(Santo Domingo, June 2015). During the 3rd to June 6th, 2015, on Oracion Mount, St. Victor-Moca, the second workshop on Ethics Education – “Building a Culture of Peace in the Family, School and Community” was organized by a local team of volunteers of the Global Network of Religions for Children (GNRC) with support of the Arigatou International office in Geneva. The team included representatives of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Bahai Faith, World Vision, Boys and Girls with Don Bosco, The Art of Living Foundation, Dominican Association of Reiki and Catholic Relief Services (CRS). It was taught by international facilitators Ms. Vera Leal (Program Officer of the Arigatou International’s office in Geneva), and Ms. Monica Bernal, Ecuadorian family therapist, psychologist and international facilitator of Arigatou International, with support from Silvia Mazzarelli, Program Manager for the GNRC in Latin America and the Caribbean. Local facilitators also included Eric Gómez, Josefina Barceló y José Raúl Vargas.

The objective of the workshop was to train educators and facilitators in the Intercultural and Interfaith Programme for Ethics Education “Learning to Live Together”, a methodology of Arigatou International -endorsed and recommended by UNICEF and UNESCO- to overcome various forms of violence suffered by children and adolescents and forge human values in new generations.

The framework of human rights, in particular the Convention on the Rights of the Child, was the starting discussion point to find possible solutions to the problem of violence among children and adolescents.

Communities of practice were formed to ensure the implementation of the program for one year as an effective and collective response to the growing culture of violence, within a process of support and feedback from the participating institutions.

Ingrid Martinez, a participant and representative of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said: “It’s always a privilege to support and be part of a group that regardless of culture or religion is always looking to promote wellness and the rights of the child! ”

The workshop is one of the activities taken by the GNRC in Dominican Republic to prevent and respond to violence, promote harmony in diversity of beliefs and protect the well-being of children and adolescents.