Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) is a political football in educational policy in the UK. Many Catholic parents are rightly concerned that their right to bring their children up according to the faith is undermined by some of the programmes in use.Therefore it is good to see a new PSHE programme that can be highly recommended. Alive to the World was created by Christine Vollmer, who is well known in international circles for her campaign work for the family. She sits on the Pontifical Council for the Family and the Pontifical Academy for Life. She originally created the programme for Latin America and the UK team has edited the English translation to make it suitable for use in England. The books are designed for whole school PSHE but can also be used in the home and in parishes. Alive to the World is published by Gracewing and may be ordered from the dedicated website at a special introductory discount.
Knowing that there can always be pitfalls, even in well-meaning programmes, I gave the materials from this one to some people whom I know to be aware of the issues involved and critical of bad material. This is their verdict:
This is the best PSHE programme we have seen, being both genuinely educational and suitable as a resource across the curriculum. It is very readable, and whilst presenting personal situations which the children will be able to recognise from their own experience, it draws on charcters from history and literature, avoiding the tediuos and narrow fare usually tackled by such material; 'Me', drugs, sex, the environment.A Catholic father who has reviewed the material wrote to me:
The more personal areas are, rightly, designed to be dealt with in single sex groups, although some areas would be better used as homework.
It is understandable that some diocese and faith schools have already bought this course, but it also is suitable for schools with no 'faith' basis. We found these books useful as a parenting tool and look forward to the year 9 and 10 books.
Reviewed by a group of parents and teachers.
It's an excellent course, and to see a book that deals well with pornography, promiscuity and other issues so well is really refreshing. It also gives really good resources around the 98+% of life that is not those issues. I've never seen anything as good as this and I've seen quite a few of them."Some weeks ago, I also mentioned another excellent programme This is My Body which was produced in conjunction with the Diocese of Lancaster. I was worried that the two programmes might be in competition but in fact, "This is My Body" is a set of 12 lessons for Year 6 children focussing on fertility and conception within the heart of Catholic spirituality. "Alive to the World" is a complete PSHE programme for years 4-8 which tackles virtue in order to support Catholic moral teaching in the round. "This is My Body" provides leaflets for parents listing the sexual topics it would be appropriate for them to cover with their children at a given time. "Alive to the World" gives stories as a way of helping them provide that teaching, while also teaching parents the biology on which NFP is based.
It is great to be able to report on two good programmes that accord unambiguously with Catholic teaching and support parents as the prime educators of their children in the ways of faith.
I have heard good news from the programme authors that the 452 bishops of Brazil have decided unanimously to recommend the programme in their dioceses! In England, the programme has so far been recommended as a resource by the Diocese of Salford. I hope that there will be many others to follow.
6 comments:
Thank you for this. I had come across 'This is my Body' and purchased a set for my 2 schools to share. They are very pleased with it. I have now ordered 'Alive to the world'. Hopefully, it will be exactly what I've been looking for. Thank you for your advice.
Many thanks for your feedback - it is particularly good to hear that the schools are pleased with the programme.
Yes, it is excellent. I use it now in my Catholic secondary school, having jettisoned the appalling, anti-Catholic "All that I am".
I recommended it to my Teacher Training Provider (A Catholic secondary school ITT provider which is seeking Pontifical status .. ?) and they did not want to know.
I quoted it at length in my final special study/dissertation. Big mistake. I almost failed the assignment, having got straight A's throughout.
Still, I am using it now, and this is what matters.
Alive to The World is very Catbolic, very real, very exciting for students and makes PHSE lessons go with a swing. You do have to have the courage to chuck out the old, though. Go for it !! you have nothing to lose exceopt your reputation. (fortunately I don't have one yet)
Hello from Peru, South America! I totally agree this is one of the best PSHE programme...It's not about imposing values but recognizing them freely...
José Ignacio Beteta, Lima, Peru.
What heartening news that this excellent programme has been approved in the Salford diocese that it is really beginning to take off. Well done to all who worked so hard for it.
A.C.I.
As UK co-ordinator of Alive to the World, it's very encouraging to read these comments. I have been asked to point out that the more intimate 'facts of life' are covered in separate stories downloadable from the computer. These are again done in story form and are based on information taken from Dr Hilgers’ NaproTechnology (see website). They describe natural fertility and infertility in the body in such a way as to inspire awe. The hope is that teachers will print them out and give them to parents for them to read with their own children. The stories are designed to stimulate intimate conversation and perhaps bring the parents up to date with modern knowledge and the concepts behind NFP.
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