Tolerance Programs For Young People

歌曲 Tolerance Programs For Young People
歌手 英语听力
专辑 VOA慢速英语:教育报道

歌词

[00:00.10] From VOA Learning English,
[00:02.62] this is the Education Report.
[00:05.87] Former British prime minister Tony Blair
[00:09.42] recently urged governments around the world
[00:12.23] to support tolerance programs for young people.
[00:16.14] Mr Blair told the United Nations Security Council
[00:20.19] that such programs make it possible for students
[00:23.65] to accept people of different cultures and religions.
[00:27.96] The former British leader described education
[00:31.65] in the 21 century as a security issue.
[00:35.90] He made the appeal last month at a meeting
[00:39.15] of the Security Council's Counter-Terrorism Committee.
[00:43.41] Tony Blair served as prime minister from 1997 to 2007.
[00:50.21] He currently heads the Tony Blair Faith Foundation.
[00:54.46] The group seeks to help prevent prejudice,
[00:57.62] conflict and extremism.
[01:00.31] It operates tolerance programs
[01:02.76] in more than 1,000 schools worldwide.
[01:06.52] Mr Blair said the world faces extremism based on
[01:10.92] what he called "a perversion of religious belief."
[01:15.12] He said this way of thinking abuses religion
[01:18.62] to justify violence against innocent civilians.
[01:22.67] The former prime minister said
[01:25.19] people like to belong to something.
[01:27.24] And that belonging can provide a sense of identity.
[01:31.98] But he believes that misguided sense of belonging
[01:36.09] can make people think of others
[01:38.29] who are different as opponents.
[01:41.19] He said the wide contacts of today
[01:45.72] deepen and add greatly to extremism,
[01:49.02] because people now meet many others
[01:51.82] who differ from themselves.
[01:53.89] "The challenge then is to show our young people,
[01:57.83] who are vulnerable to appeals from terrorists,
[02:00.09] that there is a better way to live your life,
[02:03.04] a better path to having your voice heard,
[02:06.05] a more meaningful way to engage with the world.
[02:09.30] And we must address the extremists' funding and support
[02:13.16] so that they have less ability to teach and promote hate,
[02:16.76] persecution and murder," said Blair.
[02:18.91] He also said the Tony Blair Faith Foundation
[02:23.36] has operated its school programs for 4 years.
[02:27.67] This Face to Faith program as it is called
[02:31.47] now reaches 50,000 students between the ages of 12 and 17.
[02:37.33] Some of the students live in western countries,
[02:41.03] such as Australia, Canada, Italy and the United States.
[02:46.19] Others live in Egypt, India,Indonesia, Jordan,
[02:51.29] Pakistan and Philippines.
[02:55.36] Mr Blair said the students
[02:57.31] learn the skills needed to prevent conflict
[02:59.95] by breaking down religious and cultural misunderstandings.
[03:04.82] He says Face to Faith teaches what he calls "religious literacy."
[03:10.72] Basically, it works, he said, they love it
[03:14.87] and it changes their minds and the mindsets.
[03:18.22] He said many tolerance programs exist,
[03:21.42] but Mr Blair urged governments to start many more.
[03:24.93] "Let the young people in your country
[03:27.52] experience firsthand an opportunity to learn about the world
[03:31.65] and to form a relationship with someone far away
[03:34.79] who may not look like them,
[03:36.14] but for whom,
[03:37.51] once they have been schooled in cross-cultural education,
[03:40.65] they may see themselves in," said Blair.
[03:42.50] And he said his Foundation is willing to work
[03:46.71] in any country that invites it.
[03:49.42] From VOA Learning English, that's the Education Report.
[03:56.18] I'm Jerilyn Watson.