It’s not until after high school that many of us are exposed to ethical dilemmas, such as the trolley problem or prisoner’s dilemma.
We may discuss these scenarios in a university philosophy class or around the dinner table with family or friends. They’re engaging topics because they cause us to turn the spotlight on ourselves and really examine where our values lie. They also help us think about how we can, and should, react in real-life situations that may be sticky or complicated.
But what if our youth got practise in this? What if they were encouraged to discuss moral dilemmas more appropriate to their particular age groups?
For example, what would they do if they heard classmate A stole money out of a locker but classmate B was about to get suspended for the crime? They never witnessed the event, so how should they proceed?
It becomes easier when they’ve walked through similar moral scenarios in practice.
The Better Business Bureau Foundation’s LIFT program does exactly this. And the BBBF hopes to help parents do the same at home. One way to do this is to have regular, meaningful conversations with your children. Cultivating these connections helps them learn to care for others, according to human development research by Harvard University.
These conversations are also where you can set high moral expectations, such as seeing commitments through and sticking to their values when it’s hard. The researchers reiterate that practise makes perfect and daily routines of helping others will serve them well in the future.
They say these pillars are important at every stage of a child’s development. A good place to really dig deeper into some of these topics is around the dinner or breakfast table. You can also start there to help them expand their circle of concern beyond that table.
The Harvard researchers emphasize the importance of children and youth to be attentive to their close friends and family but also to be able to understand what’s happening in the wider community and how their actions might affect it. Role-playing challenges can help them understand what it might be like for the new student at school, while news articles can show them what children in other countries might be struggling with.
Teaching children and youth to broaden their worldviews while practising ethical scenarios with them will help them succeed as adults and create stronger communities for everyone, which is exactly what LIFT aims to do.