciones traumáticas por las guerras. AVJ me ha ayudado a reconocer y sanar mi propia historia e identidad, sin miedos a la mezcla, a lo nuevo, a la coherencia de mis creencias y valores, a construir resiliencia familiar con las experiencias de los mayores. He aprendido no solamente a estudiar los diferentes kioskos, sino aplicarlos a mi propia vida, compartiéndolos con mi familia entre todas las generaciones (“hacia arriba” con los mayores y “hacia abajo” con los más jóvenes).
Después de 10 años con AVJ, reconozco como ha cambiado mi relación con niñas, niños y jóvenes, aumentando la calidad, tomándolos como sujetos en crecimiento, y con las personas mayores, que pueden ser amistades intergeneracionales auténticas, incluso reconociendo algunas como mis madres espirituales en cuanto a la Educación Ética con AVJ.
He logrado desarrollar amistades duraderas con mis pares en AVJ, asumiendo nuestras diferencias de edad, religión, condición social y hasta ideas políticas. Esto es muy fundamental para mi espiritualidad, porque estas personas viven en mi entorno cercano de la GNRC El Salvador y algunas de ellas en otros países. Cada nuevo taller o experiencia de capacitación, conduce a una nueva oportunidad de reconocernos y transformar el mundo juntas.
Ahora reconozco que 10 años de trabajo en Educación Ética me han llevado a mayor desarrollo de mis capacidades profesionales como teólogo: reflexión teológica interreligiosa, la perspectiva de una ética mundial, la interpretación de textos sagrados desde diferentes puntos de vista, psicología de las experiencias religiosas y la construcción de modelos educativos en la diversidad.
[please_explain_how_you_exemplify_a_strong_role_model_of_the_principles_of_learning_to_live_together_400_words_] => Para mí es un asunto vital la coherencia personal sobre lo que vivo y creo. Esto lo en la vida diaria, pero especialmente en los talleres de capacitación donde muchas veces las diferencias son interpretadas como obstáculos o como declaraciones que crean distancia en las personas.
Por ejemplo, sobre mi identidad religiosa, en la que muchas personas no pueden entender que una herencia judía sefardita puede ser vivida plenamente como católico romano, sin necesidad de signos externos o declaraciones formales al respecto. También en mis opciones vitales de alimentación y consumo, muchas veces encuentro opiniones que cuestionan no comer carne o la estética de vestimenta si no está legitimado por una creencia religiosa. Estas cosas se explican con naturalidad, se cuentan de manera franca y divertida con anécdotas y se reconocen en las opciones de otras personas.
Asumo directa y constantemente la participación activa e igualitaria, asumiendo la autoridad de colegas mujeres en los equipos de facilitación y en los procesos de implementación como una apuesta personal para superar el patriarcado y las desiguales hacia las mujeres. Esto significa no participar de chistes sexistas o de actos de acoso a las mujeres o de violencia sutil o simbólica con mi propia tradición religiosa. Esto puede ocasionar que otros hombres me traten de manera hostil o desconfiada, pero intento generar puentes de confianza con cosas, temas y prácticas comunes que muchas veces terminan en cambios personales a favor de la equidad y los derechos de las niñas y las mujeres.
He aprendido a cultivar un genuino interés por las experiencias de fe y humanas de las personas de otras tradiciones religiosas o experiencias sociales, lo que implica grandes dosis de silencio, de simplemente preguntar, de acompañar el relato y las experiencias de personas que abren su corazón quizá de manera única. Y cuando es solicitado, comparto lo que siento, lo que aprendo y lo que espero, no sólo a nivel profesional, sino al nivel más profundo de la mística y la fe personal.
[explain_how_you_act_as_an_ambassador_and_advocator_of_the_learning_to_live_together_programme_in_your_local_context_600_words_] => Promuevo la EE y AVJ entre mis colegas de CBC y entidades aliadas, para introducirla en toda nuestra programación, dedicando tiempo a la innovación, creación, adaptación y monitoreo de las técnicas, enfoques y M&E. Intentamos vivir lo que hacemos en los talleres, día con día, reflexionando lo que nos pasa, las dificultades y los hallazgos, articulando pensamiento propio que después puedo compartir.
Dedico tiempo personal de manera voluntaria a sostener las acciones de AVJ en El Salvador, en cuanto coordinador nacional pero en cuanto capacitador y amigo de los equipos facilitadores. Con el apoyo de mis colegas de CBC, apoyo diferentes esfuerzos de seguimiento o capacitación en otros países. Participo en espacios diversos en los cuales se aborda la Educación Ética en su confluencia con la prevención de la violencia, los derechos de la niñez, la equidad de género, el acceso a la educación y otros.
También asisto a festividades o conmemoraciones significativas para algunas de las religiones participantes en GNRC o de las entidades civiles que se articulan con el programa, hablando de manera pública y sencilla de las diferentes facetas de la implementación en El Salvador, los países cercanos y más allá.
Actúo en todas mis esferas llevando los valores que he interiorizado, actuando coherentemente como expresión concreta de la dignidad humana. En mi familia, ha significado una oportunidad de reconectar con una dimensión espiritual que no excluye o reduce, sino que amplía y crece.
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Name: Larry José Madrigal Rajo.
Organization: Fundación Centro...
Location: El Salvador
Please explain how you have conducted trainings on the Learning to Live Together Programme. (600 words)
Talleres locales en El Salvador - con GNRC y con CBC.
Brisa y atardecer al aire libre bajo un árbol, juegos cooperativos, los valores representados en murales, estudio en pequeños grupos, visitas a lugares sagrados o de culto de las religiones… son las maneras concretas en las que normalmente ocurre una de las capacitaciones de AVJ.
La modalidad de capacitación depende mucho del contexto local, los recursos y las posibilidades de las personas que participan. A veces sólo es posible desarrollar varias sesiones de 04 u 08 horas por algunas semanas, en un lugar disponible en una comunidad. Otras veces es posible organizar varios días intensivos en residencia en un lugar especifico (normalmente una casa de retiros católica) que ha sido previamente visitado para asegurar las condiciones de seguridad, comodidad e idoneidad pedagógica.
Los talleres de capacitación se han desarrollado con jóvenes y adultos que trabajan en o vienen de comunidades muy vulnerables a la violencia generada por las pandillas en el Gran San Salvador. Estas personas son líderes comunitarios y religiosos, docentes de escuelas, promotores de salud o de las municipalidades, personajes clave de las comunidades y miembros de la GNRC. También se ha desarrollado procesos con gente joven y mujeres adultas campesinas de zonas rurales, casi todas sobrevivientes de primera, segunda o tercera generación de las masacres y la violencia político-militar de la guerra civil salvadoreña.
Los talleres de capacitación son siempre realizados en alianza con entidades religiosas o civiles que se articulan con la GNRC o con los proyectos de CBC, en los cuales soy un capacitador. Estas alianzas permiten ajustar mucho mejor los contenidos y metodologías, facilitan la logística necesaria para sostener el trabajo un grupo grande y ofrecen mejores garantías de seguimiento, monitoreo y documentación de impactos.
Los contenidos son siempre mediados por una metodología que toma en cuenta la corporalidad, las emociones, el contexto y los valores clave que articulan toda propuesta de Educación Ética. Es importante para mí el hecho de que las capacitaciones son mejor conducidas cuando se hacen en un equipo con el cual podemos facilitar mejor y de manera integral los diferentes aspectos del programa. Por lo tanto, la preparación, la facilitación compartida, la evaluación intermedia del taller y la evaluación son acciones de equipo.
Taller internacionales con GNRC LAC y con AI Ginebra.
Las capacitaciones en las que participo son también realizadas en otros países de la región, por invitación de la GNRC LAC o de Arigatou International Ginebra.
En estos casos, la capacitación se realiza a lo largo de varios días intensivos en residencia, donde acuden personas de los más variados contextos sociales y religiosos. Estas capacitaciones requieren mucho tiempo de preparación anticipada virtual, donde se ajustan los contenidos y herramientas a partir del conocimiento disponible sobre el grupo de participantes. Cuando estas capacitaciones concluyen, a menudo existe la posibilidad de continuar el contacto y asesoría a través de redes sociales o en encuentros puntuales ofrecidos a la GNRC.
Compartir de experiencias en contextos internacionales
En El Salvador he estado liderando el equipo facilitador que organizó el intercambio metodológico de Educación Ética entre equipos facilitadores que trabajan AVJ con niñez y juventudes en Guatemala, República Dominicana, Panamá, Colombia y Ecuador. Este intercambio fue posible gracias a un proyecto que ejecutamos en CBC con Vastenactie (Holanda). Los equipos facilitadores de los países fueron identificados por la Oficina de Arigatou en Ginebra como lugares donde la implementación ha crecido y ha pasado a una fase de mayor evaluación e impacto. El intercambio se realizó en jornadas intensivas en residencia en las montañas de El Salvador.
A veces, es posible organizar sesiones para compartir experiencias formativas sobre AVJ en algunas actividades puntuales, lo cual requiere de una facilitación ágil y adecuada en contextos que no siempre son aptos para la metodología de AVJ (auditorios, espacios académicos o personas de grupos no familiarizadas con la educación)
How have you used the LTLT Ethics Education Framework? (400 words)
Compartimos el marco de EE de manera completa en todos los procesos de capacitación, no sólo leyendo o discutiendo teóricamente, sino con ejemplos concretos de la practica adocene o comunitaria, pero también de la práctica personal. Desarrollamos técnicas y ejercicios con los que este marco puede ser “aprehendido” y no sólo solamente estudiado.
Dado el contexto salvadoreño, destaco algunos elementos del enfoque educativo del marco de EE.
1. Ponemos mucha atención en el contar con Espacios seguros. Esto se refiere no solamente a las condiciones físicas (que no pocas veces implica un fuerte riesgo para la vida de los participantes, especialmente hombres jóvenes) y al tratamiento ético con las personas que acuden al taller, sino en la construcción de la confianza y las relaciones de respeto y horizontalidad con que las personas cuentan más allá del espacio de taller, para saber que sus experiencias serán honradas y respetadas y que encontrarán ayuda y coherencia con lo aprendido entre las personas que fueron participantes.
2. La conciencia pedagógica sobre la integralidad de AVJ tiene que ver no sólo con la interrelación de los contenidos, articulados de maneras coherente y efectiva para el aprendizaje de los valores y enfoques del manual, sino también en el diseño concretos de los tiempos, lugares, materiales y ritmos generales de la capacitación.
Un ejemplo de esa interrelación son los espacios de comida común, el tiempo libre, las pausas de descanso entre sesiones, son oportunidad para conocernos más libremente, sin poses formales y con la espontaneidad de la vida cotidiana. Otro ejemplo es cuando el grupo asume labores domésticas que genera nuestro accionar pedagógico, como limpiar el salón, mover los muebles, preparar los alimentos o recoger y limpiar los platos; estas cuestiones muchas veces son realizadas por el grupo de participantes y son experiencias clave para entender y sentir AVJ no solamente como contenidos para otros, sino como experiencias para sí mismo en relación con los demás.
3. Otro elemento que en América latina destacamos con mucho énfasis es el pensamiento crítico, que desde las intuiciones del gran pedagogo Paulo Freire, implica el establecimiento de relaciones horizontales entre quienes facilitan el aprendizaje colectivo y las personas que participan. Es quizá uno de los aspectos más difíciles de alcanzar porque requiere de tiempo, voluntad y paciencia de quienes facilitan y de la apertura de los participantes para superar la expectativa de clases magistrales o de educación bancaria. Un ejemplo concreto es cuando motivo a pensar en palabras clave y preguntas generadoras sobre el proceso que estamos viviendo en la capacitación: “palabra clave” es una palabra que abre a nuevas cosas, que resume experiencias que no son fácilmente explicadas; “pregunta generadora” es una pregunta que no pretende ser respondida, sino que nos abre a un horizonte de ideas, de cuestionamientos que nos movilizan para reflexionar y pensar y entonces tomar decisiones.
Explain how the conducted trainings have been sensitive to the local context. (400 words)
Desde mi experiencia trabajo con comunidades muy vulnerables a la pobreza y la violencia, las capacitaciones son un momento de un largo proceso de acercamiento a grupos, comunidades con necesidades concretas. No es un curso libre o abierto para quienes casualmente desean conocer más o sólo quieren certificar sus competencias pedagógicas.
Una de las formas en que promuevo la sensibilidad al contexto es atendiendo a los ritmos locales (horarios, lugares, comidas, seguridad ciudadana) de los personas que finalmente atenderán los participantes. Los horarios pueden diferir mucho según las labores económicas de la zona o según la cultura local, por ejemplo, en el campo, la hora de la siesta (cuando se suspende labores para descansar a mitad del día) o la hora de las oraciones, los días de los ciclos agrícolas por lluvia o sequía y las distancias que deben recorrer (a veces caminando) para llegar hasta el lugar donde se realiza la capacitación. En la ciudad, la presencia o no de pandillas, de operativos policiales, de emergencias, marcan mucho el diseño de una capacitación que a veces requiere de más pausas o de horarios y modos no tradicionales (feriados nacionales o inicios muy temprano en la madrugada).
Utilizo mucho de la cultura local (idioma, símbolos, rituales, historia). A veces las personas mejor preparadas y aptas para recibir la capacitación en zonas indígenas hablan muy básicamente el castellano y por supuesto, no hablan inglés. El castellano es la lengua vehicular de AVJ en El Salvador, Honduras y Guatemala, lugares donde desarrollo mi trabajo. Esto requiere de la participación de traductores locales con los cuales es necesario reunirnos previamente, viviendo algún ejercicio de la capacitación, para que pueden construir los códigos necesarios para la interpretación a los idiomas mayas (K’ekch’i y K’iche’), Nawat y Lenca. También la inclusión de historias, rituales o símbolos locales requiere de una investigación previa a los talleres que requiere investigación con paciencia, tiempo personal y mucha humildad. ¡Algo de estos idiomas en mi vocabulario es muy importante!
