Bal Vikas (Sai Spiritual Education)
“Bal Vikas is the primary basis of the great movement to restore righteousness (dharma) in the world. The ideal of the program is to raise a generation of boys and girls who have a clean and a clear conscience”
~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba
What is Educare?
Educare is a unique approach to education that has been fostered by Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Educare aims to elicit the inherent human values in children and translate them into action in daily life.
Sai Spiritual Education (SSE), also referred to as Bal Vikas, falls under Educare. It is a program that highlights the importance of values in raising today’s children into citizens and leaders of tomorrow. Bal Vikas means “blossoming of the child.”
The goals of the SSE program are to help children become aware of their divine nature, to encourage them to put into practice the five Human Values (which are inherent in them), and to prepare them to live a spiritual life in this world. The life and teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba (Swami), the five human values, and the essential unity of all faiths comprise the substance of the SSE program.
SSE Program Details
SSE classes are held at the Sri Sathya Sai Baba Centre of Scarborough every Sunday in alignment with the school calendar.
Schedule: September to June every Sunday, excluding holidays
Duration: 1.5 hours during one of three time slots (please refer to the time slots by group below)
Registration for the 2021-22 year has closed.
Curriculum
There are four SSE Groups in which students are enrolled according to age. In Groups 2 through to 4, boys and girls are placed in separate classes to allow for more comfortable discussions and greater ease of relaying SSE curriculum content.
Students of the SSE program engage in learning about topics that promote self-discipline, integrity, respect, empathy, and a range of other attributes that underlie aspects of a moral and productive society. The table below provides more detail:
PreBalvikas
Human Values & Sub-values
Life and Teachings of Swami
Religions & Festivals
Five Natural Elements
Shlokas (Prayers) & Bhajans
Age 5
Group 1
Pre-Balvikas Topics
Life and teachings of Swami
Religions & Festivals
Five Natural Elements
Five Senses
Shlokas (Prayers) & Bhajans
Ages
6-8
Group 2
Group 1 Topics
Epic Stories (Ramayana)
Importance of Food (Vegetarianism)
Ceiling on Desires
Shlokas (Prayers) & Bhajans
Ages
9-11
Group 3
Group 2 Topics
Spiritual Transformation & Developing Faith in God
Social Responsibility
Importance of Culture
Self-Esteem & Self-Confidence- Unity in Diversity
Ages
12-14
Group 4
Group 3 Topics
Swami’s Teenage Years & Activities for the Welfare of Humanity
Seva without Expectation
Peer Pressure
Qualities of a Leader
Study Skills & Time Management
Community service activities
Ages
15-17
*Topics that are repeated from year to year either have a different focus or subtopics may vary. For example, Human Values & Sub-Values are learned each year: in PreBalvikas the focus is on honour and respect for parents and in Group 2 the Human Values are connected to the character of world leaders such as Mother Theresa and Nelson Mandela.
**Group 4 students engage in community service initiatives to allow for a widening of experiences. Such activities include but are not limited to: assisting in younger SSE classes, cooking and delivering food to shelters, visiting other religious centres to learn of their customs and rituals.
There are three components to the SSE Program:
Direct Approach
Students engage in in-class learning about curriculum topics. The teacher uses a combination of the five teaching techniques as prescribed by Sri Sathya Sai Baba to draw out the inherent goodness and divine qualities that are within the child. They are namely:
Silent Sitting / Meditation
Thought for the Day (quotes by Sri Sathya Sai Baba and other great leaders)
Story Telling
Group Activities / Discussion
Group Devotional Singing (Bhajans) and Shloka Chanting (Prayers)
Indirect Approach
Students apply the knowledge gained in class to their everyday life. Some examples include:
Maintaining a Sai Spiritual Diary for self-reflection
Ceiling on Desires (not wasting time, energy, food, and money) – students use money saved from these initiatives to contribute towards the annual Christmas Toy Drive
Narayan Seva – cooking and delivering food to shelters (Group 4 students only)
Community Service activities (Tree planting, Blood Donor Clinic)
Extra-Curricular Approach
Students also display their learnings of a particular topic through a performance, which can take the form of a dance, drama, song, or other presentation. This provides the opportunity to strengthen relationships and to develop important skills such as public speaking, team-building, and performing for a live audience.
Students also have the opportunity to join extracurricular activities outside of the regular SSE class time such as:
Youth Band
Bhajan (singing) Classes
Shloka-chanting Classes
Students and their families are also encouraged to participate in Centre activities such as weekly bhajans.
“Along with knowledge, it is important to have character also. Then only can you enjoy perfect balance in life. What is the use of acquiring any amount of knowledge available in the world if one does not have character?”
~ Sathya Sai Baba – Summer Showers 1990, Chapter 4
Dynamic Value Parenting
An integral part of the SSE Program is the Dynamic Value Parenting (DVP) Program, a set of interactive workshops designed to enhance awareness in parents of the important role they play in their child’s development. First-time parents of the SSE program are required to enrol in the DVP Program, which is delivered during the first term of enrolment.
DVP recognizes that the growth and success of children depends heavily on a Tri-Partnership between parents, Gurus, and the child themselves. It is imperative that all three be on the same page and be working towards similar goals so that children can be moulded into caring citizens of tomorrow’s world.
This DVP Program gives parents the opportunity to turn theory into practice by asking them to become aware of their child’s developmental needs. Through open discussions, brainstorming, and role-plays, parents explore parenting challenges, thus providing insights about their own parenting styles and the need to replace unhealthy parenting practices with better approaches.
The goal is to equip parents with the necessary tools and skills to integrate the human values of love, peace, truth, right conduct and non-violence into their basic character and the character of their children. Emphasis is placed on having strong family bonds and a loving atmosphere in the home.
Parental Involvement
Parents are encouraged to get involved in the Centre by joining the Parent Council. Parent council members help with the running of the SSE Program in several ways: administration duties (calling other parents to inform them of important dates and events related to the SSE program), help with stage set-up for annual class performances and arrange prasadam/food for special bhajans in which SSE students perform
Supporting the program supports the future
History & Growth of the Program
ALUMNI
Many SSE Graduates come back to be SSE Assistant Gurus and then eventually become Gurus with their own classes. This helps to provide perspective and continuity to our flourishing program.
the start
The SSE Program at our Centre started in 1987 with five students and one Guru (teacher). Over the past 35+ years, the program has grown significantly. There are currently about 600 SSE students and over 60 volunteer teachers and coordinators who dedicate their time and energy to create a purposeful program for the students.
Training
New SSE Gurus are required to attend Training Workshops and all Gurus attend Annual Refresher Workshops. Workshops focus on the following:
Adaptations During COVID-19
Due to the pandemic, classes were run virtually for the 2020-2021 year. Classes will continue to be run virtually for the beginning of the 2021-2022 year, and will resume face-to-face on a rotational basis upon the advice of public health.
Virtual SSE classes are conducted synchronously for approximately 1 hour each Sunday using Google Meet. Each Guru uses Google Classroom as the learning platform through which they communicate lesson material and announcements with their students.
Our Gurus are knowledgeable on a variety of online tools that allow them to engage their students and elicit discussion on aforementioned curriculum-related topics.
For more information please contact Educare@saicentre.net
“Along with knowledge, it is important to have character also. Then only can you enjoy perfect balance in life. What is the use of acquiring any amount of knowledge available in the world if one does not have character?”
-Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~ Summer Showers 1991, Chapter 1