On Saturday August 17, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Havana opened its doors to the GNRC-Cuba for a day of presentation of the Learning to Live Together Programme, for the teachers of the “Association of the Adventist Teachers of Cuba” (AMAC). 52 adults participated in the event.

A group of facilitators, motivated by the lessons learned during the July training workshop in Matanzas, briefly shared with the Adventist teachers the content and the methodology of the manual. Some participatory and reflection-based activities around the issue of “violence” were done, to enable a more concrete understanding of the methodology of the Learning to Live Together Programme.

‘Violence’ was identified by the participants as mistreatment, disrespect, fear, pain, offense, abuse, disorder, aberration, harassment. Through the “Theatre of the Oppressed” technique, participants worked on the forms of violence experienced by children in schools, including the lack of empathy, cooperation, and listening.

They then discussed alternatives. Among these, the Ethics Education Programme  which implements the GNRC was presented as a concrete way to work with students on ethical values. In this context, Rev. Ofelia Ortega, Cuba’s GNRC Coordinator, gave a presentation on Arigatou-GNRC. Ms. Herminia Rodriguez spoke about the Cuban Code of the Family, Children and Youth, in relation to the rights of the child and the existing policies to protect the families.

The facilitators ended the workshop with a meditation and relaxation technique and with an evaluation of the experience, through the activity: “What I brought and what I leave with”. The teachers talked about the day as an experience of faith, growth, reconciliation, optimism and hope. The President of AMAC made the closing remarks and thanked the facilitators for the workshop, and for the possibilities that were identified for the teachers to further analyze the ethics education methodology that was presented during the workshop.

Finally, the facilitators evaluated and summarized the main achievements of the workshop: 1) It was possible to communicate the essence of the methodology of the Learning to Live Together Programme, 2) it opened possibilities for the teachers to work on values during their ordinary work, 3) it was a new experience for the teachers, both from a spiritual and educational perspective.

Rev. Ofelia Ortega (ICEG), Moraima González (ICEG), Liset Echenique (Feliz Varela Cultural Centre), Herminia Rodríguez Pacheco (Federation of Cuban Women) and Dr. Raúl Gil Sánchez (Feliz Varela Cultural Centre) facilitated the workshop.