Procuro estar atento a la economía local (recursos) y el ambiente), siendo sensible al contexto con las cadenas de producción local, evitando en lo posible productos industriales y fomentando alimentación producida y/o elaborada en las cercanías por referentes de la comunidad. Con mis colegas nunca proporcionamos empaques desechables (por ejemplo, botellas de agua o platos de plástico) e intentamos reutilizar todo el material pedagógico que sea posible (lanas, marcadores, papeles por los dos lados, etc). Esto a veces es difícil porque implica más preparación y a veces cargar nuestros propios utensilios para los lugares donde haremos la capacitación.
How has the conducted trainings impacted the trained facilitators? (400 words)
La mayoría de las personas declaran sentirse satisfechas con una capacitación valorada como excelente, de alta calidad, con enfoque pedagógico idóneo y en la que es posible documentar el uso de herramientas didácticas apropiadas y actualizadas. Esta satisfacción la he comprobado en varios casos cuando sus referentes laborales o comunitarios valoran su trabajo y se documenta en impactos no previstos para otras áreas de su acción social y en la aplicación en sus propias familias y entornos.
Me consta que se ha generado una actitud de aprendizaje y diálogo en las personas que concluyen la capacitación. Esta actitud con sus propios pares de capacitación, con sus colegas de trabajo, con sus vecinos y amigos en la comunidad, con las personas de comunidad religiosa. Un elemento muy importante que hemos obtenido con las historias de vida es la conciencia de varias personas adultas sobre su adultocentrismo y la apertura de canales de comprensión mutua con niñas, niños y gente joven. Y en casi toda la gente joven capacitada, un interés genuino por el diálogo intergeneracional con personas mayores.
El establecimiento de amistades duraderas es un impacto no previsto que ayuda muchísimo a compartir, procesar y superar las dificultades de un entorno difícil que no siempre ayuda y defiende los valores de AVJ y a compartir las esperanzas y hallazgos para perseverar. Estas amistades se han desarrollado a veces entre personas muy dispares (en edad, religión, residencia o nivel educativo) pero siguen en el tiempo, a veces virtualmente, demostrando que los lazos no son sólo formales y profesionales, sino muy espontáneos y humanos
Sentido de espiritualidad, mística. La mayoría de las personas capacitadas reportan y mi experiencia con ellas lo confirma, que se ha desarrollado un sentido muy profundo y diferente de espiritualidad, de mística en el quehacer pedagógico del programa AVJ. Esta mística se expresa no sólo con rituales, oraciones o lectura de textos sagrados, sino con la actitud de todos los días cuando se desarrolla una sesión o proceso de AVJ y los momentos más duros de contextos vulnerables donde trabaja la mayoría de las personas capacitadas, a veces en solitario y muchas otras incluso a través de países diferentes con comunicaciones virtuales.
Please give some examples to show your resourcefulness and creativity to organize trainings of facilitators. (600 words)
En Arcatao (Chalatenango), algunos jóvenes que asistieron a los primeros procesos de capacitación, contaron la descripción de su lugar de origen. Cuando finalmente pudimos hacer una visita y conocer a sus familias, los jóvenes nos contaron que cuando veían los kioskos recordaban las casitas quemadas durante la guerra que sus padres les contaban. Así que descubrimos que la vivencia del programa podía reflejarse a tamaño natural con un mapa de los dos módulos con los kioskos. Nació la idea de los senderos de la memoria, un lugar donde se puede recorrer en vivo los diferentes kioskos y sus nombres, siguiendo un camino con diferentes incidencias (lugares donde se vivieron masacres, donde hay miradores de paisajes, donde existen monumentos naturales o históricos, donde se puede apreciar flora y fauna nativa). Cuando el resto del grupo conoció este lugar y pudo visitarlo, la autoestima de la comunidad se fortaleció y se reflexionó la responsabilidad de todos en mantener viva la memoria y trabajar por la reconciliación. Todos juntos diseñamos las rutas, se levantó los kioskos con bioconstrución y se actualmente hay visitas de otros grupos de AVJ.
En la zona Montreal (Mejicanos, San Salvador), no teníamos un lugar agradable y pedagógico donde reunirnos cuando iniciamos con el proceso de capacitación. Todo estaba encerrado o era demasiado caluroso. Así que motivé a visitar familias y recibimos reportes de que vive a la orilla de un barranco, donde existe un antiguo árbol de mango. Este árbol ha sido testigo de muchas historias de la comunidad, desde los primeros residentes: tiene balas de la guerra civil alojadas en su tronco, sus ramas han sido quemadas por los incendios de basura, sus raíces estaban fuera por la erosión y los viejos contaban que cuando eran niños cortaban sus frutos por las tardes. El proyecto de CBC motivó a la comunidad para crear un lugar accesible, lindo y fresco bajo el árbol, donde pudieran ofrecer juegos y técnicas de AVJ a niñas, niños y jóvenes de la comunidad. Y el grupo de personas capacitadas hizo una investigación entrevistando a las familias sobre las historias que las personas mayores han vivido bajo ese árbol o con él. Después hemos convertido esas historias en dibujos que se pueden ver en el mural elaborado colectivamente y que se pueden escuchar todas las tardes bajo el árbol. Tenemos el plan de un cuaderno con fotos para recordar, dibujos para que los niños pinten y las historias escritas como cuentos.
El camino pedagógico en Panamá. En un taller realizado en la selva del canal de Panamá, sin tiendas cercanas y sin comunicaciones, con irregular servicio de energía eléctrica, encontramos que no teníamos electricidad para el proyecto y presentar el power point con el marco de Educación Ética y tampoco papelería para escribir los elementos. Propuse a mis colegas organizar grupos que buscarían entre el bosque -utilizando pistas- los diferentes elementos del enfoque educativo, repartidos en pequeños papeles. Cada grupo vivió en el camino la experiencia de dialogar, pensar y organizarse para usar el tiempo disponible, capacidades físicas en el grupo y tomar decisiones sobre la marcha para estudiar el documento. Fue una experiencia estupenda incluso para los grupos que no lograron encontrar todos los elementos, porque la experiencia sobre el camino les marcó en una metáfora de la realidad de la implementación. Al final hicimos un plenario donde todos pudieron compartir sus hallazgos. Esta técnica he usado después en capacitación de AVJ en El Salvador, Guatemala y recientemente en Colombia.
La evaluación cuando no es posible leer y escribir, en zonas indígenas. Cuando la gente no puede interactuar con un formulario muy grande y teórico de evaluación, he propuesto una técnica sencilla de usar una o dos manos, para evaluar aspectos diferentes de la capacitación. Cada persona pinta con un color de marcador o pintura un símbolo, dibujo o palabra que refleja su experiencia sobre un aspecto que se pregunta. Por ejemplo: movemos los pies y anotamos en el dedo meñique, un ejercicio que gustó mucho; en el dedo medio, colocado antes sobre el corazón, una emoción significativa que vivió durante el taller; en el dedo anular, dos ideas claras que se llevan del taller, para lo cual colocan su dedo en la sien y así sucesivamente. Y cuando están todos los dedos de una o las dos manos, según el aspecto a evaluar, se comparte en parejas alternativas un dedo a la vez, con los colegas del grupo. Quienes han vivido esta experiencia, dicen que es linda, profunda y útil para una apreciación cualitativa.
How have you provided mentorship and guidance to trained facilitators? (400 words)
La manera más frecuente es con encuentros de persona a persona porque los talleres de capacitación generan relaciones muy sólidas que requieren de tiempo posterior para orientar, ofrecer recursos pedagógicos complementarios, compartir ideas y evaluar el proceso de implementación. Muchas veces estos encuentros se hacen en el camino, bajo árboles o en la oficina local donde trabaja el facilitador. También puede ser en mi propia oficina o en espacios comunes en los que participamos.
Cuando no es posible un encuentro personal o cuando los talleres se realizaron en otros países, hemos desarrollado los grupos especiales en facebook para facilitar el contacto entre las personas de un grupo concreto de un proceso formativo y se cuenta para esto con el apoyo de la oficina de Ginebra, que lo ha implementado en otros grupos. Por las redes y las vías virtuales, a veces años después, esta asesoría sigue, de forma más puntual y madura.
En El Salvador esta orientación la realizo también los encuentros de autocuidado, que son espacios para personas facilitadoras en los que durante una mañana al mes o en dos días un par de veces al año, nos reunimos para compartir y procesar las incidencias de la implementación. Usamos co-escucha y escucha activa para dialogar sobre lo que está sucediendo y a veces, documento en audiovisual alguna experiencia concreta. Esto ayuda mucho a personas que necesitan una atención más profunda debido a situaciones límite y eventualmente, con necesidad de atención terapéutica.
A veces también la asesoría se ha desarrollado aprovechando actividades extracurriculares como las visitas interreligiosas o el DPAC y también en encuentros de la GNRC, donde algunas personas que he capacitado me preguntan sobre cuestiones de género y masculinidades, juegos cooperativos, espiritualidad o implementación de EE en El Salvador y hacemos revisión de ejercicios o literatura complementaria.
How has the Learning to Live Together Programme influenced a positive transformation in you, in a personal and professional level? (400 words)
Crecí en una familia muy diversa: por nacionalidad, de Costa Rica y El Salvador; por religión, judía y católica; por diversidad de roles, con tías mujeres muy fuertes y sobrevivientes de situaciones traumáticas por las guerras. AVJ me ha ayudado a reconocer y sanar mi propia historia e identidad, sin miedos a la mezcla, a lo nuevo, a la coherencia de mis creencias y valores, a construir resiliencia familiar con las experiencias de los mayores. He aprendido no solamente a estudiar los diferentes kioskos, sino aplicarlos a mi propia vida, compartiéndolos con mi familia entre todas las generaciones (“hacia arriba” con los mayores y “hacia abajo” con los más jóvenes).
Después de 10 años con AVJ, reconozco como ha cambiado mi relación con niñas, niños y jóvenes, aumentando la calidad, tomándolos como sujetos en crecimiento, y con las personas mayores, que pueden ser amistades intergeneracionales auténticas, incluso reconociendo algunas como mis madres espirituales en cuanto a la Educación Ética con AVJ.
He logrado desarrollar amistades duraderas con mis pares en AVJ, asumiendo nuestras diferencias de edad, religión, condición social y hasta ideas políticas. Esto es muy fundamental para mi espiritualidad, porque estas personas viven en mi entorno cercano de la GNRC El Salvador y algunas de ellas en otros países. Cada nuevo taller o experiencia de capacitación, conduce a una nueva oportunidad de reconocernos y transformar el mundo juntas.
Ahora reconozco que 10 años de trabajo en Educación Ética me han llevado a mayor desarrollo de mis capacidades profesionales como teólogo: reflexión teológica interreligiosa, la perspectiva de una ética mundial, la interpretación de textos sagrados desde diferentes puntos de vista, psicología de las experiencias religiosas y la construcción de modelos educativos en la diversidad.
Please explain how you exemplify a strong role-model of the principles of Learning to Live Together. (400 words)
Para mí es un asunto vital la coherencia personal sobre lo que vivo y creo. Esto lo en la vida diaria, pero especialmente en los talleres de capacitación donde muchas veces las diferencias son interpretadas como obstáculos o como declaraciones que crean distancia en las personas.
Por ejemplo, sobre mi identidad religiosa, en la que muchas personas no pueden entender que una herencia judía sefardita puede ser vivida plenamente como católico romano, sin necesidad de signos externos o declaraciones formales al respecto. También en mis opciones vitales de alimentación y consumo, muchas veces encuentro opiniones que cuestionan no comer carne o la estética de vestimenta si no está legitimado por una creencia religiosa. Estas cosas se explican con naturalidad, se cuentan de manera franca y divertida con anécdotas y se reconocen en las opciones de otras personas.
Asumo directa y constantemente la participación activa e igualitaria, asumiendo la autoridad de colegas mujeres en los equipos de facilitación y en los procesos de implementación como una apuesta personal para superar el patriarcado y las desiguales hacia las mujeres. Esto significa no participar de chistes sexistas o de actos de acoso a las mujeres o de violencia sutil o simbólica con mi propia tradición religiosa. Esto puede ocasionar que otros hombres me traten de manera hostil o desconfiada, pero intento generar puentes de confianza con cosas, temas y prácticas comunes que muchas veces terminan en cambios personales a favor de la equidad y los derechos de las niñas y las mujeres.
He aprendido a cultivar un genuino interés por las experiencias de fe y humanas de las personas de otras tradiciones religiosas o experiencias sociales, lo que implica grandes dosis de silencio, de simplemente preguntar, de acompañar el relato y las experiencias de personas que abren su corazón quizá de manera única. Y cuando es solicitado, comparto lo que siento, lo que aprendo y lo que espero, no sólo a nivel profesional, sino al nivel más profundo de la mística y la fe personal.
Explain how you act as an ambassador and advocator of the Learning to Live Together Programme in your local context. (600 words)
Promuevo la EE y AVJ entre mis colegas de CBC y entidades aliadas, para introducirla en toda nuestra programación, dedicando tiempo a la innovación, creación, adaptación y monitoreo de las técnicas, enfoques y M&E. Intentamos vivir lo que hacemos en los talleres, día con día, reflexionando lo que nos pasa, las dificultades y los hallazgos, articulando pensamiento propio que después puedo compartir.
Dedico tiempo personal de manera voluntaria a sostener las acciones de AVJ en El Salvador, en cuanto coordinador nacional pero en cuanto capacitador y amigo de los equipos facilitadores. Con el apoyo de mis colegas de CBC, apoyo diferentes esfuerzos de seguimiento o capacitación en otros países. Participo en espacios diversos en los cuales se aborda la Educación Ética en su confluencia con la prevención de la violencia, los derechos de la niñez, la equidad de género, el acceso a la educación y otros.
