Dear Readers

Welcome to the April 2009 issue of the Sathya Sai Education in Human Values UK email newsletter.

This month:

A Big Thank you
UK Training Material Reaches the Antipodes
Story Time
Stories Stories and more Stories...
Testimonials...
Calendar of Activities (Online)
Training update
BISSE Management Group (BMG) meeting

If you have any feedback, or would like to share your experiences of SSEHV, please write to us.

Kind Regards,
The Editor

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A Big Thank you

“I have just read my article in the last issue of BISSE's Newsletter. I have to say it was an amazing feeling for me to actually read something that I was able to contribute towards. Something so valuable I feel. This reminds me of why I am here. Not just on this beautiful Earth, to learn and become the human values, but to be once again enrolled in University to train and become a Teacher of Primary School children. I am so so grateful to your organisation and particularly to my Teacher, Lark Beecham, who has been instrumental in helping me to recognise my own strengths, my passion for values education and supported me whole heartedly through a very difficult 'decision-making' time in my life.

I was, of course, further inspired by the Sathya Sai School and Abbey Primary School in Leicester with whom I was privileged to spend some valuable time that encouraged me to make this decision. I am so grateful.”

Written by Emma Dowden

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UK Training Material Reaches the Antipodes

A Nine Day, Course One Certificate in Sathya Sai Education based on the British ISSE model, commenced in Manukau, Auckland New Zealand in February this year.

The ISSE in New Zealand had been running workshops and seminars for several years but did not have the material to conduct a full Diploma Course as required in the outcomes of the recent Sathya Sai World Education Conference.

Enquiries were made to source suitable material and, inspired by the UK Web site and regular Newsletters, Carole Alderman (Director of BISSE), stood out as the obvious person to choose for assistance. Her response in my opinion, exemplified the best of Sai Values and cooperation. Within 12 hours of making an e-mail request the first session was on my computer.

The course has been run over four alternate weekends at a quite new Sai Facility in Mangere, ‘The South Auckland Interfaith Centre’. This Centre has provided a great backdrop to the course. It has a pleasant, well-equipped meeting area, with good access to a pleasant outdoor area.

The main feature of the course however, has not been the facilities where it was run but the transformation of the students who attended. The experiential and reflective nature of the material has had a deep effect on those attending, with one well-seasoned participant, who has taken part in many ‘Sai Based activities’ describing that the material, and particularly the ‘Awareness Exercise’ as taking him to a new level.

Other groups around the country are now anxious to participate in future training and we are in the process of forming a training team or teams to facilitate these requests.

For those of us who have had the very special honour to visit Sathya Sai Baba’s Ashram and take part in the activities there, there is a need to be able to share the material garnered from that source in a way that is meaningful in our home countries. The UK ISSE has excelled in this and we are grateful for their input and for their large heartedness in sharing.

Prepared by

Richard J Wallis Director of the ISSE - NZ

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Story Time

Chinese Story: The Broken Window

Ten-year old Michael was a hard working and sensible boy. Besides going to school, he did a newspaper round in his neighbourhood and earned his pocket money. Amongst his customers there was an old lady who always smiled and waved to him.

One beautiful sunny afternoon, Michael and a friend hid behind the old lady’s house. There was a back extension on her house with a corrugated iron roof. This wavy looking roof interested Michael and he threw a stone onto it to see what would happen. The stone went flying up and came down like a comet. It made a loud noise on the corrugated iron roof which amused them. So they threw another, and another. Suddenly, due to their carelessness, one of the stones accidentally hit a window below the roof. When they heard the sound of broken glass, they were frightened and ran away as fast as they could.

That night, Michael could not sleep at all. He kept thinking of the broken glass and was worried that the old lady might come and tell his parents what he had done. He would get into trouble.

After a few days, when nothing had happened, he felt a bit safer, but he also felt uncomfortable and guilty about his behaviour.

Every day when he delivered the newspaper to the old lady, she still smiled and waved at him. The more she did, the more uncomfortable he felt, so he decided to save up the money he was earning and give it to the old lady to repair her window. Three weeks later, he had saved enough to replace the glass in the broken window. He then wrote a note and put the money and the note into an envelope explaining what had happened and also expressing his apologies and saying he hoped that she would understand that he had not meant to do it. He waited until it was dark before he crept to her front door and posted the envelope through her letterbox.

He immediately felt that a weight had been lifted off him. He was relieved and felt that he could now look her in the face again.

The following day, he delivered her newspaper and said hello. She appeared to be happy and gave him a package saying it was a gift. He opened it and saw a packet of chocolates. After he had eaten most of them, he noticed that there was an envelope at the bottom of the package and he opened that too. He found the money he had left for the broken window, wrapped in a piece of coloured paper on which was written, “You are a very honest child and I am proud of you”.

Michael, long after he had finished with his paper round job, visited the old lady and they remained friends. He sometimes did shopping for her. He was glad of her wise advice whenever he had a problem; and she still gave him chocolates sometimes too!

Questions:

1) How did you feel when you heard the story?
2) How did the window break?
3) How did Michael feel about breaking the window?? What did he do?
4) What did the old lady say to Michael?
5) Did it remind you of anything in your own life?

