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President, Ambassador Discuss Violence Prevention with International Partners
His Excellency Valdas Adamkus, President of Lithuania, recently addressed Committee for Children's sixth annual International Consortium in Vilnius, Lithuania. President Adamkus told our assembled international partners about the importance of teaching social and emotional skills in general and the SECOND STEP program in particular. U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania John Cloud and his wife Mary also attended the meeting.
The International Consortium brings together representatives from some of the many countries that have adapted the SECOND STEP program to teach children how to interact positively with others and resist violence. The nations and regions represented at this year's conference include Japan, Kurdistan, Germany, Guatemala, Venezuela, and the Philippines.
Joan Cole Duffell, Committee for Children's Director of Partnerships, is greatly encouraged by the international enthusiasm for the Second Step program. For example, King Harald of Norway recently visited a school in Norway to observe the enthusiastic implementation of Steg for Steg, the Norwegian version of the SECOND STEP program.
"This gathering of world partners is a testament to the importance of social and emotional learning for children across the globe," Duffell says. "Together, we take one step closer to our vision of safe children thriving in a peaceful world."