In a world where relationships play a pivotal role in the life of
every individual, teaching students how to navigate them safely and
constructively becomes vital.
Traditionally, the three wise monkeys from Japan stand as a symbol
for the age-old principle: “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”.
Pietro Ferrari reframes
this adage for the modern age, transforming it into a tool for building
healthy relationships. Through this modified concept, students are
taught to:
‘See’—observe behaviours and situations as they unfold;
‘Hear’—understand intentions and the tone behind words;
‘Speak’—voice out feelings, set boundaries, and engage in open
communication.
Solution: A simple educational tool that presents various scenarios, encouraging students to employ
the three monkeys as a response mechanism. By engaging with these
scenarios, they prepare themselves to face both positive and negative
situations in real life.
To complement this tool, Barnardo’s children’s charity also created lesson plans for the students of Cornwall soon, and an online web page with a bank of resources that
primary schools can utilise for free. Furthermore, this tool will be
also used in one-to-one sessions for children and young people as part
of the RECONNECT programme, delivered by Barnardo’s as a part of Safer
Futures in Cornwall.
This idea is supported by Barnardo’s and went live over 2023/2024 in primary schools in Truro, Cornwall.