How is LVEP different from other character education programmes?
Living Values Educational Programme is unusually comprehensive. It offers both methodology and content. Educators teach values through modeling and facilitating a values-exploration process. LVEP provides educator training and hundreds of lessons that build skills sequentially. Its multi-modality approach contributes to impacting both left- and right-brain thinkers.
LVEP educators reinforce positive character traits and emotional intelligence in all students. One key to LVEP effectiveness is the lack of moralizing. “Resistant” students or marginalized youth turn away from a moralizing approach to character education. Educators help students explore the effects of values while respecting their right to judge for themselves.
What types of activities are included in LVEP?
The programme provides a broad range of activities to encourage the development of both cognitive and affective skills. Students are engaged in conflict resolution exercises, discussions, artistic activities (art, dramas, song, dance, and storytelling), games, communication exercises, role-playing, mindmapping, creative writing, imagining and relaxation/focusing exercises. For older students, some activities foster awareness of social justice and responsibility. Each site implementing LVEP is encouraged to include stories, songs and activities from the culture of the students with whom they work.
funding
How is Living Values Education funded?
Internationally, the funding varies from country to country. In many countries, LVE is supported by private grants and donations. Volunteer work by dedicated professionals defrays costs. In some countries, ministries of education, national offices of UNESCO and other child-centered non-governmental organizations contribute to training costs, including translation of the materials. Agencies and organizations requesting training host trainings or contribute to expenses.
thinking
Why “living” values?
History is built around the gap between what people say and what they do. LVE believes that adults are important role models. We encourage school development plans that identify values held in common. Shared beliefs become the heart of the educational system, driving everything.
What specific values are you looking to promote?
LVE helps people explore and choose their own personal values as well as develop intrapersonal and interpersonal skills to “live” those values. The purpose of this education is to awaken what already exists and provide tools to understand the ramifications of actions for the self, others and society and increase values-based decision-making ability. LVEP activities elicit from students ideas about what they would value in their ideal world, and students explore the things they feel give meaning to their lives.
The twelve values explored by LVE have been articulated and widely endorsed around the world at conferences such as the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the 1992 Aspen Conference.
ALIVE International brings together national Living Values Education bodies and is an independent organisationthat does not have any particular or exclusive religious, political or national affiliation or interest.
more results
Tell me some success stories.
In Iceland, a veteran first-grade teacher reported seeing surprising and dramatic improvements in caring, respect, cooperation, concentration, and learning to read. In Lebanon, second-graders in a classroom at ACS have learned conflict resolution so well that they solve all peer conflicts themselves; the teacher reports she is free to teach. For the last two years in Thailand, the schools winning the country’s award for the best school in the country, the Royal Reward, were schools implementing LVEP. In Australia, a year-nine student reported, “It’s not just that I like values classes, I really enjoy them. At the start I was dead against values, I didn’t feel like I got anything out of the class. I distracted people and didn’t put in any effort. Then I thought for one lesson I would really contribute. That lesson changed the way I felt about values. I can relate to everything that we talk about. I find myself discovering things about myself that I never knew. Values class is really worthwhile.” In South Africa, formerly violent secondary students now lead LVEP workshops for their peers and are leaders for peace.
There are also wonderful stories from educators in special circumstances. In Thailand, one year after implementing LVEP, nine out of 24 refugee-camp teachers working with children and youth reported 100-percent improvement in violent behavior; the others cited an 80-percent reduction in aggressiveness. The new program for street children is bringing in very positive reports. In Vietnam, educators reported considerable decreases in aggression and at risk behaviors. They noted, “Now they are confident and friendly with adults and their peers. There is almost no conflict in the classes and they now do not get into trouble after school either. The students have also developed many skits on how to keep safe from dangerous adults and really enjoy performing them. Now when they are on the streets and see children that are new to the streets they give support and advice to the new children and invite them to meet their teacher and join their classes.”
process
Where can I obtain the LVEP books?
The five books are:
• Living Values Activities for Children Ages 3–7
• Living Values Activities for Children Ages 8–14
• Living Values Activities for Young Adults
• LVEP Educator Training Guide
• Living Values Parent Groups: A Facilitator Guide
This Living Values Series of five books received Learning Magazine’s Teachers’ Choice Award 2002 and is published in 11 languages. Translation is ongoing in an additional 22 languages.
FAQs