The Interfaith Council Secretariat of Arigatou International has been recently involved in preparing, planning and delivering training workshop on how to use the manual Learning to Live Together, launched in May 2008. Two training workshops in Belgium and Luxembourg were held in October to disseminate the manual in Europe.
The first workshop held in Brussels from 3 to 5 October gathered 15 Christians from different denominations and Muslims from Belgium and Haiti. The second workshop took place in Luxembourg from 7 to 9 October and gathered 28 participants from 12 nationalities coming from the Suffi community, Christian organisations and Sukyo Mahikari. The objectives of the workshops were to introduce the manual Learning to Live Together in practical ways and to share experiences working on ethics education for children.
Brussels, 3-5 October 2008
Luxembourg, 7-9 October 2008
On the first day participants were introduced to the main concepts of Learning to Live Together and through discussions and experiential activities they learned about the approch, methodologies and activities of the Manual. Discussions after each session on the situations that affect children and the application of the methodologies were held in order to better internalise how to use Learning to Live Together. On the evening participants shared about their organisations, their cultures and traditional customs.
On the second day participants mapped out the reality of children in their countries, analysing the problems that affect them, their causes and how ethics education programmes could help alleviate some of the issues that face children today. Through this activity participants discovered the importance of reflecting on the reality and social context of children in order to better adapt Learning to Live Together to their needs, interests and issues.
Practical activities on the learning modules, recommendations on how to plan a session, discussions about spirituality and interfaith prayer were also part of the workshop. The creativity, interest and experience of the participants working with children made their participation very dynamic and interactive.
At the end of the workshop participants were introduced to the Day of Prayer and Action for Children and they proposed ideas on how to use Learning to Live Together in their countries and organisations. Three young people who have been active in the GNRC in Belgium also participated in the workshop in Brussels as part of their training to coordinate youth activities in their cities.
Special thanks to Ms. Ana María Serrano in Brussels and Mr. Christophe Déage in Luxembourg for their support and logistical coordination of the workshop. Thanks also to Ms. Marta Palma, GNRC Coordinator for Europe for the organisation of the workshops and to Ms. Mercedes Román, GNRC Coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean for supporting the participation of the people from Haiti.
These workshops are part of a series of training workshops organised by the GNRC regions to disseminate Learning to Live Together and promote its use in different settings and among different groups.
To see more photos of the workshop in Brussels, click here and of the workshop in Luxembourg, click here
