Agenda: Putting a value on the values we share and aspire to

Description

Two years ago we began a conversation about values. We wanted to explore the role our personal values play in life and decided to involve others in the conversation. At the time we were assisted by the insights of former headteacher and education leader Alex Wood. Between us we deliberated on the complex role of values in society.

Many frameworks exist in the academic study of values but we were particularly struck by a classification developed in 1992 by the social psychologist Shalom Schwartz. It maps out a range of inter-cultural values based on samples from 65,000 people in 68 countries. The model includes a diverse range of values including those that some people might not automatically agree with or even find offensive.