What is Values Plus? 
Values Plus is a program run by ISKCON, Bangalore to impart value education to students in schools. The primary objective of Values Plus is to transform children into refined, cultured and civilized gentle persons having a strong value system as the basis of all the activities they perform.

Values Plus was launched in the year 2009, mentoring roughly one thousand students in one school. In its third year, Values Plus has expanded its reach to 3,500 students across three schools.

What is our objective?

Values Plus is primarily focused on social re-engineering. This program works at the most foundational of the components of a society—the individual citizen. Citizens, who are immaculate in their personal behavior, working towards the development of a country, are not mere tools but are weapons that can protect and defend at the same time.

It is not an unknown fact that even though our country has made tremendous progress in technology and sophistication in the past two decades, the fundamental quality of life and the levels of basic satisfaction have hit the rock bottom. We keep hearing and reading about highly educated and successful professionals committing suicide, or indulging in unethical actions, or engaging in illegal transactions, or exhibiting unacceptable levels of indiscretion, etc.

It is a consensus among all global leaders now that educational institutions cannot afford to focus only on academics anymore but should focus equally, if not more, on the all-round development of every student.

Institutions with an intention to educate children not only in academics but also in the most fundamental sciences of life, engage Values Plus to impart values/life skills education to their students. This would equip students to excel in their academics as well as their career later on in their lives. In corporate companies it is only the well-rounded professionals with high emotional and spiritual intelligence who succeed than the purely technically-capable ones.

How do we plan to achieve it?

A journey without a destination is meaningless. To set the coordinates right, the strategic team of Values Plus developed the core purposes (numbering seven) of Values Plus. The Seven Purposes of Values Plus are:

1. To transform children into refined, cultured and civilized gentle persons having a strong value system as the basis of all the activities they perform.

2. To awaken in children a respectful awareness of ancient Indian history and to establish an appreciation for spiritual India, its language Sanskrit and all the ancient personalities associated with the history of our country.

3. To develop in children a respect for all religions by presenting details of the life and history of great personalities from all religions and to instill in them an understanding that love of God is the highest principle, which can resolve all conflicts in their lives.

4. To widen the consciousness of children into one of universal brotherhood by accepting that all life forms are children of God.

5. To enhance the physical, emotional and spiritual wellness of children.

6. To inculcate in children a responsibility towards society at large by helping them grow into a conscientious adult who puts humanity before the self.

7. To help children develop a concern for the environment by becoming environment conscious and by practicing the principle of limited consumption.

With a team of highly qualified mentors who are not merely facilitators or trainers, but are role models and mentors for every child they come in contact with, and with the most effective use of technology and modern pedagogical techniques, the Values Plus program is a stimulating mix of the best of the past and the present. A team of thorough professionals, who are highly committed to the cause and objective of the program, currently enable the functioning of the program.

In the near future, Values Plus is looking at taking on board subject matter experts, volunteers and well-wishers, while also creating an advisory committee comprising of eminent personalities from all walks of the society.

Even though India has at its disposal some of the most effective and time-tested practices in terms of culture, heritage and tradition, there have been a consistent erosion of values and principles in the social framework. A growing rise of crime rates, terrorism-related incidents, corruption and other social evils are only symptoms of the underlying disorder.

Unless the problem is eradicated from its roots, our society will have to deal with a lot of unhealthy pressures from within, leading to the loss of precious bandwidth of the concerned stakeholders in the society. India is poised to grow into a dominant global power and is on the threshold of emerging as a prosperous socio-economic giant. For this growth to be sustainable the agents of this growth—the children of our country—need to be firmly fixed on ideals and principles that are non-negotiable in every level of transaction—personal, familial or social.