Giving Voice to the Impacts of Values Education The Final Report of ...

left some gasping. There were some great questions at the end; one was ‘How long have these people been
living in poverty’ and her response relating to the consequences of colonialism was challenging and
provocative. Her conclusions regarding the need to make a difference and transcend cultural and sometimes
superficial appearances was incredibly powerful, especially when she asserted that volunteering goes
beyond donating to a charitable cause, but is actually doing something and taking a stand. I understand,
Bill, that you are her father. You must be very proud of her. (Email correspondence, University Advisor,
Southern Highlands Schools)
So once again when kids…sit down and actually talk to people about the commonality that different
cultures share, often that then becomes a great platform to build on, perhaps then in the braver moments
talking about differences and making judgements about the value of those differences. And I know it’s
difficult to do from an ethnocentric point of view where you tend to think about your own culture as being
right in every respect, but gee it’s wonderful to see those kids at last sitting down and letting someone share
a story about Sudan. (Teacher MSC story, Maroondah Education Coalition)
Support for this is also found in these comments from teachers: ‘We believe that there was the development
of a human/social capital, beyond the learning’ (Teacher reflection, final VASP report, Australian Juvenile
Detention Cluster); and ‘Participation in this project has confirmed that it is of vital importance to teach
values in schools – learning to count is important but learning WHAT COUNTS is more important’ (Teacher
reflection, post-project survey).
48 Giving Voice to the Impacts of Values Education: The Final Report of the Values in Action Schools Project