Youngsters & Children

Youngsters & Children

The CAVE Approach© can be applied in the educational sector on an organizational level as described in the section ‘Organizations’, but it can also be applied to specifically serve and support this sector’s developmental and pedagogical goals. Through virtues’ development, children can learn to think, behave and act in ways that promote their personal eudaimonia and sustainable development of humanity, and, hence, they will be able to evolve into efficient HD and SD agents. Although the CAVE Approach© was initially designed for adults, it has been adapted to serve the above purpose. Specifically, the theoretical framework, the overall outline and the rationale of its methodology remain the same, but the various parts of its methodology have been adapted to address the needs of pupils at different developmental ages, i.e. 9-12 yrs and 12-18 yrs old. Therefore, the CAVE Approach© for children aims to help them understand and embrace the virtues (ethiki agogi) they need to “live a long, healthy and creative life”, in a structured and systematic way.

Consequently, the CAVE Approach© in elementary schools aims to help children to:

  • Realize how important they are in shaping their future and the future of next generations, and learn to think and act responsibly as agents and beneficiaries of HD, from an early age
  • Value, respect and exercise their freedom of choice to promote their individual wellbeing and the common good
  • Set individual goals and make everyday choices that promote both their individual wellbeing and the common good
  • Develop a mindset that promotes continuous improvement and excellence, utilizing in the best way the available means and resources
  • Develop and exercise their critical thinking, while consolidating logic with moral criteria
  • Acquire timeless and widely applying criteria to discern what is right or wrong in every given situation applying their judgment
  • Learn to be more conscious of their attitudes and behaviors

Accordingly, relevant adaptations are made to reach adolescents’ developmental needs in secondary schools, high schools and colleges.

As for academia and the research field, the CAVE Approach© can also be used as a tool for academic students’ personal (professional and social) and career development to:

  • Thoughtfully make the right choices regarding their further studies and career, which are the choices that best promote their individual wellbeing and the common good, while making the best use of all available capabilities.
  • Increase their employability by: developing an awareness of their virtues’ profile and its impact on specific basic professional skills; receiving guidance and support to improve the virtues and hence advance their professional skills; developing the capability to continually self-monitor and improve the virtues and professional performance throughthem; and developing a mindset that promotes personal responsibility and excellence.
  • Improve their citizenship by developing an understanding of their role and responsibility in shaping the conditions of society through every single behavior, action, attitude and choice in everyday life, and by acquiring a structured way to consciously and cohesively serve the foundations of our global society such as Democracy, Justice, Social Cohesion, Social Solidarity etc. through the application of the virtues in everyday life.

Learn more about the CAVE Sustainable Leadership solutions.

Dear Guests, welcome!
You are standing at the threshold of a journey, the most beautiful and meaningful journey in the world; the journey of your eudaimonic life. It is the journey that I travel as a citizen, mother, friend, colleague and in every other role in my life to discover and enjoy the wonderful opportunities to create my happiness. What is amazing in this journey is that while I try to create my own happiness, I practically contribute to the achievement of what once seemed to me an unrealistic dream; a world that is a fulfilling and safe place to live, a united world, inhabited by friendly people that are fair to each other and enjoy living in peace with each other, who care for their wellbeing while being socially responsible, who are efficient in achieving meaningful and valuable advancements, who care about creating better conditions for the next generations and humanity as a whole. Suddenly, I realized that it is my responsibility to create the world I dream of, and that to create it I do not need to do anything more than just be committed to living a eudaimonic life. This is what eudaimonic life is all about; individual wellbeing and common good, which together lead to the sustainable development of societies and humanity as a whole.

I cannot say it is always a pleasant journey, because it also requires effort and commitment. Nothing comes easily in this life, much less our happiness. On the other hand, what is my other option? Just lie back and let 'circumstances', past conditioning, unconsciously established thinking patterns, luck and anything other than my logical consciousness drive my happiness... or unhappiness, and impact other people's, the community's, even the world's happiness...or unhappiness. I have made my choice. My happiness, my eudaimonia is my most important goal in my life. This is my number one priority: not to be professionally successful, but to do so in a way that will promote my happiness; not to make money, but to earn it and to use it in a way that will promote my happiness; not to get married and have kids, but to do so in a way that will promote my happiness etc. The development of the Aristotelian virtues of the CAVE Approach© is my way to happiness, and the CAVE Approach© is my contribution to other people that are interested and determined to be happy, promoting their individual wellbeing and the common good, as it offers structured guidance and support in such endeavours.

Travelers of this journey might be considered as romantic fools or intelligent social reformers. Again, it is a matter of a virtue, specifically Judgment, to assess which one is true, and which is not. My Judgment, which I hope for the sake of all is well-developed, suggests the second is true.
As I mentioned in the beginning of this message, you might be at the threshold of a journey (if you are not already travelling on it). I really hope that you will pass over the threshold and travel on this journey with the rest of us who do believe that "our Happiness depends upon us" as Aristotle said, and that we can make the world a better place for us and next generations by just trying to live our lives well.
Thank you for stopping by, and I wish you a flourishing life!
Anastasia Moira