También asisto a festividades o conmemoraciones significativas para algunas de las religiones participantes en GNRC o de las entidades civiles que se articulan con el programa, hablando de manera pública y sencilla de las diferentes facetas de la implementación en El Salvador, los países cercanos y más allá.
Actúo en todas mis esferas llevando los valores que he interiorizado, actuando coherentemente como expresión concreta de la dignidad humana. En mi familia, ha significado una oportunidad de reconectar con una dimensión espiritual que no excluye o reduce, sino que amplía y crece.
Organization: Fundación Centro Bartolomé de las Casas
Location: San Salvador, El Salvador
Please explain how you have conducted trainings on the Learning to Live Together Programme. (600 words)
Talleres locales en El Salvador - con GNRC y con CBC.
Brisa y atardecer al aire libre bajo un árbol, juegos cooperativos, los valores representados en murales, estudio en pequeños grupos, visitas a lugares sagrados o de culto de las religiones… son las maneras concretas en las que normalmente ocurre una de las capacitaciones de AVJ.
La modalidad de capacitación depende mucho del contexto local, los recursos y las posibilidades de las personas que participan. A veces sólo es posible desarrollar varias sesiones de 04 u 08 horas por algunas semanas, en un lugar disponible en una comunidad. Otras veces es posible organizar varios días intensivos en residencia en un lugar especifico (normalmente una casa de retiros católica) que ha sido previamente visitado para asegurar las condiciones de seguridad, comodidad e idoneidad pedagógica.
Los talleres de capacitación se han desarrollado con jóvenes y adultos que trabajan en o vienen de comunidades muy vulnerables a la violencia generada por las pandillas en el Gran San Salvador. Estas personas son líderes comunitarios y religiosos, docentes de escuelas, promotores de salud o de las municipalidades, personajes clave de las comunidades y miembros de la GNRC. También se ha desarrollado procesos con gente joven y mujeres adultas campesinas de zonas rurales, casi todas sobrevivientes de primera, segunda o tercera generación de las masacres y la violencia político-militar de la guerra civil salvadoreña.
Los talleres de capacitación son siempre realizados en alianza con entidades religiosas o civiles que se articulan con la GNRC o con los proyectos de CBC, en los cuales soy un capacitador. Estas alianzas permiten ajustar mucho mejor los contenidos y metodologías, facilitan la logística necesaria para sostener el trabajo un grupo grande y ofrecen mejores garantías de seguimiento, monitoreo y documentación de impactos.
Los contenidos son siempre mediados por una metodología que toma en cuenta la corporalidad, las emociones, el contexto y los valores clave que articulan toda propuesta de Educación Ética. Es importante para mí el hecho de que las capacitaciones son mejor conducidas cuando se hacen en un equipo con el cual podemos facilitar mejor y de manera integral los diferentes aspectos del programa. Por lo tanto, la preparación, la facilitación compartida, la evaluación intermedia del taller y la evaluación son acciones de equipo.
Taller internacionales con GNRC LAC y con AI Ginebra.
Las capacitaciones en las que participo son también realizadas en otros países de la región, por invitación de la GNRC LAC o de Arigatou International Ginebra.
En estos casos, la capacitación se realiza a lo largo de varios días intensivos en residencia, donde acuden personas de los más variados contextos sociales y religiosos. Estas capacitaciones requieren mucho tiempo de preparación anticipada virtual, donde se ajustan los contenidos y herramientas a partir del conocimiento disponible sobre el grupo de participantes. Cuando estas capacitaciones concluyen, a menudo existe la posibilidad de continuar el contacto y asesoría a través de redes sociales o en encuentros puntuales ofrecidos a la GNRC.
Compartir de experiencias en contextos internacionales
En El Salvador he estado liderando el equipo facilitador que organizó el intercambio metodológico de Educación Ética entre equipos facilitadores que trabajan AVJ con niñez y juventudes en Guatemala, República Dominicana, Panamá, Colombia y Ecuador. Este intercambio fue posible gracias a un proyecto que ejecutamos en CBC con Vastenactie (Holanda). Los equipos facilitadores de los países fueron identificados por la Oficina de Arigatou en Ginebra como lugares donde la implementación ha crecido y ha pasado a una fase de mayor evaluación e impacto. El intercambio se realizó en jornadas intensivas en residencia en las montañas de El Salvador.
A veces, es posible organizar sesiones para compartir experiencias formativas sobre AVJ en algunas actividades puntuales, lo cual requiere de una facilitación ágil y adecuada en contextos que no siempre son aptos para la metodología de AVJ (auditorios, espacios académicos o personas de grupos no familiarizadas con la educación)
How have you used the LTLT Ethics Education Framework? (400 words)
Compartimos el marco de EE de manera completa en todos los procesos de capacitación, no sólo leyendo o discutiendo teóricamente, sino con ejemplos concretos de la practica adocene o comunitaria, pero también de la práctica personal. Desarrollamos técnicas y ejercicios con los que este marco puede ser “aprehendido” y no sólo solamente estudiado.
Dado el contexto salvadoreño, destaco algunos elementos del enfoque educativo del marco de EE.
1. Ponemos mucha atención en el contar con Espacios seguros. Esto se refiere no solamente a las condiciones físicas (que no pocas veces implica un fuerte riesgo para la vida de los participantes, especialmente hombres jóvenes) y al tratamiento ético con las personas que acuden al taller, sino en la construcción de la confianza y las relaciones de respeto y horizontalidad con que las personas cuentan más allá del espacio de taller, para saber que sus experiencias serán honradas y respetadas y que encontrarán ayuda y coherencia con lo aprendido entre las personas que fueron participantes.
2. La conciencia pedagógica sobre la integralidad de AVJ tiene que ver no sólo con la interrelación de los contenidos, articulados de maneras coherente y efectiva para el aprendizaje de los valores y enfoques del manual, sino también en el diseño concretos de los tiempos, lugares, materiales y ritmos generales de la capacitación.
Un ejemplo de esa interrelación son los espacios de comida común, el tiempo libre, las pausas de descanso entre sesiones, son oportunidad para conocernos más libremente, sin poses formales y con la espontaneidad de la vida cotidiana. Otro ejemplo es cuando el grupo asume labores domésticas que genera nuestro accionar pedagógico, como limpiar el salón, mover los muebles, preparar los alimentos o recoger y limpiar los platos; estas cuestiones muchas veces son realizadas por el grupo de participantes y son experiencias clave para entender y sentir AVJ no solamente como contenidos para otros, sino como experiencias para sí mismo en relación con los demás.
3. Otro elemento que en América latina destacamos con mucho énfasis es el pensamiento crítico, que desde las intuiciones del gran pedagogo Paulo Freire, implica el establecimiento de relaciones horizontales entre quienes facilitan el aprendizaje colectivo y las personas que participan. Es quizá uno de los aspectos más difíciles de alcanzar porque requiere de tiempo, voluntad y paciencia de quienes facilitan y de la apertura de los participantes para superar la expectativa de clases magistrales o de educación bancaria. Un ejemplo concreto es cuando motivo a pensar en palabras clave y preguntas generadoras sobre el proceso que estamos viviendo en la capacitación: “palabra clave” es una palabra que abre a nuevas cosas, que resume experiencias que no son fácilmente explicadas; “pregunta generadora” es una pregunta que no pretende ser respondida, sino que nos abre a un horizonte de ideas, de cuestionamientos que nos movilizan para reflexionar y pensar y entonces tomar decisiones.
Explain how the conducted trainings have been sensitive to the local context. (400 words)
Desde mi experiencia trabajo con comunidades muy vulnerables a la pobreza y la violencia, las capacitaciones son un momento de un largo proceso de acercamiento a grupos, comunidades con necesidades concretas. No es un curso libre o abierto para quienes casualmente desean conocer más o sólo quieren certificar sus competencias pedagógicas.
Una de las formas en que promuevo la sensibilidad al contexto es atendiendo a los ritmos locales (horarios, lugares, comidas, seguridad ciudadana) de los personas que finalmente atenderán los participantes. Los horarios pueden diferir mucho según las labores económicas de la zona o según la cultura local, por ejemplo, en el campo, la hora de la siesta (cuando se suspende labores para descansar a mitad del día) o la hora de las oraciones, los días de los ciclos agrícolas por lluvia o sequía y las distancias que deben recorrer (a veces caminando) para llegar hasta el lugar donde se realiza la capacitación. En la ciudad, la presencia o no de pandillas, de operativos policiales, de emergencias, marcan mucho el diseño de una capacitación que a veces requiere de más pausas o de horarios y modos no tradicionales (feriados nacionales o inicios muy temprano en la madrugada).
Utilizo mucho de la cultura local (idioma, símbolos, rituales, historia). A veces las personas mejor preparadas y aptas para recibir la capacitación en zonas indígenas hablan muy básicamente el castellano y por supuesto, no hablan inglés. El castellano es la lengua vehicular de AVJ en El Salvador, Honduras y Guatemala, lugares donde desarrollo mi trabajo. Esto requiere de la participación de traductores locales con los cuales es necesario reunirnos previamente, viviendo algún ejercicio de la capacitación, para que pueden construir los códigos necesarios para la interpretación a los idiomas mayas (K’ekch’i y K’iche’), Nawat y Lenca. También la inclusión de historias, rituales o símbolos locales requiere de una investigación previa a los talleres que requiere investigación con paciencia, tiempo personal y mucha humildad. ¡Algo de estos idiomas en mi vocabulario es muy importante!
Procuro estar atento a la economía local (recursos) y el ambiente), siendo sensible al contexto con las cadenas de producción local, evitando en lo posible productos industriales y fomentando alimentación producida y/o elaborada en las cercanías por referentes de la comunidad. Con mis colegas nunca proporcionamos empaques desechables (por ejemplo, botellas de agua o platos de plástico) e intentamos reutilizar todo el material pedagógico que sea posible (lanas, marcadores, papeles por los dos lados, etc). Esto a veces es difícil porque implica más preparación y a veces cargar nuestros propios utensilios para los lugares donde haremos la capacitación.
How has the conducted trainings impacted the trained facilitators? (400 words)
La mayoría de las personas declaran sentirse satisfechas con una capacitación valorada como excelente, de alta calidad, con enfoque pedagógico idóneo y en la que es posible documentar el uso de herramientas didácticas apropiadas y actualizadas. Esta satisfacción la he comprobado en varios casos cuando sus referentes laborales o comunitarios valoran su trabajo y se documenta en impactos no previstos para otras áreas de su acción social y en la aplicación en sus propias familias y entornos.
Me consta que se ha generado una actitud de aprendizaje y diálogo en las personas que concluyen la capacitación. Esta actitud con sus propios pares de capacitación, con sus colegas de trabajo, con sus vecinos y amigos en la comunidad, con las personas de comunidad religiosa. Un elemento muy importante que hemos obtenido con las historias de vida es la conciencia de varias personas adultas sobre su adultocentrismo y la apertura de canales de comprensión mutua con niñas, niños y gente joven. Y en casi toda la gente joven capacitada, un interés genuino por el diálogo intergeneracional con personas mayores.
El establecimiento de amistades duraderas es un impacto no previsto que ayuda muchísimo a compartir, procesar y superar las dificultades de un entorno difícil que no siempre ayuda y defiende los valores de AVJ y a compartir las esperanzas y hallazgos para perseverar. Estas amistades se han desarrollado a veces entre personas muy dispares (en edad, religión, residencia o nivel educativo) pero siguen en el tiempo, a veces virtualmente, demostrando que los lazos no son sólo formales y profesionales, sino muy espontáneos y humanos
Sentido de espiritualidad, mística. La mayoría de las personas capacitadas reportan y mi experiencia con ellas lo confirma, que se ha desarrollado un sentido muy profundo y diferente de espiritualidad, de mística en el quehacer pedagógico del programa AVJ. Esta mística se expresa no sólo con rituales, oraciones o lectura de textos sagrados, sino con la actitud de todos los días cuando se desarrolla una sesión o proceso de AVJ y los momentos más duros de contextos vulnerables donde trabaja la mayoría de las personas capacitadas, a veces en solitario y muchas otras incluso a través de países diferentes con comunicaciones virtuales.
Please give some examples to show your resourcefulness and creativity to organize trainings of facilitators. (600 words)
En Arcatao (Chalatenango), algunos jóvenes que asistieron a los primeros procesos de capacitación, contaron la descripción de su lugar de origen. Cuando finalmente pudimos hacer una visita y conocer a sus familias, los jóvenes nos contaron que cuando veían los kioskos recordaban las casitas quemadas durante la guerra que sus padres les contaban. Así que descubrimos que la vivencia del programa podía reflejarse a tamaño natural con un mapa de los dos módulos con los kioskos. Nació la idea de los senderos de la memoria, un lugar donde se puede recorrer en vivo los diferentes kioskos y sus nombres, siguiendo un camino con diferentes incidencias (lugares donde se vivieron masacres, donde hay miradores de paisajes, donde existen monumentos naturales o históricos, donde se puede apreciar flora y fauna nativa). Cuando el resto del grupo conoció este lugar y pudo visitarlo, la autoestima de la comunidad se fortaleció y se reflexionó la responsabilidad de todos en mantener viva la memoria y trabajar por la reconciliación. Todos juntos diseñamos las rutas, se levantó los kioskos con bioconstrución y se actualmente hay visitas de otros grupos de AVJ.
