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The Character Education Initiative A Project of the Universal Peace Federation UNESCO: Learning the Way of Peace “Peace education…is basically a character building intervention.” Principles of Peacebuilding • We are one human family created by an Ultimate Reality. • The highest qualities of the human being are spiritual and moral. • The family is the school of love and peace. • Altruism—living for the sake of others— is the central virtue. • Peace comes through cooperation. Character Education = Instilling Virtues that Lead to Peace “Character education is the deliberate effort to help people understand, care about, and act upon core ethical values.” Dr. Thomas Lickona Educating for Character Educating the “Head, Heart, Hand” Drs. Kevin Ryan and Thomas Lickona • To know the good • To care about the good • To do the good There Is an Explosion of Moral Problems in Society Divorce Premarital Sex Alienation from Traditional Values Leads to Alienation of Youth from Society Rising Youth Suicide Rates Rising Teenage Pregnancy Rates Rising Youth Violence and Crime Drug Abuse Alcohol Abuse Unwholesome Media and Entertainment Influences Character Education—A Traditional Part of Education • Since Plato, educators have accepted moral instruction of the young as part of their educational mission • Many universities, including Harvard,were founded to train clergy Character Education Declined in the Twentieth Century, in Part Due to Science • Everything should be empirically provable; • Theory of relativity applied to the moral realm. • Morals are relative. Moral Relativism: Whose Values to Teach? “Virtues” not “Values” • Virtues are universal. • Values are subjective. • Virtues are admired everywhere. • What people value may vary from culture to culture. • Virtues do not change. • Values change. Yet Even Virtues May be Used for Good or Bad Purposes • • • • A strong-willed dictator A diligent terrorist A conscientious computer hacker A generous thief Therefore, UPF Teaches Virtues within the Framework of Three Basic Life Goals Three Basic Life Goals Mature Character Positive Loving Contribution Relationships & Family The Family Teaches Altruism through Four Spheres of Love • A child’s love for parents • A sibling’s love for brothers and sisters • A spouse’s love for husband or wife • A parent’s love for a child The Family Is the First School of Love and Peace Altruism—to live for the sake of others— is the virtue of virtues, encompassing all the others Advanced Technology Calls for Advanced Altruism To use our technological power for good and not ill “The greater our material power, the greater our need for spiritual insight and virtue.” Arnold Toynbee, British historian, Civilization on Trial Theodore Roosevelt 26th President of the US “To educate a man in mind and not morals is to educate a menace to society.” UPF’s Discovering the Real Me Character Education Curriculum • Teaches character through the power of story • Age-appropriate books, covering ages 5-18 • For use in homes, schools, and community venues