SAFER Training Programme (English)

Character Education Theoretical Background – Teaching Values

Focusing on the link among Character Education, values and current challenging societal issues such as gender equality and gender-based violence, UNESCO (2019), in collaboration with other world known humanitarian organizations, developed the “Connecting with Respect” classroom-based curriculum, which aims to prevent Gender Based Violence. Among the concepts which are suggested, the value of “respect” is highly regarded and promoted, along with gender pedagogics and other important psychoeducational concepts (e.g., communication skills, peer support skills).  Moreover, self-respect is another essential aspect that refers to valuing ones’ own self and making the right choices in order to amplify feelings like self-worth, self-confidence and self-motivation.  Just as with our respect for others, self-respect involves cognition, valuation, affect, expectation, motivation, action, and reaction, that leads to an appreciation of oneself as having morally significant worth (Dillon, 2016).