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Outlook: The headteacher changing young boys' lives with philosophy

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Kevin McArevey

06/02/2023 GMT

The headteacher changing young boys' lives with philosophy

BBC World Service - Outlook, The headteacher changing young boys' lives with philosophy

Kevin McArevey uses Plato to help his students overcome the lasting legacy of conflict

Northern Irish headteacher Kevin McArevey lived through the violence of the Troubles as a child. Today, he uses philosophy to help his students deal with conflict.

Kevin grew up in the capital Belfast during the conflict known as the Troubles. Violence was part of everyday life, and Kevin always struggled to handle his emotions. But after studying philosophy at university his outlook on life changed. Today he is head of a primary school for boys and uses Socrates, Plato and Aristotle to help children cope with their feelings. His visionary method has been so successful he has travelled the world helping others in communities impacted by poverty, violence and intergenerational-trauma.

Mark Gergis and Yamen Mekdad are on a mission to preserve Syria’s rich musical history that exists on fragile, often one-of-a-kind cassette tapes from the 1970s to the 2000s. Both Mark and Yamen know from personal experience why heritage is so important; Mark is the son of an Iraqi immigrant who concealed their identity to fit into American society, while Yamen watched a devastating war tear much of his country apart. They spoke to Outlook's Gaia Caramazza.

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

Presenter: Asya Fouks

(Photo: Kevin McArevey. Credit: Robbie Meredith)

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