En la zona Montreal (Mejicanos, San Salvador), no teníamos un lugar agradable y pedagógico donde reunirnos cuando iniciamos con el proceso de capacitación. Todo estaba encerrado o era demasiado caluroso. Así que motivé a visitar familias y recibimos reportes de que vive a la orilla de un barranco, donde existe un antiguo árbol de mango. Este árbol ha sido testigo de muchas historias de la comunidad, desde los primeros residentes: tiene balas de la guerra civil alojadas en su tronco, sus ramas han sido quemadas por los incendios de basura, sus raíces estaban fuera por la erosión y los viejos contaban que cuando eran niños cortaban sus frutos por las tardes. El proyecto de CBC motivó a la comunidad para crear un lugar accesible, lindo y fresco bajo el árbol, donde pudieran ofrecer juegos y técnicas de AVJ a niñas, niños y jóvenes de la comunidad. Y el grupo de personas capacitadas hizo una investigación entrevistando a las familias sobre las historias que las personas mayores han vivido bajo ese árbol o con él. Después hemos convertido esas historias en dibujos que se pueden ver en el mural elaborado colectivamente y que se pueden escuchar todas las tardes bajo el árbol. Tenemos el plan de un cuaderno con fotos para recordar, dibujos para que los niños pinten y las historias escritas como cuentos.
El camino pedagógico en Panamá. En un taller realizado en la selva del canal de Panamá, sin tiendas cercanas y sin comunicaciones, con irregular servicio de energía eléctrica, encontramos que no teníamos electricidad para el proyecto y presentar el power point con el marco de Educación Ética y tampoco papelería para escribir los elementos. Propuse a mis colegas organizar grupos que buscarían entre el bosque -utilizando pistas- los diferentes elementos del enfoque educativo, repartidos en pequeños papeles. Cada grupo vivió en el camino la experiencia de dialogar, pensar y organizarse para usar el tiempo disponible, capacidades físicas en el grupo y tomar decisiones sobre la marcha para estudiar el documento. Fue una experiencia estupenda incluso para los grupos que no lograron encontrar todos los elementos, porque la experiencia sobre el camino les marcó en una metáfora de la realidad de la implementación. Al final hicimos un plenario donde todos pudieron compartir sus hallazgos. Esta técnica he usado después en capacitación de AVJ en El Salvador, Guatemala y recientemente en Colombia.
La evaluación cuando no es posible leer y escribir, en zonas indígenas. Cuando la gente no puede interactuar con un formulario muy grande y teórico de evaluación, he propuesto una técnica sencilla de usar una o dos manos, para evaluar aspectos diferentes de la capacitación. Cada persona pinta con un color de marcador o pintura un símbolo, dibujo o palabra que refleja su experiencia sobre un aspecto que se pregunta. Por ejemplo: movemos los pies y anotamos en el dedo meñique, un ejercicio que gustó mucho; en el dedo medio, colocado antes sobre el corazón, una emoción significativa que vivió durante el taller; en el dedo anular, dos ideas claras que se llevan del taller, para lo cual colocan su dedo en la sien y así sucesivamente. Y cuando están todos los dedos de una o las dos manos, según el aspecto a evaluar, se comparte en parejas alternativas un dedo a la vez, con los colegas del grupo. Quienes han vivido esta experiencia, dicen que es linda, profunda y útil para una apreciación cualitativa.
How have you provided mentorship and guidance to trained facilitators? (400 words)
La manera más frecuente es con encuentros de persona a persona porque los talleres de capacitación generan relaciones muy sólidas que requieren de tiempo posterior para orientar, ofrecer recursos pedagógicos complementarios, compartir ideas y evaluar el proceso de implementación. Muchas veces estos encuentros se hacen en el camino, bajo árboles o en la oficina local donde trabaja el facilitador. También puede ser en mi propia oficina o en espacios comunes en los que participamos.
Cuando no es posible un encuentro personal o cuando los talleres se realizaron en otros países, hemos desarrollado los grupos especiales en facebook para facilitar el contacto entre las personas de un grupo concreto de un proceso formativo y se cuenta para esto con el apoyo de la oficina de Ginebra, que lo ha implementado en otros grupos. Por las redes y las vías virtuales, a veces años después, esta asesoría sigue, de forma más puntual y madura.
En El Salvador esta orientación la realizo también los encuentros de autocuidado, que son espacios para personas facilitadoras en los que durante una mañana al mes o en dos días un par de veces al año, nos reunimos para compartir y procesar las incidencias de la implementación. Usamos co-escucha y escucha activa para dialogar sobre lo que está sucediendo y a veces, documento en audiovisual alguna experiencia concreta. Esto ayuda mucho a personas que necesitan una atención más profunda debido a situaciones límite y eventualmente, con necesidad de atención terapéutica.
A veces también la asesoría se ha desarrollado aprovechando actividades extracurriculares como las visitas interreligiosas o el DPAC y también en encuentros de la GNRC, donde algunas personas que he capacitado me preguntan sobre cuestiones de género y masculinidades, juegos cooperativos, espiritualidad o implementación de EE en El Salvador y hacemos revisión de ejercicios o literatura complementaria.
How has the Learning to Live Together Programme influenced a positive transformation in you, in a personal and professional level? (400 words)
Crecí en una familia muy diversa: por nacionalidad, de Costa Rica y El Salvador; por religión, judía y católica; por diversidad de roles, con tías mujeres muy fuertes y sobrevivientes de situaciones traumáticas por las guerras. AVJ me ha ayudado a reconocer y sanar mi propia historia e identidad, sin miedos a la mezcla, a lo nuevo, a la coherencia de mis creencias y valores, a construir resiliencia familiar con las experiencias de los mayores. He aprendido no solamente a estudiar los diferentes kioskos, sino aplicarlos a mi propia vida, compartiéndolos con mi familia entre todas las generaciones (“hacia arriba” con los mayores y “hacia abajo” con los más jóvenes).
Después de 10 años con AVJ, reconozco como ha cambiado mi relación con niñas, niños y jóvenes, aumentando la calidad, tomándolos como sujetos en crecimiento, y con las personas mayores, que pueden ser amistades intergeneracionales auténticas, incluso reconociendo algunas como mis madres espirituales en cuanto a la Educación Ética con AVJ.
He logrado desarrollar amistades duraderas con mis pares en AVJ, asumiendo nuestras diferencias de edad, religión, condición social y hasta ideas políticas. Esto es muy fundamental para mi espiritualidad, porque estas personas viven en mi entorno cercano de la GNRC El Salvador y algunas de ellas en otros países. Cada nuevo taller o experiencia de capacitación, conduce a una nueva oportunidad de reconocernos y transformar el mundo juntas.
Ahora reconozco que 10 años de trabajo en Educación Ética me han llevado a mayor desarrollo de mis capacidades profesionales como teólogo: reflexión teológica interreligiosa, la perspectiva de una ética mundial, la interpretación de textos sagrados desde diferentes puntos de vista, psicología de las experiencias religiosas y la construcción de modelos educativos en la diversidad.
Please explain how you exemplify a strong role-model of the principles of Learning to Live Together. (400 words)
Para mí es un asunto vital la coherencia personal sobre lo que vivo y creo. Esto lo en la vida diaria, pero especialmente en los talleres de capacitación donde muchas veces las diferencias son interpretadas como obstáculos o como declaraciones que crean distancia en las personas.
Por ejemplo, sobre mi identidad religiosa, en la que muchas personas no pueden entender que una herencia judía sefardita puede ser vivida plenamente como católico romano, sin necesidad de signos externos o declaraciones formales al respecto. También en mis opciones vitales de alimentación y consumo, muchas veces encuentro opiniones que cuestionan no comer carne o la estética de vestimenta si no está legitimado por una creencia religiosa. Estas cosas se explican con naturalidad, se cuentan de manera franca y divertida con anécdotas y se reconocen en las opciones de otras personas.
Asumo directa y constantemente la participación activa e igualitaria, asumiendo la autoridad de colegas mujeres en los equipos de facilitación y en los procesos de implementación como una apuesta personal para superar el patriarcado y las desiguales hacia las mujeres. Esto significa no participar de chistes sexistas o de actos de acoso a las mujeres o de violencia sutil o simbólica con mi propia tradición religiosa. Esto puede ocasionar que otros hombres me traten de manera hostil o desconfiada, pero intento generar puentes de confianza con cosas, temas y prácticas comunes que muchas veces terminan en cambios personales a favor de la equidad y los derechos de las niñas y las mujeres.
He aprendido a cultivar un genuino interés por las experiencias de fe y humanas de las personas de otras tradiciones religiosas o experiencias sociales, lo que implica grandes dosis de silencio, de simplemente preguntar, de acompañar el relato y las experiencias de personas que abren su corazón quizá de manera única. Y cuando es solicitado, comparto lo que siento, lo que aprendo y lo que espero, no sólo a nivel profesional, sino al nivel más profundo de la mística y la fe personal.
Explain how you act as an ambassador and advocator of the Learning to Live Together Programme in your local context. (600 words)
Promuevo la EE y AVJ entre mis colegas de CBC y entidades aliadas, para introducirla en toda nuestra programación, dedicando tiempo a la innovación, creación, adaptación y monitoreo de las técnicas, enfoques y M&E. Intentamos vivir lo que hacemos en los talleres, día con día, reflexionando lo que nos pasa, las dificultades y los hallazgos, articulando pensamiento propio que después puedo compartir.
Dedico tiempo personal de manera voluntaria a sostener las acciones de AVJ en El Salvador, en cuanto coordinador nacional pero en cuanto capacitador y amigo de los equipos facilitadores. Con el apoyo de mis colegas de CBC, apoyo diferentes esfuerzos de seguimiento o capacitación en otros países. Participo en espacios diversos en los cuales se aborda la Educación Ética en su confluencia con la prevención de la violencia, los derechos de la niñez, la equidad de género, el acceso a la educación y otros.
También asisto a festividades o conmemoraciones significativas para algunas de las religiones participantes en GNRC o de las entidades civiles que se articulan con el programa, hablando de manera pública y sencilla de las diferentes facetas de la implementación en El Salvador, los países cercanos y más allá.
Actúo en todas mis esferas llevando los valores que he interiorizado, actuando coherentemente como expresión concreta de la dignidad humana. En mi familia, ha significado una oportunidad de reconectar con una dimensión espiritual que no excluye o reduce, sino que amplía y crece.
Array
(
[name_of_applicant] => JULIUS WAWERU NG’ANG’A
[email] => wawerujulius@yahoo.com
[name_of_organization] => MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
[country] => KENYA
[city] => NAIROBI
[please_explain_how_you_have_conducted_trainings_on_the_learning_to_live_together_programme_600_words_] => Before I conducted the training I identified the areas/schools which were affected by the most recent ethnic clashes.
I also identified the active teachers in those schools who could load the program, this I did in Consultation with the schools management.
Secondly I had to identify the venue(s) which were conducive. This was done in consultation with the Ministry of Education headquarters which were in touch with Arigatou International for funding and facilitation.
Next was to invite the teachers for the training through their head teachers, procure all the necessary teaching and writing materials, procure the venue, invite the facilitators and prepare program.
During the training, the learners were taken through session by facilitators first by introducing the topics. The introduction took different forms. e.g traditional songs/stories, poem or questions which could stimulate their curiosity. The same could also challenge their perception on various issues on their local environment and motivate them to explore further on those issues leading to better understanding.
The participants were then put into groups of 5 and 6 members and given topics for discussion.
They were given time to discuss and explore all the necessary information pertaining to the given topic(s) gain new experiences, open to each other and express their thoughts and feelings on the given issues. Here they got chances/opportunities to exchange ideas, share experiences discover their partner perception on various issues and. Challenge their own perception on the same during this process that the participants discover new understanding and ideas hence they got new outcomes which make them perceive issues differently from the previous way.
The group work was accompanied by different well selected teaching and learning aids which the participants could use to give them different experiences and help them draw personal conclusion/perception. These aids were selected according to the topics for discussion.
Finally the participants were given time to discuss and agree on the action to take according to the topics given. During this step they were expected to give different possible action to take. Write all the points to
support different action and also points against those actions using those points they would agree on the best action.
After these discussions we had plenary session. Each group was to give a summary of what they did, the discussion, activities, experiences they got old, new perception in the topics they talked the conclusion they reached and the action they agreed to take as a group these actions were supported with points.
After each groups presentation the other members (the whole class) were given a chance to give their own inputs on areas they thought could help and even improve on the new perception.
As a whole group we then discussed and agreed on action we were to take at classroom level, school level and community level included other ethnic groups our locations, district and even the county as a whole where other stakeholders would be involved in peace building in our county.
[how_have_you_used_the_ltlt_ethics_education_framework_400_words_] => .
[explain_how_the_conducted_trainings_have_been_sensitive_to_the_local_context_400_words_] => Tana River County where this program was based has three major communities. There are the Pokomos, Ormas and Somalis.
About six (6) other smaller communities also live in the area. These communications live in their villages neighboring each other. While zone may be for apart some others are just adjacent.
The above three major communities have historical differences which date back for ages. The Ormas and Somali rear livestock for their livelihood while Pokomos grow crops along River Valley. The major clashes are between the farmers (Pokomos) and the herdsmen either Somali or Ormas during drought when the herdsmen look for water and pasture and trespass on the farmers maize or rice fields. The livestock eat or destroy the food crop. At times the two livestock keeping the communities, the Ormas and the Somalis as they cross over each other grazing ground. At these, communities differ due to political differences. Each ethnic group wanting to take leadership for political gains, instead of sharing political seat equally.
The most recent and major clashes were from June in the year 2012 to January 2013 between the pokomos community and the Ormas community.
More than 13 villages were burnt over 4/5 of the schools in Tana River Sub County were closed. Hundreds of people were killed.
Hundreds of families fled to neighboring safer counties and many others displaced. A child was shot dead in the school compound and we even lost one teacher.
The coming of the learning to live together program in the year 2014 one year after clashes was therefore very sensitive. By then some teachers from different communities could not talk to each other neither see each other. There was serious hatred and tension. Some schools had no teachers while others had very few teachers because their teachers had run away and could not go back due to insecurity. Many children were out of school some parents could not see or talk to see other. The L.T.L.T training targeted 13 schools located in the villages which were burnt. Two teachers in each of those schools, a male and female, learners in classes 5, 6 and 7 and the head teachers.
