New Character Curriculum a Big Draw at Educators Conference

Alan Saunders, Director, Office of Character Education, UPF
Barrytown, New York, United States
October 15, 2006

The Center for Education held its fifth annual conference in Barrytown, New York, October 13-15, 2006. The theme of this year’s conference was “My Vision and Mission as an Educator.” The conference drew over 250 educators, many of whom were very interested in the educational projects of the Universal Peace Federation.

The Office of Character Education of UPF, Ambassadors for Peace and educators from schools in the US convened a one-day pre-conference workshop on October 13. The theme of the workshop was “Utilizing the Character Education Curriculum in the US and Internationally.” The workshop was very lively, and more than 30 educators and college aged-youth attended the event.

Group photograph

Mr. Bob Beebe, one of the original pioneers of the character education project in the former Soviet Union, worked with Alan Saunders in developing and implementing the workshop. Mrs. Kristina Seher and Mrs. Poppy Richie also gave presentations at the event. Principals of schools in the US, including Mrs. Nora Spurgin, principal of Bridgeport International Academy, shared their experiences of implementing character education at their schools.

There were two very powerful presentations given by educators who have worked internationally. Ms. Fortuna Anthony Husbands, the former chief executive officer of the Ministry of Education of St. Lucia, gave a very lively presentation highlighting the teacher-training workshops in her native Caribbean island. Ms. Husbands also spoke eloquently about the summer camps in St. Lucia which were supported by volunteers from the US, Korea and Japan. Over 300 youth attended these camps, which were co-sponsored by CARICOM. The theme of the summer workshops was “Fighting HIV/AIDS through building character.”

Discussions

Mr. Sam Stoia, a very tall college-aged youth from Delaware, gave an inspiring story about his adventures in Vanuatu, a small island in the South Pacific. Faced with different options after graduating high school, Sam decided to blaze new trails by voyaging out to this remote island. He learnt to teach character education and HIV/AIDS prevention in his four months on the island. There are very few 6-foot 7-inch American youth in Vanuatu, and Sam became somewhat of a celebrity as he visited school principals in this remote island. He also spent time learning the culture and became somewhat fluent in the local language. He is now attending college the US and is eager for another experience in 2007 in the Pacific island nations.

The workshop was a mixture of explaining the new character education curriculum, Discovering the Real Me, and the UPF internship program. Dr. Tyler Hendricks, a representative of the steering committee of the Center for Education, welcomed the group. A report of the UPF character education initiative was then given.

Mrs. Poppy Richie then led an interactive exercise based on one of the chapters of the character education curriculum. After a short break, the next session highlighted best practices where character education is being infused in the schools within the US. The morning session concluded with a question-and-answer period.

Mr. Alan Saunders presenting the character education curriculum and internship program

The afternoon focused more on the UPF character education internship program. Internship opportunities are envisioned in the Caribbean, African and South Pacific regions in the summer of 2007. Mr. Bart Mwarey, principal of the High School of the Pacific in Hawaii, is interested in pairing college-aged youth from the mainland with his students returning to their home islands during the summer school break. Ms Husbands is also preparing for workshops in St. Lucia and expanding the model to the nearby islands of St. Vincent, Barbados, Dominica, as well as Trinidad and Tobago.

Discussion is under way about combining a project of the International Relief Friendship Foundation (IRFF) with the UPF’s Character Education Initiative in Zambia and other countries in Africa.

The conclusion of the workshop was a discussion based on reviewing the Discovering the Real Me curriculum at the elementary, middle and high school levels. The high school group attracted the largest group, with many of the college youth attending this breakout session.

Members of UPF also had a display table at the Educators Conference. Many teachers were extremely interested in the new curriculum and were eager to use these books in their classrooms. Sunday school teachers, parents, and community leaders were also inspired by these books, which have been written at an age-appropriate level. The elementary level of the curriculum focuses on Aesop’s fables and the tales of the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen. The middle school section deals with real-life stories and moral dilemmas that can be the foundation for growing one’s character. The high school section focuses on character development, conflict resolution, character-based sexuality education, relationship and communication skills, and finally leadership and citizenship in the larger community and world.

The final contribution to the Educators Conference was a breakout session during the “Saturday Night Specials.” The title of this session was “Teaching Character Education Internationally and the UPF Internship Program.” Over forty individuals attended this session, which featured a lively set of presentations by Ms. Fortuna Anthony Husbands, Sam Stoia and other educators. There is a strong need and desire to educate youth in the Unification movement to teach character and relationship skills internationally.

The main speaker at the Educators Conference was Dr. James Garbarino. He has been a prolific writer in the area of character education and conflict resolution. His impressive list of books include: See Jan Hit: Why Girls Are More Violent and What We Can Do About It, and Words Can Hurt Forever: How to Protect Adolescents from Bullying, Harassment, and Emotional Violence. He also has done a substantial amount of research in the area of high-profile shootings cases such as occurred at Colombine High School in Littleton, Colorado.