The Community of Caring is a program developed by The Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation under the direction of Eunice Kennedy Shriver. The program is a values-based approach to positive decision making.

Community of Caring is a tested and proven program that values education. Based on the universally accepted values of caring, responsibility, trust, respect, and family, the Community of Caring School Program provides a curriculum and creates a caring and respectful environment. In this environment, students learn to avoid risk taking behavior through responsible decision making and thoughtful future planning. Teens receive an extra boost by observing the caring and responsible behaviors modeled by parents, teachers, school personnel, and community leaders involved in the program.

Through the influence of the Community of Caring School, students experience heightened self-esteem and self-awareness and gain insights to the questions they ask such as "Where am I going?" and "How am I going to get there?"

WHO DOES THIS INVOLVE?

• Faculty/Staff

• Students

• Parents

• Community

The Community of Caring School

Why Teach Values?

Community of Caring What We Stand For

One of the greatest challenges facing public education is the ability to develop the values of a democratic free society. Our community reflects both ethnic and cultural diversity.

The values emphasized in the Community of Caring are compatible with diverse religious and cultural perspectives. Five universally accepted values of caring, responsibility, respect, trust and family comprise the core of the Community of Caring program. These values are the basis of the American ideals of justice, compassion and liberty.

To learn and develop values, students must be aware of their own behavior and its effect on the other people - at home, at school and in the community. The core values empower students to behave responsibly and become caring members of their community.

How Values Fit Into The Curriculum

Values are ever-present; everyone stands for something.

The fact is that we are never value-free when we teach, advise or assist others. In our choice of words, our tone of voice, and our body language, we convey values to students. There is no value-free information. Everything we call information is what we see as valuable. Values have always been a part of the school curriculum. Integrity, for instance, plays an important part in every subject in school. Emphasizing these values is a vital way to help students learn the basics of responsible living. Teachers use a variety of methods to bring values into focus.What Are The Pillars Involved?

Caring

Caring is rooted in our emotions and feelings, it leads to actions of tenderness and protection. The opposite of care is disregard. It is important to care for others and ourselves.

Responsibility

People who care must be willing to take responsibility. That means they are accountable for their actions, enjoying praise when things go well and willing to accept blame when things go wrong. Accepting responsibility is a sign of maturity; it can be frightening, because as I am responsible I become vulnerable to criticism.

Respect

If I take responsibility for myself, I must respect you as someone who can and should do the same. When I respect you, I care for you as someone who is valuable in your own right. Self-respect means that I matter and that I have to live with the decisions I make.

Trust

When people responsibly care for and respect each other, trust develops. Trust implies dependence. If I trust you, I acknowledge that I need you for something, often support. Trust also involves expectations. Thus trusting people means counting on them, depending on them and expecting them to deliver.

Family

We first acquire our values in families, from the people with whom we live. Our choices about love and sex create new families. We understand family to be the community that raises children and the kind of community they may create themselves one day. Family stability, responsibility of family members to each other, mutual respect, trust and caring among family members are ideals worth working toward.

Various school activities are planned to promote a positive school environment that emphasizes the five pillars of Character: Family, Respect, Caring, Responsibility, and Trust.

In order to maintain a positive school culture, it is of the utmost importance to continuously make efforts to inform and educate everyone involved on the impact of choices.

VIDEOS OF POSITIVITY

• Michael Strahan's Video for Colonia High School regarding his book Wake Up Happy 

• Robin Roberts' Video for Colonia High School 

• Anthony Wilkinson's video for Colonia High School "It Gets Better"