At Seeds of Hope, our goal is to create lasting, generational change in the Middle East and beyond. We believe that by investing in children and families, we can transform our communities into more loving, peaceful, and hopeful places over time.
One of the ways we try to pass on those ideas is through our core values curriculum. Originally introduced to Seeds of Hope by a project team from one of our U.S. church partners, the curriculum comes from Chick-fil-A and has become a significant part of what sets Seeds of Hope apart from other schools and organizations.
For over seven years, we’ve integrated this content into the Seeds of Hope school and after-school program to develop our students’ character and pass on important values like love, responsibility, and generosity.
“We are not only looking to implement the best education but also focus on leadership characteristics and Christian ethics.”
–Fuad Jaddou, Director of Community Outreach
“This curriculum affects the students’ daily lives,” said Khader Ghanim, Seeds of Hope CEO. “It is more than something they’re learning—they are becoming habits ingrained into who they are. We absolutely owe so much of the growth we see in our students to this curriculum.”
Recently, we’ve taken another step forward in impacting our community by recontextualizing this content for adults and having our entire staff participate.
When it comes to our school, we hire many local teachers and assistants, most of whom are Muslim. We welcome them as a part of our team, but the more Seeds of Hope has grown, the harder it has become to hire enough staff who understand our values and uphold the high standards of how we teach our children and the kind of environment we want to create.
To help ensure that our staff remains unified in our vision and mission as a school, we asked our friend, Pastor Nihad, to begin guiding our team through a monthly gathering focused on some of the core values we teach our students. In January, we talked about courage. Then in February, we covered respect.
These values are based in Biblical truth, but anyone can apply them and see a positive impact in their lives. So even our Muslim staff can experience how these ideas will better their relationships and personal growth.
PHOTO: Our staff gathered for their first core values meeting in January to talk about the value of Courage.
“The Core Values program grabbed my heart from the very beginning,” said Pastor Nihad. “I am honored to take part in presenting it to the Seeds of Hope staff and help them build a sense of organizational culture based on Biblical values.”
We’ve seen these values transform our students over time. Especially for our fifth graders, who have been participating in Core Values teaching since kindergarten, we can see how their character and integrity have been strengthened through the years.
While we’re just beginning this program with our staff, we hope it’s just as impactful on their personal development over time. We’re excited to see even more individuals in our community embodying these values and helping us develop a new generation of leaders in Jericho!
