EDUCATION FOR ETHICS AND PEACE

The focus of The Foundation’s programs is to work in a patient and sustained way on the root causes of suffering through education for ethics and peace.

We may not be able to achieve a world free of conflict, but we can most certainly create a world in which learning about ethics and peace is a part of the mainstream educational program for all children and youth, and a world in which conflict is addressed through dialog and compromise, rather than by recourse to violence.

Current initiatives include:

• Study Circles.  A study guide for the Dalai Lama’s book Ethics for the New Millennium is freely available. Study circles are active around the world.
• The Missing Peace: Artists Consider the Dalai Lama Art Project.  Art has great power to help us to see our common humanity in new ways.  With the Committee of 100 for Tibet, the Foundation is co-sponsoring a major international exhibition entitled The Missing Peace: Artists Consider the Dalai Lama.  This exhibition brings together the work of 88 world-class artists from 30 countries.  Education activities and curricula are integral parts of the exhibition. Its travel schedule is available at The Missing Peace website. The Missing Peace Curriculum is available directly on our website. And we have also produced a Virtual Tour, which allows you to “visit” the exhibit online.
• Ethics in Russia.  In 2005, the Russian Committee of the Foundation began distributing Ethics for the New Millennium at no charge to over 5,000 libraries across Russia. The Russian Committee also has a Russian-language version of the Dalai Lama Foundation website.
• Online Courses.  We are currently developing two online courses, The Ethics of Altruism and Destructive Emotions, which will be the anchor courses for a wide ranging syllabus of online courses on a wide range of topics related to ethics and peace.

An outline of the overall plan for curriculum development follows.

Curricula for Peace and Ethics : Program Outline

In time the Foundation will produce a series of curricula for ethics and peace, for a range of levels, including primary and secondary school, university, and adult study groups. We will locate the best of the work that has already been developed, and we will develop new material where needed. The curricula will include written materials, video, audio, group exercises, homework, projects, etc., and will be made widely available around the world, in a variety of languages.

The goal of the program is to have a real effect on millions of individuals, ameliorating the root causes of violence, including ignorance, misunderstanding and hatred.

Phased Implementation

The program will be implemented in phases, as described below.

We have begun by establishing an international Curriculum Advisory Board, consisting of respected individuals with strong experience and credentials relevant to curricula for peace and ethics, to guide the program. We will continue to develop the board to include individuals from diverse traditions and regions of the world, and represent expertise, both theoretical and operational, at the full range of course levels.

Phase 2: Online Community

We will continue to develop our website into an online community for people interested in education for ethics and peace.  Community members will be able to nominate content for the site—i.e. recommend programs, books, videos, etc. Nominations will be reviewed by the site's producer and posted on the site. Written criteria for inclusion in the site will be developed.

Phase 3: Recommended Curricula

After the Curriculum Advisory Board has established a formal process for due diligence, assessment and endorsement of curricula, the Foundation will begin formally recommending curricula. We will develop procedures for publicizing and promoting these recommendations.

Phase 4: New Curricula

After due diligence on the landscape of existing programs is complete, the Curriculum Advisory Board will make recommendations for new curricula to be developed by the Foundation in collaboration with other organizations as appropriate.

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