BUILDING CHARACTER

 

“Character is a form of greatness which can be perceived by its effects more than by any direct manifestation.” - Emerson

A person of good character

Only in the future can we become a people

who are beneficial to society and others.

The Eleos Project focuses on the overall growth of the children.
We hope that while their physical/material needs are met,
life’s character can also be built.

Therefore, we launched a character building class.The theme of this issue is: Positive Mentality. In a warm and beautiful venue, under the leadership of professional teachers, the children's character can be influenced and built in a variety of ways.

Role-playing in games, experiencing life

The most exciting part of the class was the game "Virus War". Everyone was divided into three groups. Some played the role of viruses, some played doctors, and some played the role of primary school students. Everyone tried their best to protect the primary school students.

During the reflection session after the activity, Xiao Wen said that he likes doctors the most because they can protect others; Xiao Nan said that she likes primary school students the most because they can be protected by everyone, and she also suggested that everyone wear masks to better prevent virus invasion; Xiao Yun also likes being able to protect others. In the role of a doctor who treats illnesses and saves lives, children have the courage to protect others.

Play is like life, life is like play.

Children experience life in game play and "review" life in reflection. We hope the children learn from these exercise and put into practice what they learned!

Story songs - Shocking soul

Liao Zhi, a dancer with amputated limbs, lives an exciting life.

The teacher shared the story of Liao Zhi, a survivor of the Wenchuan earthquake.

In the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, after waiting for 30 hours, Liao Zhi was finally rescued by the rescue team and escaped from the ruins. However, she was faced with the choice of signing a consent form for amputation because her legs were destroyed from being smashed by the rubble. If she did not accept amputation, her life would be in danger. She was forced to accept the pain of signing the consent form, and at the same time she felt that her dream of dancing was extinguished.

The earthquake caused Liao Zhi to lose everything, including her career, dreams, marriage and daughter. Faced with this dilemma, she felt a lot pain, but she did not give up.

She stared at her empty legs, convinced that she could step onto the stage again and show her own style with her unique "dance".

At the 2011 "Dance Forest", her dream finally came true again! She used dance to inspire the victims who experienced the Wenchuan earthquake with her, encouraging them to persist in life and move forward bravely. It conveys a message in a unique way: even if you encounter difficulties, don't give up easily.

The children were very moved by this story, and Xiaonan, who is still in kindergarten, also listened very carefully.

Although we are weak and sad, we will never give up hope.

Then the children and the teacher sang "Wings of Happiness" together. The teacher played the guitar and the children sang along. The positive lyrics brought the children realization should face life with a positive attitude.

As the song goes:

There are peaks and valleys, which is what life is really like.

There are weaknesses and sorrows but never give up hope

The children’s lives have just begun. There will inevitably be troughs, sadness, and all kinds of unknown blows and difficulties in the future. We hope they can have strong inner strength and never give up hope!

Learn to distinguish in action sheets

Via Action Learning Sheets  Teaching the children to distinguish and say goodbye to negative attitudes  Face difficulties with a positive attitude

Simulated training - life application

Character determines how we react, think, and act in certain circumstances.

In the imaginary scenario, the children take on the role and think about how they would react, think, and act.

Maybe one day, similar things or other unsatisfactory things will happen in the children's lives, and they will face some bad and difficult environments. We hope that this training can help them face, think, and act with a positive and correct attitude!

Lunchtime Gratitude Training

Another important part of this class is the lunchtime gratitude training.

The volunteers worked in a small space for two hours and prepared a sumptuous lunch for us.

We invited them to the stage one by one and asked the children to hand them their lunch first.

The children actively expressed their gratitude to the volunteers through actions.

During the meal, we also reminded the children to think of their loved ones at home and whether they had food to eat.

We made a lot of meals today so we can pack them up for our families to take home. The children all said, "I want to bring it to my grandma, I want to bring it to my dad, I want to bring it to my sister." The atmosphere was particularly touching. The children learned to be grateful without even realizing it.

After lunch, we organized the children to award souvenirs to each volunteer, and said to the volunteers: "Thank you for your service to me." The volunteers also gave each child a down jacket, hoping that they would, in the cold winter, feel more warmth.

It is not just the children in the program who participated in the character class, but also children from the community. Take a look at how they felt after class:

Feelings after class

"I participated in this event and was very touched. When I think about the fact that there are still many children in trouble in the world, a thought comes from my heart: "Help them!" But I am not an adult and cannot leave school. But there are some uncles and aunties around me who are willing to help children in need, and I am very happy!"

"I participated in a character class that was designed to help children who have difficulties at home. I came to the site, played a lot of games, learned a lot, and got to know a lot of children with difficulties at home. They have different personalities, some are cheerful, some are introverted, some are active.… They all have difficult circumstances. I want to help them, but I am not capable enough. So, I hope there will be more capable people to help them."

Character building does not happen overnight, but is a gradual process. As the saying goes, the accumulation of soil forms mountains, the accumulation of steps leads to thousands of miles, and the accumulation of small streams forms rivers and seas. I hope that every little bit of what we do can continue to accumulate in the lives of the children and make their lives a success!