We believe…
Character reveals our common humanity and the universal core values that transcend religious, cultural, and ethnic differences.
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We are a non-partisan organization that advocates for character
Character.org is comprised of educators, researchers, business and civic leaders who care deeply about the vital role that character will play in our future. Our worldwide network empowers people of all ages to practice and model core values that shape our hearts, minds, and choices.
Our mission is to provide global leadership, voice, and resources for developing character in families, schools, and organizations.
Founded in 1993, Character.org is widely known for its 11 Principles Framework for Schools: A Guide to Cultivating a Culture of Character, a comprehensive framework developed by school leaders and character education researchers. During the past 20 years, more than 1000 schools have been recognized by Character.org as National Schools of Character.
Today, Character.org provides the voice, visibility, and resources across five priority areas: Parents & Families, Schools & Education, Sports & After-School Programs, Character in the Workplace, and International.
Character reveals our common humanity and the universal core values that transcend religious, cultural, and ethnic differences.
It’s easy to post a list of core values on the refrigerator. It’s much more difficult for parents to be consistent. Consistency lets children know what to expect and what is expected of them. Of course, children will push boundaries but inconsistency from parents confuses children.
Everyone involved in your child’s development are critical to modeling and upholding core values. Parents need to work with these important role models to foster the importance of doing the right thing, at the right time, in the right way, and for the right reasons.
Parents need to commit to model and reinforce to their children the core values and character strengths that mean the most to them. They also need to be creative and offer meaningful experiences that illuminate how important these character strengths are to the family’s core values.
We know “We need to talk” freaks kids out, but too often parents avoid having conversations about character, especially as children get older. While it may not be easy to talk sometimes, we know from the research that parents who avoid talking to their children about serious matters quickly lose trust and connection.
Parents need to find ways for their children to be active participants in their own character growth. Optimal character development occurs when children begin to make self-motivated commitments to consistently practice a core value (e.g. “I want to be the kind of person who is always honest and shows up on time.”) Parents need to celebrate these moments to shape and define individual character.