SLOVENIA'S 5 CORE VALUES

EXERCISE 1: Discussing the value of 'mutual aid' through a story

"He who helps a man not to fall deserves more thanks than he who picks him up." Danish proverb

Purpose: Students realise that helping each other is not a given and needs to be planned and consciously directed.

Example of a story: "Group learning for a test": in primary school, pupils were preparing for an important science test, but some, like Lena, had problems understanding the material. The class decided to help each other: the better students organised study groups to explain the material. Tilen, who excelled in biology, patiently explained photosynthesis to Lena, while she helped him with his notes, as she was very organised. Other students contributed snacks and juices. The selfless help they gave each other enabled them all to understand the material better and they passed the test with flying colours. The class was proud and the pupils felt connected. But once a group refused to help their classmates, saying, "Let them learn on their own!" those students felt isolated and their results were lower, weakening the unity of the class. Selfless mutual help brought success and joy, while selfishness brought loneliness and fragmentation.

Questions for discussion:

• What motivated the pupils to organise mutual learning support? 
• Who organised and led this mutual assistance? Can it happen completely spontaneously?
• How do you help each other in your class? What could be improved?

Value: mutual aid as selfless cooperation that strengthens the individual and the community.

EXERCISE 2: When the opportunity arises

"The best things in human life are the small acts of attention and love that have no names and are not even remembered." William Wordsworth

Purpose: Children have more or less of a sense of when to care for, help or comfort their peers. By systematically observing and reminding children of opportunities to care for others, we develop this dimension in them.

Flow: Remind the children that this week we will be extra vigilant if anyone needs special care and help. We should pay attention to school, as well as to home and other institutions we visit.

Ask the children how we know that others need help. Talk about direct requests, outward, non-verbal signs such as crying, helplessness, watching when someone is having difficulty with a task or is unsure at the start of a task, etc.

What help do peers, family members, participants in other institutions need? Children speak from their own experience and from observing others. We also help them with the following suggestions:

• help you learn,
• listening and talking in times of need,
• help with a difficult physical task,
• assistance when crossing the road,
• comfort in times of pain or sadness ...

All suggestions are written on a poster. With the children's help, draw a symbol for each suggestion. For each suggestion, discuss how you would help in a particular situation.

After the discussion, remind the children once again to keep a close eye on their friends in the group over the next week, ten days or even the whole month, and to help them as much as they can. Each day, we also briefly check what happened, what they noticed and how they helped.

EXERCISE 3: Intergenerational support/cooperation

"I never worry about actions. What worries me is the absence of action." Winston Churchill

Intergenerational cooperation is a major challenge. It is a challenge because it is difficult to work together and it is difficult to plan to work together. Planning cooperation of course requires work and effort. The potential that the older generations have and the time they have available is huge. But there is also potential for children and young people, potential to make older people feel that they are needed and, of course, to pass on the knowledge and skills that young people have and older people need. 

Target group: Children 4+, grandparents

Purpose: If we want intergenerational cooperation and understanding, it is not enough to meet grandparents once a year. There is a need for ongoing and regular meetings and cooperation. This requires planned work and a considerable effort. Alongside this kind of work, we also need to be aware that change only happens over time. 

To plan this activity we need to think: 

• Which skills do (some) older people have that we want to have ourselves?
• Which skills and knowledge would you like older people to pass on to children?
• What do older people need that children could teach or help them to do?

Flow: We are looking for activities that could be continuous. Some possibilities:

• Once a week, we invite grandparents to exercise with the children. We keep repeating the invitation so that the number of participants increases over time.
• Invite grandparents to a meeting and ask them what they could teach or do with the children. Prepare a list and timetable so that approximately one grandparent is in the group each week. Alternatively, several grandparents can organise a single meeting. Grandparents can be included in an extended programme.
• If possible, a group of children can visit a retirement home every week to perform, play board games with the elderly, learn from each other, etc.
• A grandparent can run an extra-curricular activity or club at school.
• Grandmothers or grandfathers can come to the kindergarten every day and read or tell stories in groups.
• ...

EXERCISE 4: To help - when the opportunity arises

"The best things in human life are the small acts of attention and love that have no names and are not even remembered." William Wordsworth

Values education is always about being open to see and recognise the needs of the people we meet, and being ready to do what is most needed at any given moment.

Target group: Children 6+

Purpose: Children have more or less of a sense of when to care for, help or comfort their peers. By systematically observing and reminding children of opportunities to care for others, we develop this dimension in them.

Flow: We also observe children at play and in activities. How do they react when someone falls, cries or needs help? Which element of help do they have the most difficulty with? What do they do well? We observe each individual and can also note their concern for others. If necessary, help or guide and encourage another child to offer help.

Remind the children that we will be extra vigilant this week if anyone needs special care and help.

Ask the children how we know that others need help. Talk about the request, the outward, non-verbal signs such as crying, helplessness, etc.

What help do children need? Children speak from their own experience and from observing others. We also help them with the following suggestions:

• help with shoes and clothes,
• help at the playgrounds,
• when you don't know how to cut your own food,
• when someone falls and is hit or injured,
• when someone is sad ...

All suggestions are written on a poster. With the children's help, draw a symbol for each suggestion.

With each suggestion, we discuss how we would help in the particular circumstance.

After the discussion, remind the children once again to keep a close eye on their friends in the group over the next week, ten days or even the whole month, and to help them as much as they can.

Each day, we also briefly check what happened, what they noticed and how they helped.

EXERCISE 5: We observe the co-existence of

What do we highlight as positive? What do we put on the stage? 

Flow: We tell the children that for one month we will be looking at who has done something nice - that is, helped someone. 

Let's dedicate a plaque to record these beautiful deeds all month long. We can also get a bigger poster and hang it on the wall. 

The children's task is to observe when someone will do something nice for someone else, i.e. something to help. They should not write and mention themselves, but they can point out a classmate. The example is told to the teacher, who writes down the nice deed and next to it the name of the person who did it. 

At the end of the month, we read out all the beautiful deeds and the people who did them, and applaud each one. 

This shows children that it is worth pointing out and praising, and to employ nice actions to help them. 

Content by Danilo Kozoderc