Title: Laws of Life: Virtues Project

Link: https://media.iearn.org/node/109 

Background: Laws of life are the rules, ideals, and principles by which one chooses to live. The Laws of Life Project invites young people to express in their own words what they value most in life. Participants will submit essays about their laws of life in which they describe the rules, ideals, and principles by which they live, and explain the sources of their laws of life (reading, life experience, religion, culture, role models, etc.). Participants respond to each other's essays and interact with each other electronically. They will also be able to report on any dialogue or events that occur in their learning communities as they participate in the Laws of Life Project, and are encouraged to use what they learned about values to initiate change within the community through action projects. A teacher's guide is also available in the project languages from iEARN. This project is the result of a three-year collaboration between iEARN and the John Templeton Foundation, who conducts a Laws of Life essay contest in the United States.

Facilitator Name: Natasha_Cherednichenko

Country: Ukraine

Facilitator Name: Alema_Nasim

Country: Pakistan

Languages: Arabic, English, Spanish

Student Age Level: 5-11, 12-14, 15-18

Summary: Students write about their personal values in life.

Contributions: Development of Ethical Principles: We all have values that we live by, although often those values aren't clearly stated, fully developed, or critically examined. Writing an essay for the Laws of Life Project will give participants the opportunity to reevaluate and clarify their values. Feedback from a World Community: Culturally diverse responses to one's values can provide crucial and transformative perspective. What makes sense in one community may not make immediate sense in another place; diverse life experiences can inform and enhance all participants' understanding of how one should live. Acting on Belief: Both local and international discussions about laws of life can lead both to positive changes in the values of participating learning communities and to actions that aim to realize participants' values in the world.

Outcomes: Essay booklets. <?xml:namespace prefix = o>