During and after training the children (learners) in the three classes in every school planned and organized activities to do in their school and at the community levels to reconcile the other children teachers and the entire school and parents. They also followed those children who had dropped out of school. They had even changed in their altitude for they managed to move all the communities giving peace talks.
The trained teachers became role model in the community
To crown it all we had very successful exhibitions in September of the year 2015 from all the 13 schools. All the communities in the county, all departments, heads teachers, parents and children were invited. The exhibition was presided over by representative from GENEVA (ARIGATOU INTERNATIONAL) and the Ministry of Education headquarters Nairobi. The trainings conducted have been sensitive to our local context.
[how_has_the_conducted_trainings_impacted_the_trained_facilitators_400_words_] => As I mentioned earlier two teachers were trained in each of the targeted schools to facilitate the Learning To Live Together Program. We held three different training sessions each taking five days and we had a consultative meeting to assess how the program was progressing in each of the school.
From My Own Assessment
During the training and consultative meeting the teachers who were the facilitators at the school levels had notable changes. This was noted from their first day of training all through. Below are the major changes noted;-
On the first day, teachers from the rival communities during year 2012 - 2013 clashes were not free to talk or sit together. They looked as strangers and were suspicious of each other. As the training progressed the same teachers started mingling and communicating freely.
As the training started there were a lot of blame game. This ended as we continued during group discussion, teachers could not open up at the beginning but as we went on with the training, they opened up and participated well in the dialogue. Some of the teachers were obstinate/ rigid and not ready to see. L.T.L.T program bringing changes to their learners, the school and even the community but finally they become positively changed and supported the program.
When the facilitators went to their school they took the initiative of first talking to their fellow teachers to have a positive feeling towards others. They planned and organized children activities with a view of changing the mindset of the children, teachers and the school community. Many even planned activities to do in the village and went out with the children to do them. With a view of sensitising community members to make a difference.
The questionnaire which were answered by the teachers (facilitators) and children showed positive changes
When the trained L.T.L.T teachers got transfer to other schools they initiated the same program in the new schools and planned activities to do with the children.
The same teachers were always seen doing activities like traditional dancers games, play involving the rival ethnic groups and they always gave talks during parents days, parents meeting and some even in Chief’s Barazas. As I continued giving them support at school levels most of those trained facilitators requested me for more support and training. As such believe the training had made good positive impact to the facilitators.
At times the questions could be used to find out participant perception of themselves and others, the knowledge they have, cultures, beliefs and the knowledge they have on society. This could then be used to guide them on how to teach their children in school on how they should perceive certain issues on themselves, the others and the community. Again it should be used to show how they should act in a given situation. This was out of their experience
A problem based approach was used at times. I could pose a question to group to make them think critically, develop creativity an d pose answers after analyzing their own suggestions. At times I could give individual assignment. These were very helpful especially when the participants were to compose poems, songs plays etc. to be used in learning
[please_give_some_examples_to_show_your_resourcefulness_and_creativity_to_organize_trainings_of_facilitators_600_words_] => .
[how_have_you_provided_mentorship_and_guidance_to_trained_facilitators_400_words_] => I organized the training in to 3 faces. the first face one week training was meant to introduce the participant to the L.T.LT programme and take them through the whole module one course . we also sensitized the school head teachers so that they take an active role and give full support to teachers [trainers ]
After these first training the teachers started teaching the children and they filled a questionnaire which served as baseline survey. As the teachers set to work I visited ever school once every month. These visits were aimed in monitoring the progress made and also mentor the teachers to improve on their performance.
At the middle of the implementation period, we gave the questionnaire which became a mid-line survey. Then we called the teachers for a refresher training here participant first shared their experience during the L.T.L.T implementation.
Success and challenges and set the way forward. We also covered the module 2 courses. The mid-line survey assisted us in identifying the areas in which needed improvement. We preplanned and set for the second face again. As it was first face, I continued visiting the teachers every month to see how activities were planned and being carried out. My emphasis during those activities was how those planned activities could be improved their implementation and improved lesson presentation.
Secondly agree on how the middle line survey results could be improved. During the same visit, the children and their teachers [facilitators] gave out their main challenges and we worked together to plan how to overcome the same towards the end of training face.
We had our last training where teachers presented their success and challenges, planned activities for exhibitions and we agreed on the exhibition day. We also drew a budget to that effect. After these teachers we went ahead with the implementation at the school. I also continued visiting them at school for mentorship.
During this final face we held two consultative meeting at the Sub County headquarters all aimed at assessing the progress and discuss ways of improving on both the presentation and panned activities for exhibition .
Throughout the implementation period, I used to call the teachers over their phones and vise versa to mentor and give support where necessary. Hence, proper mentorship and guidance was provided to the facilitator
[how_has_the_learning_to_live_together_programme_influenced_a_positive_transformation_in_you_in_a_personal_and_professional_level_400_words_] => At personal level the L.T.L.T program has influenced positive transformation in many ways
I come from Lamu County of the republic of Kenya which has many ethnic groups and they also differ severally. Secondly there are two major religious groups Islamic and Christianity whose members have differences oftenly.
Since I trained as TOT in Learning To Live Together I started seeing issues which brought differences amongst communities and different religious groups in a positive manner. I understood myself better in relation to others and how best we can sort out issues if only we understand and respect each other.
On the religious side I have been talking of respect to each other in several forums called by the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission [CJPC] I have also facilitated in several seminars on peace education
In my local churchI am heading a very important group , the men association as chairman and a secretary in another one. I developed interest in these areas after my learning to live together training in the year2014 and started talking the believers in the church on the need to have a transformation and appreciate all others believers and respect them. From these struggles, this year I was elected to those posts.
Professionally, the Learning To Live Together program developed my perception on certain issues while I was working in Tana Delta Sub County where serious ethnic clashes caused killing displacement, burning of houses, school and closure of some schools took place in my presence.
At first I did not know what to do but the L.T.L.T programe became an eye opener. As an educator in the area, I learnt how to solve conflicts, bring people / communities together and organize dialogues for them aimed at having resolutions to enable the children to go back to school. From the knowledge gained I also realized the need to look for partners like Kenya Red Cross to assist those suffering.
After the year 2015 when the L.T.L.T program supported by Arigatou International, I expanded the program from the 12 school to 15 in the year 2016 before I moved out of the station but I had planned to expand it to more schools.
From the knowledge gained and the positive transformation, I am in the process of registering an organization with the Kenyan Government which will deal with peace education. This will help me access more people countrywide freely.
[please_explain_how_you_exemplify_a_strong_role_model_of_the_principles_of_learning_to_live_together_400_words_] => Starting from my office;
1. The teachers I selected to undergo the Learning To Live Together Program came from all the communities living in the area. I selected them depending on the size of their communities ie, the larger the community, the larger the number of teachers who were trained and vise versa. Secondly while selecting the school to be included in the program, I ensured that I balanced them according to the region. This showed that I wanted teachers from all the communities to be taught and spearhead L.T.L.T program in their school and become role models in their communities.
2. During recruitment of teachers for employment and to take up different responsibilities, I ensured that all communities and religious group were given equal chances. This includes appointment of headteachers, appointment of deputy headteachers, senior teachers, departmental heads and heads in different core curricular areas like subject panels.
3. During election for a school board of management where I presides, I advise, emphasize and ensure that all communities and religious groups are given equal representation. Such boards of management would show that they musty plan together, agree on issues during discussions and respect each other to arrive at mature resolution.
4. In my office in Tana Delta, the employed staffs come from five different communities. They are supposed to perform duties peer their job description. I treat those who do not perform equally without any discrimination. Secondly during staff meeting, I allow each one to discuss openly and we reach a consensus. It is after that we take direction as agreed and implement our decision. I also encourage them to learn the principle of learning to live together and give lectures and advice for posterity in the office and back in their communities. Through such forums, many have liked my style for leadership. Where I live, the region is cosmopolitan. Infact, almost all Kenyans, are there though some are in small numbers. During various functions where large numbers of people attend, I request the organizers to give me time to talk to people on how to live together peacefully. I also discuss on peace issues wherever I attend social gathering. In my local church, I am a Youth trainer on moral values, a position I have held for the last three years (3) from the above areas that I participate, I believe I am a strong role model of the principles of learning to live together.
[explain_how_you_act_as_an_ambassador_and_advocator_of_the_learning_to_live_together_programme_in_your_local_context_600_words_] => In Tana Delta Sub-County I acted as the only trainer in Learning To Live Together program which started with a few schools and later expanded to more schools. I reached all those schools severally either on foot when vehicles were not available or in areas which were not accessible by road transport.
I joined the area chiefs and Assistant County Commissioner many times to meet communities at village levels and engaged them in dialogue to understand each other and agree on issues which they could not agree initially and finally agree on actions to take forge ahead without differences
As I said earlier, I am engaged in two churches as a leader where we also discuss appreciating diversity and understand each other –besides our faith
In the same church, I am a Youth trainer in moral issues and the community’s expectations from them.
Time and again I have participated in training on peace education. Last year, I participated in training on “UNA HAKIKA” with an emphasis on giving true information any time of tension to avoid speculations and people taking decisions when they are not sure of what has happened.
Joining the catholic Justice and peace commission as a volunteer in my local area shows my position as an ambassador in L.T.L.T
[video_link] => https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rr1tu5Buvac&feature=youtu.be
[formFiles] => stdClass Object
(
[_isComplex] => 1
)
)
Name: JULIUS WAWERU NG’ANG’A
Organization: MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
Location: KENYA
Please explain how you have conducted trainings on the Learning to Live Together Programme. (600 words)
Before I conducted the training I identified the areas/schools which were affected by the most recent ethnic clashes.
I also identified the active teachers in those schools who could load the program, this I did in Consultation with the schools management.
Secondly I had to identify the venue(s) which were conducive. This was done in consultation with the Ministry of Education headquarters which were in touch with Arigatou International for funding and facilitation.
Next was to invite the teachers for the training through their head teachers, procure all the necessary teaching and writing materials, procure the venue, invite the facilitators and prepare program.
During the training, the learners were taken through session by facilitators first by introducing the topics. The introduction took different forms. e.g traditional songs/stories, poem or questions which could stimulate their curiosity. The same could also challenge their perception on various issues on their local environment and motivate them to explore further on those issues leading to better understanding.
The participants were then put into groups of 5 and 6 members and given topics for discussion.
They were given time to discuss and explore all the necessary information pertaining to the given topic(s) gain new experiences, open to each other and express their thoughts and feelings on the given issues. Here they got chances/opportunities to exchange ideas, share experiences discover their partner perception on various issues and. Challenge their own perception on the same during this process that the participants discover new understanding and ideas hence they got new outcomes which make them perceive issues differently from the previous way.
The group work was accompanied by different well selected teaching and learning aids which the participants could use to give them different experiences and help them draw personal conclusion/perception. These aids were selected according to the topics for discussion.
Finally the participants were given time to discuss and agree on the action to take according to the topics given. During this step they were expected to give different possible action to take. Write all the points to
support different action and also points against those actions using those points they would agree on the best action.
After these discussions we had plenary session. Each group was to give a summary of what they did, the discussion, activities, experiences they got old, new perception in the topics they talked the conclusion they reached and the action they agreed to take as a group these actions were supported with points.
After each groups presentation the other members (the whole class) were given a chance to give their own inputs on areas they thought could help and even improve on the new perception.
As a whole group we then discussed and agreed on action we were to take at classroom level, school level and community level included other ethnic groups our locations, district and even the county as a whole where other stakeholders would be involved in peace building in our county.
How have you used the LTLT Ethics Education Framework? (400 words)
.
Explain how the conducted trainings have been sensitive to the local context. (400 words)
Tana River County where this program was based has three major communities. There are the Pokomos, Ormas and Somalis.
About six (6) other smaller communities also live in the area. These communications live in their villages neighboring each other. While zone may be for apart some others are just adjacent.
The above three major communities have historical differences which date back for ages. The Ormas and Somali rear livestock for their livelihood while Pokomos grow crops along River Valley. The major clashes are between the farmers (Pokomos) and the herdsmen either Somali or Ormas during drought when the herdsmen look for water and pasture and trespass on the farmers maize or rice fields. The livestock eat or destroy the food crop. At times the two livestock keeping the communities, the Ormas and the Somalis as they cross over each other grazing ground. At these, communities differ due to political differences. Each ethnic group wanting to take leadership for political gains, instead of sharing political seat equally.
The most recent and major clashes were from June in the year 2012 to January 2013 between the pokomos community and the Ormas community.
More than 13 villages were burnt over 4/5 of the schools in Tana River Sub County were closed. Hundreds of people were killed.
Hundreds of families fled to neighboring safer counties and many others displaced. A child was shot dead in the school compound and we even lost one teacher.
The coming of the learning to live together program in the year 2014 one year after clashes was therefore very sensitive. By then some teachers from different communities could not talk to each other neither see each other. There was serious hatred and tension. Some schools had no teachers while others had very few teachers because their teachers had run away and could not go back due to insecurity. Many children were out of school some parents could not see or talk to see other. The L.T.L.T training targeted 13 schools located in the villages which were burnt. Two teachers in each of those schools, a male and female, learners in classes 5, 6 and 7 and the head teachers.
During and after training the children (learners) in the three classes in every school planned and organized activities to do in their school and at the community levels to reconcile the other children teachers and the entire school and parents. They also followed those children who had dropped out of school. They had even changed in their altitude for they managed to move all the communities giving peace talks.
