Most parents try to teach their children to generally follow the golden rule – “do on to others as you would have others do on to you.” There are a number of values embedded in this simple statement. In Family Centered Parenting we talk about a family creating a vision statement which in essence often turns out to be a variation of the Golden Rule. Parents and teachers want to see children work and play together, to show respect, to not bully, to solve problems non-violently and to be understanding and tolerant of others, or in non-political terms – Social Justice. Although some people, when they hear the term social justice, associate it with a political ideology – particularly left/liberal – when it comes to families, we mean fairness, caring about others. Others being siblings, extended family and the community at large.

We have invited two guests who are actively involved in helping families and schools teach and reinforce the values of fairness and the importance of helping others to join us. Derrick Kikuchi and Craig Wiesner are co-founders of Reach And Teach, a company working to transform the world through teachable moments. Derrick and Craig will share specific programs and strategies to help parents increase their children’s awareness of the importance of caring for others and how they can contribute to making their world more tolerant and respectful. We reinforce the importance both for the individual and society at large of volunteering and participating in programs that benefit the community. One particular program of note is the effort to combat bullying by showing bystanders, the non-bully non-victim, how they can become “up-standers.” Up-standers are the majority who can use their voice to show the bully that he/she is not supported and they will speak up in defense of the victim.