Values and virtues at exhibition of children’s works of art
Socio-emotional virtues for every child
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PODGORICA, 28 MAY 2019 – It is our shared responsibility to highlight and support the vital role that social and emotional development plays in helping children to become active and good citizens of the 21st century. This was the message sent from today’s opening ceremony of an exhibition of children’s works of art that show the virtues that students in elementary and secondary schools have developed through the “My Values and Virtues” programme for the development of socio-emotional skills, such as teamwork, optimism, creativity, honesty, self-confidence, empathy, gratitude, tolerance and self-control.
Minister of Education Damir Šehović said that he was proud that the project “My Values and Virtues”, implemented with the help of UNICEF, was contributing to the creation of younger generations that know more.
I am proud that with this project we have shown that freedom must be won: through learning, through friendship and through tolerance.
The UNICEF Representative to Montenegro, Osama Khogali, said that this event was an opportunity to mark the most important milestone in the joint efforts of the Ministry of Education, the Institute for Education and UNICEF to improve the quality of education and to help all children to develop 21st-century skills.
We have gathered here today to celebrate the creativity of students from 46 schools across all three regions of this country, who have expressed through their works what the values they are striving for are, who their heroes are, how they see their role in this world and how education can help them be a part of the change they want to see.
The acclaimed Montenegrin painter Roman Đuranović pointed out that the works at the exhibition made his heart rejoice.
The diversity of approaches in the creation of works of art – both individual and group ones – the uninhibited and sincere expression, the originality visible in the execution and the character of the expression, as well as the particular characteristics of each one of you, point to the diligent pedagogical work of your teachers.
Deputy Mayor of the Capital City of Podgorica Slađana Vujačić said that, in addition to the work that has been done so far, the education of children and parents must remain an imperative in order to have healthy new generations.
We must not allow our young people, our biggest capital, to have adverse experiences that will reduce their chances of being fully included and engaged in society and contributing with their full capacities.
Nine-year-old Amar Đulamerović said that the virtues they discussed at school were fundamental ones, since they represent the main pillar of the development of every child.
I liked most when we talked about our heroes, after which we drew them. I drew Desanka Maksimović. She awoke empathy in me. I also learned that heroes do not have to be superheroes like Spiderman and Batman. Anyone can become a hero... even I can become one myself, some of my peers can as well.
High school student Jovana Mijanović said that this programme had helped her to expand her knowledge and broaden her horizons.
I came up with the idea to present all the values that we have been developing through this programme as a large cluster of big and delicious grapes, each of which has found its place helping the other grapes to evolve. We presented this idea through our painting entitled ‘The Cluster of Virtues'.
The exhibition, with the support of UNICEF and the global financial institution ING, has been organized to coincide with the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child, according to which every child is entitled to the right to quality education. The exhibition will be open to the public until 7 June.