The trained teachers became role model in the community
To crown it all we had very successful exhibitions in September of the year 2015 from all the 13 schools. All the communities in the county, all departments, heads teachers, parents and children were invited. The exhibition was presided over by representative from GENEVA (ARIGATOU INTERNATIONAL) and the Ministry of Education headquarters Nairobi. The trainings conducted have been sensitive to our local context.
How has the conducted trainings impacted the trained facilitators? (400 words)
As I mentioned earlier two teachers were trained in each of the targeted schools to facilitate the Learning To Live Together Program. We held three different training sessions each taking five days and we had a consultative meeting to assess how the program was progressing in each of the school.
From My Own Assessment
During the training and consultative meeting the teachers who were the facilitators at the school levels had notable changes. This was noted from their first day of training all through. Below are the major changes noted;-
On the first day, teachers from the rival communities during year 2012 - 2013 clashes were not free to talk or sit together. They looked as strangers and were suspicious of each other. As the training progressed the same teachers started mingling and communicating freely.
As the training started there were a lot of blame game. This ended as we continued during group discussion, teachers could not open up at the beginning but as we went on with the training, they opened up and participated well in the dialogue. Some of the teachers were obstinate/ rigid and not ready to see. L.T.L.T program bringing changes to their learners, the school and even the community but finally they become positively changed and supported the program.
When the facilitators went to their school they took the initiative of first talking to their fellow teachers to have a positive feeling towards others. They planned and organized children activities with a view of changing the mindset of the children, teachers and the school community. Many even planned activities to do in the village and went out with the children to do them. With a view of sensitising community members to make a difference.
The questionnaire which were answered by the teachers (facilitators) and children showed positive changes
When the trained L.T.L.T teachers got transfer to other schools they initiated the same program in the new schools and planned activities to do with the children.
The same teachers were always seen doing activities like traditional dancers games, play involving the rival ethnic groups and they always gave talks during parents days, parents meeting and some even in Chief’s Barazas. As I continued giving them support at school levels most of those trained facilitators requested me for more support and training. As such believe the training had made good positive impact to the facilitators.
At times the questions could be used to find out participant perception of themselves and others, the knowledge they have, cultures, beliefs and the knowledge they have on society. This could then be used to guide them on how to teach their children in school on how they should perceive certain issues on themselves, the others and the community. Again it should be used to show how they should act in a given situation. This was out of their experience
A problem based approach was used at times. I could pose a question to group to make them think critically, develop creativity an d pose answers after analyzing their own suggestions. At times I could give individual assignment. These were very helpful especially when the participants were to compose poems, songs plays etc. to be used in learning
Please give some examples to show your resourcefulness and creativity to organize trainings of facilitators. (600 words)
.
How have you provided mentorship and guidance to trained facilitators? (400 words)
I organized the training in to 3 faces. the first face one week training was meant to introduce the participant to the L.T.LT programme and take them through the whole module one course . we also sensitized the school head teachers so that they take an active role and give full support to teachers [trainers ]
After these first training the teachers started teaching the children and they filled a questionnaire which served as baseline survey. As the teachers set to work I visited ever school once every month. These visits were aimed in monitoring the progress made and also mentor the teachers to improve on their performance.
At the middle of the implementation period, we gave the questionnaire which became a mid-line survey. Then we called the teachers for a refresher training here participant first shared their experience during the L.T.L.T implementation.
Success and challenges and set the way forward. We also covered the module 2 courses. The mid-line survey assisted us in identifying the areas in which needed improvement. We preplanned and set for the second face again. As it was first face, I continued visiting the teachers every month to see how activities were planned and being carried out. My emphasis during those activities was how those planned activities could be improved their implementation and improved lesson presentation.
Secondly agree on how the middle line survey results could be improved. During the same visit, the children and their teachers [facilitators] gave out their main challenges and we worked together to plan how to overcome the same towards the end of training face.
We had our last training where teachers presented their success and challenges, planned activities for exhibitions and we agreed on the exhibition day. We also drew a budget to that effect. After these teachers we went ahead with the implementation at the school. I also continued visiting them at school for mentorship.
During this final face we held two consultative meeting at the Sub County headquarters all aimed at assessing the progress and discuss ways of improving on both the presentation and panned activities for exhibition .
Throughout the implementation period, I used to call the teachers over their phones and vise versa to mentor and give support where necessary. Hence, proper mentorship and guidance was provided to the facilitator
How has the Learning to Live Together Programme influenced a positive transformation in you, in a personal and professional level? (400 words)
At personal level the L.T.L.T program has influenced positive transformation in many ways
I come from Lamu County of the republic of Kenya which has many ethnic groups and they also differ severally. Secondly there are two major religious groups Islamic and Christianity whose members have differences oftenly.
Since I trained as TOT in Learning To Live Together I started seeing issues which brought differences amongst communities and different religious groups in a positive manner. I understood myself better in relation to others and how best we can sort out issues if only we understand and respect each other.
On the religious side I have been talking of respect to each other in several forums called by the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission [CJPC] I have also facilitated in several seminars on peace education
In my local churchI am heading a very important group , the men association as chairman and a secretary in another one. I developed interest in these areas after my learning to live together training in the year2014 and started talking the believers in the church on the need to have a transformation and appreciate all others believers and respect them. From these struggles, this year I was elected to those posts.
Professionally, the Learning To Live Together program developed my perception on certain issues while I was working in Tana Delta Sub County where serious ethnic clashes caused killing displacement, burning of houses, school and closure of some schools took place in my presence.
At first I did not know what to do but the L.T.L.T programe became an eye opener. As an educator in the area, I learnt how to solve conflicts, bring people / communities together and organize dialogues for them aimed at having resolutions to enable the children to go back to school. From the knowledge gained I also realized the need to look for partners like Kenya Red Cross to assist those suffering.
After the year 2015 when the L.T.L.T program supported by Arigatou International, I expanded the program from the 12 school to 15 in the year 2016 before I moved out of the station but I had planned to expand it to more schools.
From the knowledge gained and the positive transformation, I am in the process of registering an organization with the Kenyan Government which will deal with peace education. This will help me access more people countrywide freely.
Please explain how you exemplify a strong role-model of the principles of Learning to Live Together. (400 words)
Starting from my office;
1. The teachers I selected to undergo the Learning To Live Together Program came from all the communities living in the area. I selected them depending on the size of their communities ie, the larger the community, the larger the number of teachers who were trained and vise versa. Secondly while selecting the school to be included in the program, I ensured that I balanced them according to the region. This showed that I wanted teachers from all the communities to be taught and spearhead L.T.L.T program in their school and become role models in their communities.
2. During recruitment of teachers for employment and to take up different responsibilities, I ensured that all communities and religious group were given equal chances. This includes appointment of headteachers, appointment of deputy headteachers, senior teachers, departmental heads and heads in different core curricular areas like subject panels.
3. During election for a school board of management where I presides, I advise, emphasize and ensure that all communities and religious groups are given equal representation. Such boards of management would show that they musty plan together, agree on issues during discussions and respect each other to arrive at mature resolution.
4. In my office in Tana Delta, the employed staffs come from five different communities. They are supposed to perform duties peer their job description. I treat those who do not perform equally without any discrimination. Secondly during staff meeting, I allow each one to discuss openly and we reach a consensus. It is after that we take direction as agreed and implement our decision. I also encourage them to learn the principle of learning to live together and give lectures and advice for posterity in the office and back in their communities. Through such forums, many have liked my style for leadership. Where I live, the region is cosmopolitan. Infact, almost all Kenyans, are there though some are in small numbers. During various functions where large numbers of people attend, I request the organizers to give me time to talk to people on how to live together peacefully. I also discuss on peace issues wherever I attend social gathering. In my local church, I am a Youth trainer on moral values, a position I have held for the last three years (3) from the above areas that I participate, I believe I am a strong role model of the principles of learning to live together.
Explain how you act as an ambassador and advocator of the Learning to Live Together Programme in your local context. (600 words)
In Tana Delta Sub-County I acted as the only trainer in Learning To Live Together program which started with a few schools and later expanded to more schools. I reached all those schools severally either on foot when vehicles were not available or in areas which were not accessible by road transport.
I joined the area chiefs and Assistant County Commissioner many times to meet communities at village levels and engaged them in dialogue to understand each other and agree on issues which they could not agree initially and finally agree on actions to take forge ahead without differences
As I said earlier, I am engaged in two churches as a leader where we also discuss appreciating diversity and understand each other –besides our faith
In the same church, I am a Youth trainer in moral issues and the community’s expectations from them.
Time and again I have participated in training on peace education. Last year, I participated in training on “UNA HAKIKA” with an emphasis on giving true information any time of tension to avoid speculations and people taking decisions when they are not sure of what has happened.
Joining the catholic Justice and peace commission as a volunteer in my local area shows my position as an ambassador in L.T.L.T
Please explain how you have conducted trainings on the Learning to Live Together Programme. (600 words)
Before I conducted the training I identified the areas/schools which were affected by the most recent ethnic clashes.
I also identified the active teachers in those schools who could load the program, this I did in Consultation with the schools management.
Secondly I had to identify the venue(s) which were conducive. This was done in consultation with the Ministry of Education headquarters which were in touch with Arigatou International for funding and facilitation.
Next was to invite the teachers for the training through their head teachers, procure all the necessary teaching and writing materials, procure the venue, invite the facilitators and prepare program.
During the training, the learners were taken through session by facilitators first by introducing the topics. The introduction took different forms. e.g traditional songs/stories, poem or questions which could stimulate their curiosity. The same could also challenge their perception on various issues on their local environment and motivate them to explore further on those issues leading to better understanding.
The participants were then put into groups of 5 and 6 members and given topics for discussion.
They were given time to discuss and explore all the necessary information pertaining to the given topic(s) gain new experiences, open to each other and express their thoughts and feelings on the given issues. Here they got chances/opportunities to exchange ideas, share experiences discover their partner perception on various issues and. Challenge their own perception on the same during this process that the participants discover new understanding and ideas hence they got new outcomes which make them perceive issues differently from the previous way.
The group work was accompanied by different well selected teaching and learning aids which the participants could use to give them different experiences and help them draw personal conclusion/perception. These aids were selected according to the topics for discussion.
Finally the participants were given time to discuss and agree on the action to take according to the topics given. During this step they were expected to give different possible action to take. Write all the points to
support different action and also points against those actions using those points they would agree on the best action.
After these discussions we had plenary session. Each group was to give a summary of what they did, the discussion, activities, experiences they got old, new perception in the topics they talked the conclusion they reached and the action they agreed to take as a group these actions were supported with points.
After each groups presentation the other members (the whole class) were given a chance to give their own inputs on areas they thought could help and even improve on the new perception.
As a whole group we then discussed and agreed on action we were to take at classroom level, school level and community level included other ethnic groups our locations, district and even the county as a whole where other stakeholders would be involved in peace building in our county.
How have you used the LTLT Ethics Education Framework? (400 words)
.
Explain how the conducted trainings have been sensitive to the local context. (400 words)
Tana River County where this program was based has three major communities. There are the Pokomos, Ormas and Somalis.
About six (6) other smaller communities also live in the area. These communications live in their villages neighboring each other. While zone may be for apart some others are just adjacent.
The above three major communities have historical differences which date back for ages. The Ormas and Somali rear livestock for their livelihood while Pokomos grow crops along River Valley. The major clashes are between the farmers (Pokomos) and the herdsmen either Somali or Ormas during drought when the herdsmen look for water and pasture and trespass on the farmers maize or rice fields. The livestock eat or destroy the food crop. At times the two livestock keeping the communities, the Ormas and the Somalis as they cross over each other grazing ground. At these, communities differ due to political differences. Each ethnic group wanting to take leadership for political gains, instead of sharing political seat equally.
The most recent and major clashes were from June in the year 2012 to January 2013 between the pokomos community and the Ormas community.
More than 13 villages were burnt over 4/5 of the schools in Tana River Sub County were closed. Hundreds of people were killed.
Hundreds of families fled to neighboring safer counties and many others displaced. A child was shot dead in the school compound and we even lost one teacher.
The coming of the learning to live together program in the year 2014 one year after clashes was therefore very sensitive. By then some teachers from different communities could not talk to each other neither see each other. There was serious hatred and tension. Some schools had no teachers while others had very few teachers because their teachers had run away and could not go back due to insecurity. Many children were out of school some parents could not see or talk to see other. The L.T.L.T training targeted 13 schools located in the villages which were burnt. Two teachers in each of those schools, a male and female, learners in classes 5, 6 and 7 and the head teachers.
During and after training the children (learners) in the three classes in every school planned and organized activities to do in their school and at the community levels to reconcile the other children teachers and the entire school and parents. They also followed those children who had dropped out of school. They had even changed in their altitude for they managed to move all the communities giving peace talks.
The trained teachers became role model in the community
To crown it all we had very successful exhibitions in September of the year 2015 from all the 13 schools. All the communities in the county, all departments, heads teachers, parents and children were invited. The exhibition was presided over by representative from GENEVA (ARIGATOU INTERNATIONAL) and the Ministry of Education headquarters Nairobi. The trainings conducted have been sensitive to our local context.
How has the conducted trainings impacted the trained facilitators? (400 words)
As I mentioned earlier two teachers were trained in each of the targeted schools to facilitate the Learning To Live Together Program. We held three different training sessions each taking five days and we had a consultative meeting to assess how the program was progressing in each of the school.
From My Own Assessment
During the training and consultative meeting the teachers who were the facilitators at the school levels had notable changes. This was noted from their first day of training all through. Below are the major changes noted;-
On the first day, teachers from the rival communities during year 2012 - 2013 clashes were not free to talk or sit together. They looked as strangers and were suspicious of each other. As the training progressed the same teachers started mingling and communicating freely.
As the training started there were a lot of blame game. This ended as we continued during group discussion, teachers could not open up at the beginning but as we went on with the training, they opened up and participated well in the dialogue. Some of the teachers were obstinate/ rigid and not ready to see. L.T.L.T program bringing changes to their learners, the school and even the community but finally they become positively changed and supported the program.
