The Character Education Initiative

A Project of the

Universal Peace Federation

Introduction to the UPF Character Education Initiative

What Is Character Education?

Character Education = Conscious Effort

to Instill Virtues

“Character education is the deliberate effort to help people understand, care about, and act upon core ethical values.”

Dr. Thomas Lickona, author, Educating for Character

Educating the “Head, Heart, Hand”Drs. Kevin Ryan and Thomas Lickona

• To know the good

• To care about the good

• To do the good

Why Do We Need Character Education?

Explosion of Moral Problems in Society

Premarital SexDivorce

Alienation from Traditional Values

Leads to Alienation of Youth from Society

Youth Don’t Know Who They Are or Where They Are Going

Rising Youth Suicide Rates

Rising Teenage Pregnancy Rates

Rising Youth Violence and Crime

Drug Abuse

Alcohol Abuse

Unwholesome Media and Entertainment Influences

Character Education Has Always Been Part of Education

• Since Plato, educators have accepted moral instruction of the young as part of their educational mission

• Many universities, including Harvard,were founded to train clergy

Character Education Declined in the Twentieth Century, in Part Due to Science

• Logical positivism—everything should be empirically provable

• Theory of relativity applied to the moral realm

• Personalism—morals are everyone’s to choose

Moral Relativism: Whose Values to Teach? “Virtues” Not “Values”

• Values are subjective

• What people value may vary from culture to culture

• Values change

• Virtues are universal

• Virtues are admired everywhere

• Virtues do not change

Yet Virtues May be Used for Good or Bad Purposes

• A strong-willed dictator• A diligent terrorist• A conscientious computer hacker• A generous thief

Therefore, UPF Teaches Virtues within the Framework of Three Basic Life Goals

Three Basic Life Goals

Mature Character

Positive Contribution

Loving Relationships

The Three Life Goals = A Purposeful Life

• To attain mature character

• To develop loving relationships with family and others

• To make a positive contribution to society

Character Develops through Four Spheres of Love in the Family

• A child’s love for parents

• A sibling’s love for brothers and sisters

• A spouse’s love for husband or wife

• A parent’s love for a child

Altruism = the Virtue of Virtues To live and work for the benefit of others

Altruism encompasses all the other virtues

The Family is the First School of Love and Relationships

The Oliners’ study of rescuers during the Holocaust showed that altruistic

people come from loving families

The UPF Character Education Initiative Emphasizes

• Virtues and ethical principles common to all cultures

• The family is the first school of love• Three Basic Life Goals• Altruism is the organizing core virtue• Home, school, community

UPF’s Discovering the Real Me Character Education Curriculum

• Utilizes the power of story

• Age-appropriate books, covering ages 5-18

• For use in homes, schools,

community venues

Discovering the Real Me, Books 1-4

• Elementary level: Aesop’s fables and classic fairy tales

Discovering the Real Me, Books 5-8

• Adolescent level:

Stories of realistic situations, and moral dilemmas

Discovering the Real Me, Books 9-12

• High school level: Character-based sexuality education, relationship, communication, and leadership skills

Character Education—Important and Necessary Part of Education

Tomorrow’s Test:

How did I show altruism this past week?

Food Drive = A+

Advanced Technology Means We Must

Use Our Powers for Good, Not Ill

“The greater our material power, the greater our need for spiritual insight

and virtue.”

Arnold Toynbee, British historian, Civilization on Trial

Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the U.S., Knew the Value of

Character Education

“To educate a man in mind and not morals is to educate a menace to

society.”