Jong HV
The Jong HV (JH) is a national humanist youth group (age 18-35) within
the Humanistisch Verbond (HV), the spiritual home in the Netherlands
for people with a humanist life stance.
Aims
The Jong HV aims to be a forum where young people can develop themselves
and their opinions on societal, personal and ethical topics. It
wants to be a place where dialogue is valued and stimulated and
wants to give youth an opportunity to learn more about humanism.
Activities
The aims are met by organising several activities:
1) a magazine,
2) an interactive website,
3) local groups where people talk about topics on a monthly basis,
4) day-activities and weekends.
Especially the weekends are an activity members all over the country
look forward to during the year.
Besides this we have co-organised the 2002
international humanist youth conference which was held in the
Netherlands. Also we organised in this year a well-visited inspirationday,
this time it was about materialism.
Organisation
The Jong HV has around 150 members, 300 people receive the magazine.
All its activities -the website, the magazine as well as the local
discussion groups- aim at all young people who are interested. There
are around 20 volunteers who organise the activities, are active
in website work, make the magazine or who are in the board. There
are almost ten local discussiongroups. And there is one employee
who does the concrete work for the board one day per week.
Contact JH
website: www.jonghv.nl,
Address: Sarphatikade 13, 1070 AL Amsterdam,
Phone: +31 (0)20 5219045,
Contact by e-mail: info@jonghv.nl .
@Written by Gea Meijers
Involvement in IHEYO
Jong HV is a full member of IHEYO.
back to top
Humanist
Ethical and Worldview Education (HVO)
Humanist Ethical and Worldview Education is a course given in
Dutch schools, developed by the centre for Humanistisch Vormings
Onderwijs (HVO). HVO is an educational centre for humanist education
and upbringing.
The centre is in charge of the education for becoming a teacher
in Primary or Secondary school able to give 'Ethical and Worldview
Education' based on humanist education principles. Also HVO provides
trainings to people giving courses on upbringing and HVO provides
extra education to teachers giving 'Ethical and Worldview Education'
to update their knowledge and skills. Next to this, HVO develops
several projects in this area. It is a centre of knowledge concerning
Ethical and Worldview Education and Humanist Education.
Ethical and Worldview Education is not the same as Humanist Education.
Ethical and Worldview Education is based on Humanist principles
of teaching, but is not about teaching the humanist perspective
on life.
Ethical and Worldview Education in the
Dutch school system
Ethical and Worldview Education -religious or non-religious- is
by Law a part of the School's curriculum in the Netherlands. For
Primary (up to 12 years of age) and Secondary school (12-16/17/18)
there are different provisions.
Primary Education
Children in the state primary schools in the Netherlands have
a legal right to receive religious instruction or ideological-ethical
education during school hours. This instruction is bound to certain
regulations that are legally binding and it is offered by the
different religious and non-religious groups. The Dutch education
system is based on a division of special schools (mostly religious
school) and public schools (with a neutral identity); both are
funded by the state.
From 1969, humanists have started offering Humanist Ethical and
Worldview Education as an ideological-ethical course in primary
schools. Humanist ethical and worldview education can at present
be offered at a third of public primary schools. Teachers of this
subject are trained and guided by HVO.
Secondary School
In Secondary school, Ethical and Worldview Education is one of
the subjects schools can choose to offer youngsters. It is not
part of the standard minimum curriculum that all school should
provide their students. At two schools in the Netherlands Humanism
is given as course during school hours. At other schools HVO-teachers
give the course 'Ethics'. Most HVO-teachers teach Ethical and
Worldview Education.
Humanist
Ethical and Worldview Education in practice
The essence of Humanist Ethical and Worldview Education is to
guide students to moral self-guidance so that they can take personal
responsibility for their own lives, in commitment to others.
Humanist Ethical and Worldview Education in practice has given
rise to a special methodology -recognize, examine, choose, evaluate-
for this, which is primarily descriptive rather than prescriptive.
This methodology gives HVO-teachers a structure, a frame within
which to plan and to develop their themed lessons.
This methodology allows for a variety of working methods, such
as play and role-playing, different forms of dialogue and discussion,
the use of visual and auditive forms to stimulate all senses and
all kinds of other creative working methods, which all reinforce
the objective of humanist ethical and worldview education. Important
subjects in these lessons at primary schools: are friendship,
childrens’ rights, being different, feasts, pets, feelings,
happiness, sorrow, mourning and many other aspects from the pupils’
perception of their environment.
With humanist Ethical and Worldview Education, humanists offer
children and youngsters a methodically well-thought-out course
in becoming responsibly autonomous, directed at their moral, socio-emotional
and identity development.
Guiding principles in Humanist Ethical and
Worldview Education
The guiding principles in Humanist Ethical and Worldview Education
are the images of man as a master in the art of social living,
as a committed citizen of the world. The art of living in society
‘is an inspiration, an urge for renewal, a long-term process
in which two values are welded together which had been driven
apart: a fundamental skill to navigate through one’s own
life and a many-sided involvement in the fortunes of others. And
that not out of duty or self-sacrifice, but as the fulfilment
of a happy human existence’ (Manschot, 2000).
Committed citizenship of the world emphasizes the involvement
with the fortunes of others beyond local, regional or national
boundaries. Many parents opt for humanist ethical and worldview
education because it has been found to be an additional preparation
for life in the democratic society.
Book
in English: a taste of Humanist Ethical and Worldview Education
To give you a taste of Humanist Ethical and Worldview Education,
a book of lesson plans and teaching suggestions for Humanist Ethical
and Worldview Education is published, called: 'Mastering the
art of living and becoming a citizen of the world, it isn´t
something that just happens'. It offers an insight into the
special contribution humanists make in the Netherlands through
their life and world view education at public schools. To order
the book, you can send a e-mail to: psc@hvo.nl.
Contact
Postal Address: P.O. 85475,
3505 AL Utrecht, The Netherlands
Telefphone: 0031 30-2856 663
E-mail: psc@hvo.nl
Website: www.hvo.nl
Involvement
In IHEYO
HVO is a member Organisation of IHEU (IHEYO is the youth section
fo IHEU).
|
|
Youth
humanism around the world