 

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Stories Stories and more Stories…

We are in the process of developing more lesson plans for all ages...

We NEED lots and lots of moral valued stories;
Do you have any you can share???

If so,
Please do send them in to Head of Resources, Carole Alderman

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Testimonials...

One of our SSEHV active members wrote:

I have been wondering if there would be any value in a report on the life changes that have occurred in some of the people’s lives who took the training with us some years back.

I have testimonies from three people who completed the SSEHV Foundation Course that have since gone onto to dramatically change their lives. These three people were coming out of situations of mental distress, they are people that I have a personal friendship with and we have supported each other from time to time.

One became my only support in accounting work for 1 whole year. Then she went onto become a teacher of Tai Chi and is now teaching adults and children in schools. She has become healthier and lost a lot of weight. She is also holding meditation classes at a mental health centre. She is an accomplished photographer and artist.

The Second one had a series of happenings that she has used as training and has learnt from her experiences. She passed the course criteria with flying colours and I believe she shares what she learned and experienced.

The third one has also taken the full course and passed with great confidence, moving into helping herself, increased confidence and took training to go back into teaching, as a supply teacher. She is supply teaching all grades, gaining in confidence with this at these difficult times. She is writing beautiful poetry and now totally self sufficient.

In these three people I can see that the SSEHV Programme played a big part in helping them onwards, allowing them not to be “stuck in the mould.” The SSEHV Course does not have to result in one working directly with children, all can benefit by merely becoming very valuable members of the community...

I am convinced that anyone touched by the Programme eventually makes changes in their lives, for the better. Regardless of how that person uses the Programme, I feel it can be an instrumental part in helping an individual to really change their lives, as it has in the three people I have mentioned above.

By Sheila Swift

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Training Update

All SSEHV courses are free to attend, although a refundable deposit of £10 may be required at registration (this is to cover photocopying costs of the extensive handouts provided at the course for you to keep). Details of all our training courses, together with contact information and dates can be found on our website at www.bisse.org.uk, in the Training section.

Location	Date	Module	Contact
Pinner, Middlesex - 2009 Easter SSEHV Introductory Course 1: Fri 11th Apr - Sun 19th Apr	10th Apr	1	Carole Alderman
	11th Apr	2
	12th Apr	3
	13th Apr	4
	14th Apr	5
	15th Apr	6
	16th Apr	7
	17th Apr	8
	19th Apr	Presentation

Reading, Berkshire - 2009 May SSEHV Introductory Course 1: Sat 30th May - Sun 12th Jul	30th May	1	Secretariat
	31th May	2
	7th Jun	3
	27th Jun	4
	28th Jun	5
	4th Jul	6
	11th Jul	7
	12th Jul	8
	TBA	Presentation

Pinner, Middlesex - 2009 August SSEHV Introductory Course 1: Fri 1st Aug - Sat 9th Aug	1st Aug	1	Carole Alderman
	2nd Aug	2
	3rd Aug	3
	4th Aug	4
	5th Aug	5
	6th Aug	6
	7th Aug	7
	8th Aug	8
	TBA	Presentation

Conversion Course

As you may know, BISSE’s SSEHV “Foundation” course used to comprise 6 days of training followed by ‘Module 7’, which was an optional assessment day.

In order to harmonise our training with other Institutes of Sathya Sai Education around the world, BISSE has now expanded this training into an 8-day “Standard Diploma -Course One” which is similarly followed by a final assessment day.

During a transitional period, BISSE will be running a 2-day “Conversion Course” for those who have completed either 6 or 7 days of the Foundation training. This Course will cover all additional material included in this new 8-day course. If you have done 6 days previously, but missed out on the 7th day, you will be able to attend the new Day 9, Assessment Day, following the Conversion Course. The Conversion Course is also a good opportunity to complete you OCN qualification if you have not already done so.

The first Conversion Course took place in Leicester on March 14th and 22nd, and was enjoyed by all.

Any questions about the precise scope of the Conversion Course should be addressed to our Head of Training, Jiten Patel.

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BISSE Management Group (BMG) meeting

My name is Ambi Selvaraj and I am a staunch supporter of the SSEHV Programme. I am not a teacher but a Specialist Health Visitor working with the Marginalised Communities in Hillingdon PCT.

I did the SSEHV Foundation Course in Pinner a few years back and found it very beneficial for my personal / spiritual development.

In my work I deal with many inequalities and the serious problems local governments and Health Providers are facing. It is my strong belief that by taking the Human values into the wider communities that too to the young ones who will be the future we can begin to build a society which is ethical and just.Interested???

In this context I was pleased to be invited to attend the BMG at Pinner on the 15th of March 2009.

I was warmly welcomed and also was given the opportunity to express my views. The dedication and commitment of the members present was inspiring. I was impressed to see the professionalism among the members and how matters were thoroughly discussed with equal opportunity for all members to express their views.

I was able to see the passion they had to spread this wonderful programme to the wider community and nothing was too much trouble towards achieving this goal.

I was invited to share a wonderful meal at the end of the meeting.

I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to attend a BISSE Management Group (BMG) meeting

THANK YOU

By Ambi Selvaraj

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