Bright Heart Children
Parents, teachers and other stakeholders all over the world invest time, energy and resources to help children acquire more knowledge and skills to help them ‘succeed’. Yet, most agree that academic education alone is not sufficient.
Education alone has not been able to solve the World’s problems and many conflicts have been observed over time and new ones continue to happen every day. In order to join many groups and individuals who have worked tirelessly to resolve problems of the World, Joy For Humanity trains school going children with additional special qualities.
In 2007 JFH was fortunate to connect with Haydn Anthony the Founder of the Great Hearts Afire Foundation, a U.S. non-profit charity established to involve people in the cause of peace and to promote peace projects. Since 1970, Haydn has been creating Global Peace projects since her involvement with the Prisoner of War/ Missing in Action campaign during the Viet Nam war.
To further train young peacemakers, Haydn aided the construction of the Bright Hearts Home in 2007 and this worked as a prototype for Bright Heart Principles that were created through the Great Hearts Afire Foundation.
The first girls who arrived in the home were barely speaking and malnourished. After an adjustment period of realizing that they had a new home and were being cared for their lives changed.
Along with academics, the children were also educated in a human enrichment program based on the six Bright Heart Principles of Courage, Compassion, Truth, Justice, Freedom and Peace and these children exhibited a great difference in behaviour among other children at the school.
Due to the success of transformation of 8 lives, the program was included in the curriculum of Kyazanga Modern Primary which gave the opportunity to other school going children to undergo the Bright Hearts training.
We observed that the integration of the Bright Hearts Program in the curriculum made the children blossom and progressed further in school to a remarkable degree.
These uniquely human Principles have been essential for children’s success in their academic endeavours and will also contribute tremendously to their future career and family life. These are the surest foundation for building a sustainable and harmonious society.
We, therefore, graduated our first school children, on confirmation of the impact this Program has on the lives of the children. It is essential that academic achievement and the development of the heart and mind go hand in hand.
We want to champion this program to all other school going children in order to prevent the problems our families and nations are facing.
Bright Hearts in the World stand together in an effort to create Peace and a better life for all people regardless of race, religion or culture.
“If we wish to create a lasting peace we must begin with the children”. Mahatma Gandhi