"Why not keep children off the street by involving them in choirs?" This was the starting point for a study by Abigail de Leon, a visiting researcher at the Navarra Center for International Development (NCID) of the Institute for Culture and Society. In it, she analyzed how four choirs in Manila (Philippines) support the acquisition of the values ​​and virtues necessary for the development of human and social capital.

Abigail de Leon presented her research conclusions during a seminar organized by the “Researching and promoting character education in Latin American secondary schools” project led by the School of Education and Psychology and the Institute for Culture and Society. The project receives funding from the Templeton World Charity Foundation.

According to the researcher, this experience helps young people acquire individual and collective values. In terms of the former, she emphasizes responsibility, learning new languages ​​(from singing in English, French or German), musical education and self-confidence. In terms of collective values, ​​she highlights new friendships, learning to cooperate, learning about other cultures (on choir tours) and contributions to the family.

"Creative Spaces are potential venues for social and human capital development that enhances the human agency who works in economic productive spaces, the other part of the time. In this way the human agency who acquires or reinforces individual and collective values in the process of participating in these creative spaces become better persons in themselves and are therefore assets to the community they belong to," De Leon concluded.

Involving parents

According to De Leon, the first objective of the project is to show parents how choir benefits their children so that they encourage them to participate. "Many may think that with so many people in the choir, one absence will not be noticed, but the truth is that each contribution is irreplaceable," she stated.

The researcher, who conducted this study at the University of the Philippines, concluded that it is vital to invest in the intangible dimensions of development. For this purpose, after a year as an NCID researcher, in February 2017 she will return to her home country, the Philippines, to promote this choir project along with the University of Asia and the Pacific.

According to De Leon, thanks to her experience at ICS, she has obtained the necessary tools to put into practice her proposal: "First I studied existing choirs; I am now ready to develop a choir for children in the suburbs."