Values On Line - Colombia

Moving away from the traditional style of teaching ethics by preaching, which organisers say has had little impact on the daily life of young Colombians, Values On Line attempts to approach ethics education by encouraging young people to explore their own values freely (rather than have those values imposed on them). To foster this process, the programme combines diverse genres and styles such as dramatisations, documentaries, musical videos, testimonies from people on the street, studio debates, and interaction with viewers by means of phone calls and e-mail.

As of this writing, the first series of 20 one-hour-long programmes - broadcast Tuesdays from 8 to 9 p.m. - is nearly complete. Based on different studies of moral development and the origin of values in society, the themes of each chapter of the programme were defined according to 3 principle focuses:

1. pertinence: the cultural features that allow children and young people to build their identity and feel a part of their own social group. The theory is that, having built this identity, young people can develop respect for differences.
2. rights: the diffusion and protection of children's basic rights, and the responsibilities of adults, social institutions, and the press in that regard.
3. participation: experiences of social and democratic participation, by means of which children and young people can play an active role in building their future.

Based on these areas of focus, the first 20 programmes included the following themes: Self-esteem, exclusion, tolerance, dialogue (transforming conflicts), living in community, sexuality, solidarity, perseverance, honesty, forgiveness and memory, fairness, the media and values, the public sphere, rules and norms, rights and responsibilities, free personality development, democracy, power and leadership, rule of law, and a review. Each programme included the following segments:

• the "Traumatizado" segment, in which two young actors widely known by the national TV audience act in a brief mise-en-scène that introduces the theme/value to be covered in the episode
• the live studio broadcast, in which a young woman acts as the official anchorperson of the programme and a young man embodies Prudencio, the sound technician, who, with the innocence and common sense of a man of the people, gets involved in debates with the studio audience and talks with those who call in. His approach is meant to add a light note to the show and to prevent it from turning into a traditional panel show, a genre that organisers say is not very attractive to a young audience. The idea here is to bring out opposing points of view of the audience as they react to what happened in the dramatisation (though the discussion is not restricted to an analysis of this particular situation alone).
• the documentary notes, which demonstrate initiatives inspired by the defense of values. For example, the notes for the programme dedicated to "transformation and peaceful resolution of conflicts" explored how the Community Action Group in the low-income Alameda Sur neighbourhood managed to prevent a group of neighbours from having a violent confrontation and find a logical solution to their difference of opinion. The documentary notes for the programme dedicated to "solidarity" showed the work of such organisations as "Doctors without Borders" and the "Civil Defense Group of Colombia".

Chapters for the second series of the programme will include: human nature, individuals and society, collective conscience, living together, urban tribes, cultural heritage, cultural consumption, habits and customs, respect for the law, independence, social responsibility, rule of law in practice, justice and punishment, crime and corruption, cultural expression of young people, adaptation and deviation, violence, fear and trust, building peace, and building meaning.

Youth, Values, Resolving conflict.

Imaginario is now seeking funds for the continuation for the series, which will include 20 additional one-hour programmes, a website, and organisation of the materials for use among specific audiences (in formal and non-formal education spaces).