Re-finding Virtue

One of the themes I hope we will explore through Right Space is the role of 'virtue' in our responses to children and young people in personal and professional contexts. So I was intrigued to hear an exploration of 'Virtue Ethics', and the suggestion that they are 'coming back' on Though for the Day on Radio 4 this morning.

You can find the clip, which outlines the way virtue operates in practice, through action and internalisation of that action (or, put more simply, developing good habits), on the Radio 4 website here.

But why is virtue of interest to a project focussed on children and young people's human rights? And on participation rights in particular?

Well - for the last ten years at least there has been a lot of focus on 'organisational change' - and as a consequence our understanding of the value basis for children and young people's participation has tended to see those as 'organisational values'. However, organisational values alone alone are not enough. Talk to any child or young person about their positive experiences of engagement - and you are likely to hear a story of how an adult, or another young person, behaved in a way showing them respect, and valuing their voice and action.

Re-introducing virtue into our discussion of children and young people's human rights, and of participation and engagement is about how we put organisational values into practice. Rather than comply with the rules, or implementing 'best practice', we need to develop the attitudes, skills and instinctive practices that mean we naturally behave in ways that fully respect the voice, autonomy, individual role and rights of children and young people.

We've articulated the values of rights and participation: now what are the virtues that help us to put them into practice?