The ESSE seminar held in February 2017 in Budapest, Hungary was a much anticipated event by the Hungarian community, as this seminar marked the embarking of a fresh start of the programme in the Central European country. With nearly 30 participants arriving from all walks of life, the weekend covering the general philosophy and basic concepts of Education in Human Values provided a solid foundation for both pedagogues and an audience of various professions deeply interested in a value-oriented approach to life and work. It is well worth noting that not only total newcomers to the Sathya Sai Education in Human Values (SSEHV) Programme registered for the seminar, but also ‘seniors’, who previously had already completed some of the courses. According to a Hungarian proverb, ‘Repetition is the mother of knowledge’, and these senior participants confirmed that brushing up their formerly acquired knowledge was highly beneficial for them.

Additionally to the introduction of the five basic human values – love, truth, right actions, peace and non-violence – based on Eastern and Western philosophy as well as science, the seminar also featured an overview of the work and teachings of the Founder of the SSEHV Programme, which too was received with much enthusiasm by the audience. In order to deepen the theoretical knowledge, workshops were also organized for the participants, through which they had the chance to identify areas of their life and work where human values play or may play an important role. The workshops consisted of vivid group discussions and the sharing of the most useful findings.

According to the feedback received at the end of the seminar, the participants found the presentations of the instructors, Marianne Meyer, Anita Friedrich and Petra von Kalinowski as well as the workshops very useful. Many of the participants expressed that the lectures provided a strong inspiration for them to apply the human values in everyday life and work situations, and strive to lead their lives with more consciousness. According to a remarkable comment of one of the newcomer participants, the seminar provided an authentic and coherent overview of the human values, considered a much needed and thus deeply appreciated clarification of the basic concepts. Other participants with a background in pedagogy expressed their gratitude for all the information provided, as these can perfectly support them in optimizing their lesson plans or enhancing their scientific work.

The participants expressed their wish to continue the training with Module 2 as soon as possible.