When the facilitators went to their school they took the initiative of first talking to their fellow teachers to have a positive feeling towards others. They planned and organized children activities with a view of changing the mindset of the children, teachers and the school community. Many even planned activities to do in the village and went out with the children to do them. With a view of sensitising community members to make a difference.
The questionnaire which were answered by the teachers (facilitators) and children showed positive changes
When the trained L.T.L.T teachers got transfer to other schools they initiated the same program in the new schools and planned activities to do with the children.
The same teachers were always seen doing activities like traditional dancers games, play involving the rival ethnic groups and they always gave talks during parents days, parents meeting and some even in Chief’s Barazas. As I continued giving them support at school levels most of those trained facilitators requested me for more support and training. As such believe the training had made good positive impact to the facilitators.
At times the questions could be used to find out participant perception of themselves and others, the knowledge they have, cultures, beliefs and the knowledge they have on society. This could then be used to guide them on how to teach their children in school on how they should perceive certain issues on themselves, the others and the community. Again it should be used to show how they should act in a given situation. This was out of their experience
A problem based approach was used at times. I could pose a question to group to make them think critically, develop creativity an d pose answers after analyzing their own suggestions. At times I could give individual assignment. These were very helpful especially when the participants were to compose poems, songs plays etc. to be used in learning
Please give some examples to show your resourcefulness and creativity to organize trainings of facilitators. (600 words)
.
How have you provided mentorship and guidance to trained facilitators? (400 words)
I organized the training in to 3 faces. the first face one week training was meant to introduce the participant to the L.T.LT programme and take them through the whole module one course . we also sensitized the school head teachers so that they take an active role and give full support to teachers [trainers ]
After these first training the teachers started teaching the children and they filled a questionnaire which served as baseline survey. As the teachers set to work I visited ever school once every month. These visits were aimed in monitoring the progress made and also mentor the teachers to improve on their performance.
At the middle of the implementation period, we gave the questionnaire which became a mid-line survey. Then we called the teachers for a refresher training here participant first shared their experience during the L.T.L.T implementation.
Success and challenges and set the way forward. We also covered the module 2 courses. The mid-line survey assisted us in identifying the areas in which needed improvement. We preplanned and set for the second face again. As it was first face, I continued visiting the teachers every month to see how activities were planned and being carried out. My emphasis during those activities was how those planned activities could be improved their implementation and improved lesson presentation.
Secondly agree on how the middle line survey results could be improved. During the same visit, the children and their teachers [facilitators] gave out their main challenges and we worked together to plan how to overcome the same towards the end of training face.
We had our last training where teachers presented their success and challenges, planned activities for exhibitions and we agreed on the exhibition day. We also drew a budget to that effect. After these teachers we went ahead with the implementation at the school. I also continued visiting them at school for mentorship.
During this final face we held two consultative meeting at the Sub County headquarters all aimed at assessing the progress and discuss ways of improving on both the presentation and panned activities for exhibition .
Throughout the implementation period, I used to call the teachers over their phones and vise versa to mentor and give support where necessary. Hence, proper mentorship and guidance was provided to the facilitator
How has the Learning to Live Together Programme influenced a positive transformation in you, in a personal and professional level? (400 words)
At personal level the L.T.L.T program has influenced positive transformation in many ways
I come from Lamu County of the republic of Kenya which has many ethnic groups and they also differ severally. Secondly there are two major religious groups Islamic and Christianity whose members have differences oftenly.
Since I trained as TOT in Learning To Live Together I started seeing issues which brought differences amongst communities and different religious groups in a positive manner. I understood myself better in relation to others and how best we can sort out issues if only we understand and respect each other.
On the religious side I have been talking of respect to each other in several forums called by the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission [CJPC] I have also facilitated in several seminars on peace education
In my local churchI am heading a very important group , the men association as chairman and a secretary in another one. I developed interest in these areas after my learning to live together training in the year2014 and started talking the believers in the church on the need to have a transformation and appreciate all others believers and respect them. From these struggles, this year I was elected to those posts.
Professionally, the Learning To Live Together program developed my perception on certain issues while I was working in Tana Delta Sub County where serious ethnic clashes caused killing displacement, burning of houses, school and closure of some schools took place in my presence.
At first I did not know what to do but the L.T.L.T programe became an eye opener. As an educator in the area, I learnt how to solve conflicts, bring people / communities together and organize dialogues for them aimed at having resolutions to enable the children to go back to school. From the knowledge gained I also realized the need to look for partners like Kenya Red Cross to assist those suffering.
After the year 2015 when the L.T.L.T program supported by Arigatou International, I expanded the program from the 12 school to 15 in the year 2016 before I moved out of the station but I had planned to expand it to more schools.
From the knowledge gained and the positive transformation, I am in the process of registering an organization with the Kenyan Government which will deal with peace education. This will help me access more people countrywide freely.
Please explain how you exemplify a strong role-model of the principles of Learning to Live Together. (400 words)
Starting from my office;
1. The teachers I selected to undergo the Learning To Live Together Program came from all the communities living in the area. I selected them depending on the size of their communities ie, the larger the community, the larger the number of teachers who were trained and vise versa. Secondly while selecting the school to be included in the program, I ensured that I balanced them according to the region. This showed that I wanted teachers from all the communities to be taught and spearhead L.T.L.T program in their school and become role models in their communities.
2. During recruitment of teachers for employment and to take up different responsibilities, I ensured that all communities and religious group were given equal chances. This includes appointment of headteachers, appointment of deputy headteachers, senior teachers, departmental heads and heads in different core curricular areas like subject panels.
3. During election for a school board of management where I presides, I advise, emphasize and ensure that all communities and religious groups are given equal representation. Such boards of management would show that they musty plan together, agree on issues during discussions and respect each other to arrive at mature resolution.
4. In my office in Tana Delta, the employed staffs come from five different communities. They are supposed to perform duties peer their job description. I treat those who do not perform equally without any discrimination. Secondly during staff meeting, I allow each one to discuss openly and we reach a consensus. It is after that we take direction as agreed and implement our decision. I also encourage them to learn the principle of learning to live together and give lectures and advice for posterity in the office and back in their communities. Through such forums, many have liked my style for leadership. Where I live, the region is cosmopolitan. Infact, almost all Kenyans, are there though some are in small numbers. During various functions where large numbers of people attend, I request the organizers to give me time to talk to people on how to live together peacefully. I also discuss on peace issues wherever I attend social gathering. In my local church, I am a Youth trainer on moral values, a position I have held for the last three years (3) from the above areas that I participate, I believe I am a strong role model of the principles of learning to live together.
Explain how you act as an ambassador and advocator of the Learning to Live Together Programme in your local context. (600 words)
In Tana Delta Sub-County I acted as the only trainer in Learning To Live Together program which started with a few schools and later expanded to more schools. I reached all those schools severally either on foot when vehicles were not available or in areas which were not accessible by road transport.
I joined the area chiefs and Assistant County Commissioner many times to meet communities at village levels and engaged them in dialogue to understand each other and agree on issues which they could not agree initially and finally agree on actions to take forge ahead without differences
As I said earlier, I am engaged in two churches as a leader where we also discuss appreciating diversity and understand each other –besides our faith
In the same church, I am a Youth trainer in moral issues and the community’s expectations from them.
Time and again I have participated in training on peace education. Last year, I participated in training on “UNA HAKIKA” with an emphasis on giving true information any time of tension to avoid speculations and people taking decisions when they are not sure of what has happened.
Joining the catholic Justice and peace commission as a volunteer in my local area shows my position as an ambassador in L.T.L.T
Capacitador más Comprometido
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[nombre_del_solicitante] => Rodolfo David Gonzalez
[correo_electr_nico] => veracruzano06@gmail.com
[nombre_de_la_organizaci_n] => Fundación Social Cultural Ambiental Veracruz
[pa_s] => Panamá
[ciudad] => Panamá
[por_favor_explique_c_mo_ha_realizado_las_capacitaciones_en_el_programa_aprender_a_vivir_juntos_600_palabras_] => El Programa AVJ inicia para mi en julio 2013 en la Habana Cuba, donde Mercedes Roman desarrollo un Taller para nuevos capacitadores de AVJ, una vez recibida esta capacitación inicie la aplicación a NNA de la comunidad de Veracruz donde vivo, como tambien en las sensibilizaciones que organizaba GNRC Panamá como parte de las acciones que promueve el Comite Ecumenico de Panamá en el cual soy parte, en acciones como Oración y Acción, las capacitaciones tambien la llevamos a la institución en la que laboraba (MIDES-ODSS) donde se integro esta metodoligia a la intervención que hace el estado panemeño en los adolescentes y jovenes en diferentes comunidades del pais.
[_c_mo_ha_utilizado_el_marco_de_educaci_n_de_tica_de_avj_400_palabras_] => El marco de Educación en etica lo he utilizado en talleres para con niños, niñas, adolescentes, jovenes y familiares, para identificar las violencias que hay en los alrededores de los NNAJ.
[explique_c_mo_las_capacitaciones_realizadas_han_sido_sensibles_al_contexto_local_400_palabras_] =>
[_c_mo_han_impactado_las_capacitaciones_realizadas_en_los_facilitadores_capacitados_400_palabras_] =>
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[explique_c_mo_act_a_como_embajador_y_defensor_del_programa_aprender_a_vivir_juntos_en_su_contexto_local_600_palabras_] =>
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Name: Rodolfo David Gonzalez
Organization: Fundación Social...
Location: Panamá
Por favor explique cómo ha realizado las capacitaciones en el Programa Aprender a Vivir Juntos. (600 palabras)
El Programa AVJ inicia para mi en julio 2013 en la Habana Cuba, donde Mercedes Roman desarrollo un Taller para nuevos capacitadores de AVJ, una vez recibida esta capacitación inicie la aplicación a NNA de la comunidad de Veracruz donde vivo, como tambien en las sensibilizaciones que organizaba GNRC Panamá como parte de las acciones que promueve el Comite Ecumenico de Panamá en el cual soy parte, en acciones como Oración y Acción, las capacitaciones tambien la llevamos a la institución en la que laboraba (MIDES-ODSS) donde se integro esta metodoligia a la intervención que hace el estado panemeño en los adolescentes y jovenes en diferentes comunidades del pais.
¿Cómo ha utilizado el Marco de Educación de Ética de AVJ? (400 palabras)
El marco de Educación en etica lo he utilizado en talleres para con niños, niñas, adolescentes, jovenes y familiares, para identificar las violencias que hay en los alrededores de los NNAJ.
Explique cómo las capacitaciones realizadas han sido sensibles al contexto local. (400 palabras)
¿Cómo han impactado las capacitaciones realizadas en los facilitadores capacitados? (400 palabras)
Por favor, proporcione algunos ejemplos para mostrar su recursividad y creatividad para organizar capacitaciones de facilitadores. (600 palabras)
¿Cómo ha proporcionado tutoría y orientación a facilitadores capacitados? (400 palabras)
¿Cómo ha influido el Programa Aprender a Vivir Juntos en una transformación positiva en usted, a nivel personal y profesional? (400 palabras)
Explique cómo ejemplifica un fuerte modelo a seguir de los principios de Aprender a Vivir Juntos. (400 palabras)
Explique cómo actúa como embajador y defensor del Programa Aprender a Vivir Juntos en su contexto local. (600 palabras)
Organization: Fundación Social Cultural Ambiental Veracruz
Location: Panamá, Panamá
Por favor explique cómo ha realizado las capacitaciones en el Programa Aprender a Vivir Juntos. (600 palabras)
El Programa AVJ inicia para mi en julio 2013 en la Habana Cuba, donde Mercedes Roman desarrollo un Taller para nuevos capacitadores de AVJ, una vez recibida esta capacitación inicie la aplicación a NNA de la comunidad de Veracruz donde vivo, como tambien en las sensibilizaciones que organizaba GNRC Panamá como parte de las acciones que promueve el Comite Ecumenico de Panamá en el cual soy parte, en acciones como Oración y Acción, las capacitaciones tambien la llevamos a la institución en la que laboraba (MIDES-ODSS) donde se integro esta metodoligia a la intervención que hace el estado panemeño en los adolescentes y jovenes en diferentes comunidades del pais.
¿Cómo ha utilizado el Marco de Educación de Ética de AVJ? (400 palabras)
El marco de Educación en etica lo he utilizado en talleres para con niños, niñas, adolescentes, jovenes y familiares, para identificar las violencias que hay en los alrededores de los NNAJ.
Explique cómo las capacitaciones realizadas han sido sensibles al contexto local. (400 palabras)
¿Cómo han impactado las capacitaciones realizadas en los facilitadores capacitados? (400 palabras)
Por favor, proporcione algunos ejemplos para mostrar su recursividad y creatividad para organizar capacitaciones de facilitadores. (600 palabras)
¿Cómo ha proporcionado tutoría y orientación a facilitadores capacitados? (400 palabras)
¿Cómo ha influido el Programa Aprender a Vivir Juntos en una transformación positiva en usted, a nivel personal y profesional? (400 palabras)
Explique cómo ejemplifica un fuerte modelo a seguir de los principios de Aprender a Vivir Juntos. (400 palabras)
Explique cómo actúa como embajador y defensor del Programa Aprender a Vivir Juntos en su contexto local. (600 palabras)
Array
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[nombre_del_solicitante] => Rodolfo David González
[correo_electr_nico] => veracruzano06@gmail.com
[nombre_de_la_organizaci_n] => Fundación Social Cultural Ambiental Veracruz
[pa_s] => Panamá
[ciudad] => Panamá
[por_favor_explique_c_mo_ha_realizado_las_capacitaciones_en_el_programa_aprender_a_vivir_juntos_600_palabras_] => El Programa AVJ inicia para mi en julio 2013 en la Habana Cuba, donde Mercedes Roman desarrollo un Taller para nuevos capacitadores de AVJ, una vez recibida esta capacitación inicie la aplicación a NNA de la comunidad de Veracruz donde vivo, como tambien en las sensibilizaciones que organizaba GNRC Panamá como parte de las acciones que promueve el Comite Ecumenico de Panamá en el cual soy parte, en acciones como Oración y Acción, las capacitaciones tambien la llevamos a la institución en la que laboraba (MIDES-ODSS) donde se integro esta metodoligia a la intervención que hace el estado panemeño en los adolescentes y jovenes en diferentes comunidades del pais.
