In July 2020, the Education Collaborative held a train-the-trainer workshop focused on helping institutions develop tools for teaching skills in ethical action using the Giving Voice to Values (GVV) approach.
As part of the workshop, three participating institutions EducAid Sierra Leone, Edify Ghana Organization and Emerging Public Leaders Ghana received microgrants to help build their capacity for ethical action.
Since then, the beneficiary institutions have all taken steps in designing modules, starting initiatives, and holding workshops for their respective audiences.
Edify Ghana Organization
“For us at Edify Ghana, the Giving Voice to Values (GVV) intervention is priceless,” shared Dorcas Adwoa Aidoo, Education Transformation Program Lead at Edify Ghana. “Since we began to incorporate the training modules in our curriculums, we have seen improved campus cultures across our partner institutions. Our students are beginning to speak up for themselves and their classmates while doing so respectfully. If a child is empowered to speak up, it brings liberation, empowerment and improves learning outcomes. And for us, we see GVV as an effective tool to break the cycle of silence in the present and future generations.”
To help school leaders and teachers design systems that support speaking and acting with integrity, Edify Ghana incorporated GVV into their training curriculum for students, teaching, and non–teaching staff in 40 partner schools in the Eastern, Western, Ashanti, and Greater-Accra regions in Ghana.
“We are also excited about the creative ways we are seeing some of the institutions implement GVV into their cultures,” shared Deborah Azu, Christian Transformation and Training Officer, Edify Ghana. “To encourage students to speak up on ethical issues, one of our partner schools designed a suggestion to begin to collect feedback. In another school, teachers worked with students to identify trusted staff and faculty they can approach if they need guide addressing values-conflict situations.”
Emerging Public Leaders (EPL) Ghana
“EPL’s goal is to support high achieving graduates to transition from the private sector into public service, and for most of them, ethical action is an important tool,” Moses Cofie, Country Director, EPL Ghana, shared. “When they go into public service, it is important that they are not just civil servants, but they become exemplary leaders. And so, for us, learning about ethical action using GVV modules is crucial.”
Since participating in the workshop, EPL has trained over 40 of its fellows through the tenets of the GVV program.
“Giving Voice to Values for me was an eye-opener on navigating the many ethical dilemmas we face as individuals,” Abigail Amoah, an EPL workshop participant shared. “It gave me insight on factors that influence my values and how to address ethical dilemmas considering other people’s perspectives without being confrontational.”
Moving forward, the team looks to engage their fellows to train high school students to build skills in ethical action to help strengthen Ghana’s leadership pipeline.
EducAid Sierra Leone
After organizing training workshops for a cross-section of alumni, school leaders and staff, the team at Educaid looks to embed the GVV approach in their culture.
“The GVV techniques have provided effective ways to think about how we can uphold our values here at EducAid,” said Miriam Mason, Country Director, EducAid, Sierra Leone. “In our workshops, we encourage participants to show integrity and identify win-win solutions to ethical dilemmas. It is like a revelation that we can have real power in difficult situations.”
Strengthening the Culture of Ethical Action
EducAid Sierra Leone, Edify Ghana Limited and Emerging Public Leaders (EPL), Ghana, have joined the Education Collaborative Ethics and Leadership Community of Practice. The community of practice meets quarterly to discuss how to deepen the roots of ethics in their institutions and discover other ways to strengthen their ethics and leadership efforts.
To grow the impact of GVV, the Education Collaborative has an ongoing Giving Voice to Values Africa project. GVV Africa will support future GVV training sessions held by the community of practice. It will be made accessible as an ethical leadership training curriculum for African professionals.
