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The Power of Goodness Project
The trilingual stories in Power of Goodness are about people from many parts of the world. Some are people from history; some are from literature, but they all show the excitement of action and the joy of seeing things in a different way. They demonstrate how small actions can make big differences; they offer nonviolent ways to resolve conflicts. Readers will be inspired to act with courage to bring good into the lives of those around them. From interesting stories that sometimes give more questions than answers, young people may begin to think about their roles in the world. The Friends International Library committee created a pool of inspiring stories from many countries and cultures based on universal themes: courage, nonviolence, justice, friendship, cooperation, and care for the earth. New stories are continually being added to this pool and will be available when versions in other languages and cultures are requested. Power of Goodness includes a study guide with questions and activities to stimulate discussion and thought. All stories are illustrated by international youth ages 6-20.
People of PeaceAll versions of Power of Goodness will have messages from known peace figures throughout the world. The U.S. folksinger/songwriter Pete Seeger and the contemporary Chechen writer Musa Akmadov have written messages for the Chechen edition. Pete Seeger
Musa Akmadov
Cover
End Papers
Project Background:Power of Goodness: Stories of Nonviolence and Reconciliation is the third generation of a book originally collected in English and published in the U.S.A. first by Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (PYM) which later turned the copyright over to Friends General Conference (FGC). That book was entitled Lighting Candles in the Dark and included short stories about people who showed bravery and courage as they dealt nonviolently with dangerous or difficult situations and social issues. Some of the stories are about Quakers, but most are not. They contain six values:
The story of the Russian-English version of Lighting Candles in the Dark began about ten years ago. A small group of twelve-year old students in Novgorod (a town of about 200,000 not too far from St. Petersburg) first prompted us to publish Lighting Candles in the Dark in Russia. Many of the stories were read and discussed in English at a local Novgorod school in 1994. Their instructor, Janet Riley (now the executive secretary of the Friends International Library), had expected them to respond favorably but never expected such deep understanding and enthusiasm. During one of the last classes, the children were invited to give their honest opinion of the stories and about the appropriateness of providing Lighting Candles in the Dark for other Russian children. Here is a brief synopsis of their discussion:
"There are moments in these stories where we can do the same." English teachers in Novgorod were also moved by the stories. Some of their comments include:
"They remind me of the children's stories of Tolstoy."
As the book was prepared for publication the Friends International Library committee found Russian stories to include in this version. A new story from Chechnya was also born in the process. Several additional stories from Chechnya will be part of the new Power of Goodness version.
Our experience with older students at university level and in adult English classes in Novgorod and Elektrostal showed that the stories are appropriate for all age groups due to simplicity of vocabulary coupled with rich moral content. We are pleased that it was possible to use Lighting Candles in the Dark not only with young children but also with adults who are beginning students of English. Thus the stories not only please young people but also assists adults who are beginning to learn English. Young people (ages 6-20) provided almost all of the illustrations used in this book. The Chechen VersionTaking the Russian edition of Lighting Candles in the Dark as a base, the FIL committee added more stories from Chechnya, and renamed the collection, Power of Goodness: Stories of Nonviolence and Reconciliation. 2,500 copies of this first edition was published and distributed in Chechnya to schools, community libraries and refugee camps. The psychologists in the Little Star program of Peacebuilding UK, a British non-profit organization also received copies of the story collection and were very appreciative to receive this resource and began to integrate it into the Little Star program. Little Star focuses its attention on children who have been traumatized by war and violence in the present political climate. The response from the Little Star psychologists who implement the program, children, parents and others was overwhelmingly positive. See a synopsis of their comments. This testing indicates that the stories and questions in the book are appropriate for all children and are not geared towards any particular religion and/or culture. Along with the psychologists, it was decided that a second edition with additional stories from Chechnya and an accompanying manual was needed in order to broaden the scope of the project. After the publication of the second Chechen edition, the Little Star psychologists will conduct workshops for Chechen teachers on how to use the book and manual as a peace education and human rights tool. Initially, the workshops will be in the schools that Little Star is already established in. Teachers, parents and the Chechen Ministry of Education support this pilot program and we are enthusiastically proceeding with this outline. Many of the new stories in the Chechen version are taken from real life stories of contemporary Chechen children. Others deal with personal reconciliation between Chechen and Russian people – some contemporary, some historic. We were fortunate to make contact with an art school in the bombed Chechen capital, Grozny. They provided many beautiful youth illustrations for some of the stories. Many people from many places and backgrounds contributed to this project in many forms. Some of the comments from the Little Star psychologists includes: The children said that such a book will help them to be patient and to treat other people as their own relatives. I always have some extra books on hand to give to the children to take home. The book’s purpose is broad. Educating children with such moral values as truth-seeking, mercy, and courage is the key objective of any teacher. The publication of Power of Goodness … demonstrates that the Chechen people are part of humankind and aren’t left alone in coping with its grief. The true story, “The Mosque” was actively discussed … and Imashka asked a question, “So, not all the Russian soldiers are bad? After all, he could have died or drowned!”
AppreciationsWe give special thanks to the following people for their generous contribution to the Power of Goodness project: Little Star Chechen psychologists:
Introductions:
Translations:
Chechen Editing:
Story Questions and English Editing:
Cover Design:
Cover Art:
End Paper Art:
For important general support:
Collection of Chechen Youth Art:
Web design:
Monetary Contributions:
Individual Contributors:
Many small contributors. We dedicate the Chechen version of Power of Goodness to the memory of Tatiana Pavlova and Anne Friend who both worked faithfully on its creation. Friends International Library Committee Friends International Library Committee Please consider making a tax deductible contribution. |
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With this positive encouragement of our Russian friends and co-workers, we decided to publish a bilingual edition of Lighting Candles in the Dark for Russian children, teachers, parents, and older students of English.
Because of a shortage of textbooks in some regions of Russia, the bilingual edition of Lighting Candles in the Dark was greatly appreciated by teachers, students, and parents. We donated about 5,000 copies to teachers, schools and orphanages we already knew in the communities of Novgorod, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Electrostal, Serpukhov, Perm and Kez. The stories served as a springboard for discussions in addition to their use in language study. Russian immigrants in the USA also used this book.