 Honolulu,
Hawaii – World Youth Network International (WYN), a Hawaii-based
non-profit educational organization, today announced a new licensing
agreement that will export to Australia a “character education” curriculum
developed in Hawaii and used in island schools. “This new licensing
agreement creates a partnership that will dramatically expand our efforts to
market a character education curriculum to other schools and organizations
around the world to help our children face,” says D. Trinidad Hunt, a
co-founder of World Youth Network International. “It’s a curriculum that
helps students develop the individual qualities they need to make positive
contributions to societies around the world.
“Every day, we see problems, ranging from violence to scandals, shaking
the world’s most respected institutions, whether they are major corporations
or governments,” says Hunt. “A person’s character is always at the core of
these problems. We are facing a crisis in character. But the mere existence
of these problems illustrates the fact that we’re not doing enough to
develop the personal skills and traits—such as self-discipline and
respect—that will help our children become valued and contributing citizens
in our communities.
“It’s a challenge that people around the world, from Hawaii to Australia,
are facing together. WYN’s work helps our children to become life-long
learners who will be capable of making difficult decisions and choices, in
these challenging times.”
The lessons and learning material are tailored to different grade levels
to develop students’ personal skills, such as self-discipline, respect,
concentration, creativity, and perseverance.
Six schools in Western Australia already have begun using the curriculum
to help educators and young students address growing problems such as drug
abuse, crime, teen pregnancies, and bullying. Mary Erceg of LifeWize
Solutions says, “The World Youth Network will add tremendous depth and
dimension to our work.”
In Hawaii, more than 175 schools have implemented the curriculum (see
attachment) which provides teachers and students with lesson plans,
classroom activities, and resource material that integrate “character
education” into subjects ranging from language arts to physical education.
“This curriculum has taught our students to see how unique they are with
special talents and gifts,” says Linda Uehara, a sixth grade language arts
teacher who is among a team of five teachers using the curriculum at Kapolei
Middle School which is serving as a “pilot” school for WYN’s new middle
school curriculum. “Students are beginning to see themselves more positively
and are able to help and give more to others to create a caring community.”
“This new partnership will enable Fremantle Education Centre and LifeWize
Solutions in Australia to publish and to distribute our character education
material and implement our learning programs throughout Western Australia,
with the goal of eventually reaching that entire country,” says Hunt.
The partnership between WYN and Australian officials follows a visit by
Hunt and Truair who were invited to an “Emotional Literacy Expo,” set up
exclusively to feature WYN’s curriculum, in Perth, Australia last September.
At the invitation of Western Australian officials, the two Hawaii residents
trained ministers of education (the Australian counterparts to U.S. school
superintendents on the district or state levels) and a group chief executive
officers of Australian businesses to use the WYN curriculum.
“From an educational perspective, this partnership expands the reach of a
curriculum that has been an effective teaching and learning tool to prepare
today’s students with the character education and skills needed to face the
challenges that humanity will face in the next millennium,” adds Hunt, a
former classroom teacher who went on to a successful career as a corporate
trainer and author.
“From a business perspective, this partnership proves that Hawaii’s
educators and expertise can be an invaluable export to the world,” says
Hunt. “We offer a curriculum that has been created, written, developed, and
implemented by Hawaii educators and social workers.”
D. Trinidad Hunt and Lynne M. Truair co-founded WYN in 1996 to provide
“character education” around the world. WYN’s curriculum is now used in
public and private schools, organizations, and institutions in the United
States (California and Wisconsin); Toronto, Canada; New Delhi, India;
Singapore; and Malaysia.
For example, one lesson for Hawaii’s fifth graders teaches planning and
cognitive skills by introducing the concept of “forethought.” The lesson
includes a story of Hokule`a navigator Nainoa Thompson and his preparation
to guide the canoe on its historical voyage to Tahiti in 1980, which serves
as an example of “forethought,” or “ho`omakaukau ana.”The lesson continues
with material that teaches students how “forethought” affects students’
future lives. The curriculum includes essays about “mentors and models,”
such as President John F. Kennedy, industrialist Henry J. Kaiser, and
Olympic gold medal skater Tara Lipinski, to illustrate how “forethought” in
their lives led to their personal journeys to achievement and excellence.
After learning about WYN through the Internet,
an Australian educator contacted WYN to discuss bringing the curriculum to
Australia. “Australian officials have cited their own troubling, emerging
social trends,” says Hunt. “Our new partners in Australia recognize that
‘character education’ will help address these trends. We are proud of the
fact that they turned to Hawaii and WYN.”
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