[_c_mo_ha_utilizado_el_marco_de_educaci_n_de_tica_de_avj_400_palabras_] => El marco de Educación en ética lo he utilizado en talleres para con niños, niñas, adolescentes, jóvenes y familiares, para identificar las violencias que hay en los alrededores de los NNAJ. que viven en la comunidad de Veracruz
[explique_c_mo_las_capacitaciones_realizadas_han_sido_sensibles_al_contexto_local_400_palabras_] => Las capacitaciones realizadas han sido sensibles por las violencias que se ven en el entorno de la comunidad de Veracruz, por ejemplo en la comunidad se tiene presencia de todas las etnias indigenas de Panamá, que vienen a la capital en busca de una mejor estilo de vida, entonces los moradores que tienen años de estar viviendo en esta comunidad que esta a 15 minutos de la ciudad de Panamá, ven a los indígenas como personas ignorantes, fuera de moda, etc. entonces AVJ ayuda a los participantes a conocer mejor al otro, sabiendo que todos tienen su historia por contar, de esta forma se conocen unos a otros.
[_c_mo_han_impactado_las_capacitaciones_realizadas_en_los_facilitadores_capacitados_400_palabras_] => Los NNA van desaprendiendo esa conducta enseñada por las actuaciones de los adultos, donde para los adultos es normal hacen sentir menos al otro, porque no es igual a el o a su cultura, en algunos talleres algunos quedan impresionados cuando el otro da a conocer su cultura y costumbres.
[por_favor_proporcione_algunos_ejemplos_para_mostrar_su_recursividad_y_creatividad_para_organizar_capacitaciones_de_facilitadores_600_palabras_] => Es muy importante organizar un taller con las realidades donde viven los participantes, en el caso de la comunidad de Veracruz se problemas de pandillas, deserción escolar, violencia a los menores, violencia domestica, consumos de sustancias psicoactivas, pobreza, falta de agua de consumo humano, etc , basado a esta información se puede construir las creatividades, ejemplo hacer un taller enfocado en Mi comunidad Modelo cual seria, a través de este proceso real a sus necesidades ellos identifican los factores que generan la violencia y que puede hacer para minimizar las violencias desde su comunidad.
[_c_mo_ha_proporcionado_tutor_a_y_orientaci_n_a_facilitadores_capacitados_400_palabras_] => Desde que se inicia un taller de AVJ los participantes esperan que se le brinde un acompañamiento, es decir si no tienes un acompañamiento diseñado mejor nos inicies un proceso de aprendizaje.
[_c_mo_ha_influido_el_programa_aprender_a_vivir_juntos_en_una_transformaci_n_positiva_en_usted_a_nivel_personal_y_profesional_400_palabras_] => Me ayudado a conocer más de mis ancestros sus costumbres, su forma de pensar, de actuar, en fin me hace pensar que soy un ciudadano entre muchas personas que ejercen ese mismo derecho en el mundo, a pesar que somos diferentes.
[explique_c_mo_ejemplifica_un_fuerte_modelo_a_seguir_de_los_principios_de_aprender_a_vivir_juntos_400_palabras_] => Un fuerte modelo de AVJ a seguir es basado a sus principios, en Conocerse a si mismo primeramente, de nada sirve desarrollar AVJ si no se cumple con este mismo proceso para uno mismo, en cumplir con este proceso interno donde están nuestros miedos, enojos, vacíos, se conecta a su yo verdadero donde decide saber que hay otro diferente a mi mismo y que no piensa igual que a mi mismo, pero decido en construir en mi mismo un mundo mejor para todos.
[explique_c_mo_act_a_como_embajador_y_defensor_del_programa_aprender_a_vivir_juntos_en_su_contexto_local_600_palabras_] => Donde vamos llevamos AVJ como parte de un estilo de vida que me a funcionado a ser mejor conmigo mismo y con los demás, ser defensor del AVJ desde lo local a sido muy facil ya que cuando alguien participa el mismo AVJ le hace sentir también un aliado a este estilo de vida para los ciudadanos de toda la comunidad.
[link_del_video] => jvbfhjvbhjvbhj
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Name: Rodolfo David González
Organization: Fundación Social...
Location: Panamá
Por favor explique cómo ha realizado las capacitaciones en el Programa Aprender a Vivir Juntos. (600 palabras)
El Programa AVJ inicia para mi en julio 2013 en la Habana Cuba, donde Mercedes Roman desarrollo un Taller para nuevos capacitadores de AVJ, una vez recibida esta capacitación inicie la aplicación a NNA de la comunidad de Veracruz donde vivo, como tambien en las sensibilizaciones que organizaba GNRC Panamá como parte de las acciones que promueve el Comite Ecumenico de Panamá en el cual soy parte, en acciones como Oración y Acción, las capacitaciones tambien la llevamos a la institución en la que laboraba (MIDES-ODSS) donde se integro esta metodoligia a la intervención que hace el estado panemeño en los adolescentes y jovenes en diferentes comunidades del pais.
¿Cómo ha utilizado el Marco de Educación de Ética de AVJ? (400 palabras)
El marco de Educación en ética lo he utilizado en talleres para con niños, niñas, adolescentes, jóvenes y familiares, para identificar las violencias que hay en los alrededores de los NNAJ. que viven en la comunidad de Veracruz
Explique cómo las capacitaciones realizadas han sido sensibles al contexto local. (400 palabras)
Las capacitaciones realizadas han sido sensibles por las violencias que se ven en el entorno de la comunidad de Veracruz, por ejemplo en la comunidad se tiene presencia de todas las etnias indigenas de Panamá, que vienen a la capital en busca de una mejor estilo de vida, entonces los moradores que tienen años de estar viviendo en esta comunidad que esta a 15 minutos de la ciudad de Panamá, ven a los indígenas como personas ignorantes, fuera de moda, etc. entonces AVJ ayuda a los participantes a conocer mejor al otro, sabiendo que todos tienen su historia por contar, de esta forma se conocen unos a otros.
¿Cómo han impactado las capacitaciones realizadas en los facilitadores capacitados? (400 palabras)
Los NNA van desaprendiendo esa conducta enseñada por las actuaciones de los adultos, donde para los adultos es normal hacen sentir menos al otro, porque no es igual a el o a su cultura, en algunos talleres algunos quedan impresionados cuando el otro da a conocer su cultura y costumbres.
Por favor, proporcione algunos ejemplos para mostrar su recursividad y creatividad para organizar capacitaciones de facilitadores. (600 palabras)
Es muy importante organizar un taller con las realidades donde viven los participantes, en el caso de la comunidad de Veracruz se problemas de pandillas, deserción escolar, violencia a los menores, violencia domestica, consumos de sustancias psicoactivas, pobreza, falta de agua de consumo humano, etc , basado a esta información se puede construir las creatividades, ejemplo hacer un taller enfocado en Mi comunidad Modelo cual seria, a través de este proceso real a sus necesidades ellos identifican los factores que generan la violencia y que puede hacer para minimizar las violencias desde su comunidad.
¿Cómo ha proporcionado tutoría y orientación a facilitadores capacitados? (400 palabras)
Desde que se inicia un taller de AVJ los participantes esperan que se le brinde un acompañamiento, es decir si no tienes un acompañamiento diseñado mejor nos inicies un proceso de aprendizaje.
¿Cómo ha influido el Programa Aprender a Vivir Juntos en una transformación positiva en usted, a nivel personal y profesional? (400 palabras)
Me ayudado a conocer más de mis ancestros sus costumbres, su forma de pensar, de actuar, en fin me hace pensar que soy un ciudadano entre muchas personas que ejercen ese mismo derecho en el mundo, a pesar que somos diferentes.
Explique cómo ejemplifica un fuerte modelo a seguir de los principios de Aprender a Vivir Juntos. (400 palabras)
Un fuerte modelo de AVJ a seguir es basado a sus principios, en Conocerse a si mismo primeramente, de nada sirve desarrollar AVJ si no se cumple con este mismo proceso para uno mismo, en cumplir con este proceso interno donde están nuestros miedos, enojos, vacíos, se conecta a su yo verdadero donde decide saber que hay otro diferente a mi mismo y que no piensa igual que a mi mismo, pero decido en construir en mi mismo un mundo mejor para todos.
Explique cómo actúa como embajador y defensor del Programa Aprender a Vivir Juntos en su contexto local. (600 palabras)
Donde vamos llevamos AVJ como parte de un estilo de vida que me a funcionado a ser mejor conmigo mismo y con los demás, ser defensor del AVJ desde lo local a sido muy facil ya que cuando alguien participa el mismo AVJ le hace sentir también un aliado a este estilo de vida para los ciudadanos de toda la comunidad.
Organization: Fundación Social Cultural Ambiental Veracruz
Location: Panamá, Panamá
Por favor explique cómo ha realizado las capacitaciones en el Programa Aprender a Vivir Juntos. (600 palabras)
El Programa AVJ inicia para mi en julio 2013 en la Habana Cuba, donde Mercedes Roman desarrollo un Taller para nuevos capacitadores de AVJ, una vez recibida esta capacitación inicie la aplicación a NNA de la comunidad de Veracruz donde vivo, como tambien en las sensibilizaciones que organizaba GNRC Panamá como parte de las acciones que promueve el Comite Ecumenico de Panamá en el cual soy parte, en acciones como Oración y Acción, las capacitaciones tambien la llevamos a la institución en la que laboraba (MIDES-ODSS) donde se integro esta metodoligia a la intervención que hace el estado panemeño en los adolescentes y jovenes en diferentes comunidades del pais.
¿Cómo ha utilizado el Marco de Educación de Ética de AVJ? (400 palabras)
El marco de Educación en ética lo he utilizado en talleres para con niños, niñas, adolescentes, jóvenes y familiares, para identificar las violencias que hay en los alrededores de los NNAJ. que viven en la comunidad de Veracruz
Explique cómo las capacitaciones realizadas han sido sensibles al contexto local. (400 palabras)
Las capacitaciones realizadas han sido sensibles por las violencias que se ven en el entorno de la comunidad de Veracruz, por ejemplo en la comunidad se tiene presencia de todas las etnias indigenas de Panamá, que vienen a la capital en busca de una mejor estilo de vida, entonces los moradores que tienen años de estar viviendo en esta comunidad que esta a 15 minutos de la ciudad de Panamá, ven a los indígenas como personas ignorantes, fuera de moda, etc. entonces AVJ ayuda a los participantes a conocer mejor al otro, sabiendo que todos tienen su historia por contar, de esta forma se conocen unos a otros.
¿Cómo han impactado las capacitaciones realizadas en los facilitadores capacitados? (400 palabras)
Los NNA van desaprendiendo esa conducta enseñada por las actuaciones de los adultos, donde para los adultos es normal hacen sentir menos al otro, porque no es igual a el o a su cultura, en algunos talleres algunos quedan impresionados cuando el otro da a conocer su cultura y costumbres.
Por favor, proporcione algunos ejemplos para mostrar su recursividad y creatividad para organizar capacitaciones de facilitadores. (600 palabras)
Es muy importante organizar un taller con las realidades donde viven los participantes, en el caso de la comunidad de Veracruz se problemas de pandillas, deserción escolar, violencia a los menores, violencia domestica, consumos de sustancias psicoactivas, pobreza, falta de agua de consumo humano, etc , basado a esta información se puede construir las creatividades, ejemplo hacer un taller enfocado en Mi comunidad Modelo cual seria, a través de este proceso real a sus necesidades ellos identifican los factores que generan la violencia y que puede hacer para minimizar las violencias desde su comunidad.
¿Cómo ha proporcionado tutoría y orientación a facilitadores capacitados? (400 palabras)
Desde que se inicia un taller de AVJ los participantes esperan que se le brinde un acompañamiento, es decir si no tienes un acompañamiento diseñado mejor nos inicies un proceso de aprendizaje.
¿Cómo ha influido el Programa Aprender a Vivir Juntos en una transformación positiva en usted, a nivel personal y profesional? (400 palabras)
Me ayudado a conocer más de mis ancestros sus costumbres, su forma de pensar, de actuar, en fin me hace pensar que soy un ciudadano entre muchas personas que ejercen ese mismo derecho en el mundo, a pesar que somos diferentes.
Explique cómo ejemplifica un fuerte modelo a seguir de los principios de Aprender a Vivir Juntos. (400 palabras)
Un fuerte modelo de AVJ a seguir es basado a sus principios, en Conocerse a si mismo primeramente, de nada sirve desarrollar AVJ si no se cumple con este mismo proceso para uno mismo, en cumplir con este proceso interno donde están nuestros miedos, enojos, vacíos, se conecta a su yo verdadero donde decide saber que hay otro diferente a mi mismo y que no piensa igual que a mi mismo, pero decido en construir en mi mismo un mundo mejor para todos.
Explique cómo actúa como embajador y defensor del Programa Aprender a Vivir Juntos en su contexto local. (600 palabras)
Donde vamos llevamos AVJ como parte de un estilo de vida que me a funcionado a ser mejor conmigo mismo y con los demás, ser defensor del AVJ desde lo local a sido muy facil ya que cuando alguien participa el mismo AVJ le hace sentir también un aliado a este estilo de vida para los ciudadanos de toda la comunidad.
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