Character Day

At the PACE Foundation, part of our mission is to empower teenagers to make good decisions. We know that character education plays a significant role in helping people of all ages in their decision making and this is why we are excited to bring the Character Day movement to the Bahamas!

The PACE Foundation, Bahamas AIDS Foundation & Lyford Cay Foundations FOCUS programme, have partnered to host Character Day in The Bahamas with funding from the Templeton World Charity Foundation, Inc.

We invite schools, business, churches, civic groups, non-profit organizations, families and individuals to join us during the month of October. Be a part of this global conversation about the importance of developing and improving character. This event is devoted to developing who we are, and who we want to be.

Why Character Day?

 

Character development is central to individual and societal well-being; thus, the PACE Foundation hosts Character Day Bahamas with the primary goal of engaging the public in conversation that promotes positive action and strengthens society.  For the past four years we have created opportunities for this national dialogue through Character Day, an initiative founded by the Los Angeles based film studio, Let it Ripple.

Character Day is an annual global initiative that brings together millions of people of different ages and in different contexts: schools, businesses, homes, religious organisations, and community groups.  The Bahamas is unique in its approach to Character Day because the PACE Foundation facilitates Character Day not just for its direct beneficiary, the PACE School, but for the benefit of the entire country.   We utilize and adapt the themes, activities and resources provided by Let it Ripple to tailor our programme so that it is locally relevant, conducted by local experts and presented to suit the Bahamian context. It is a highly anticipated event, especially within the education community.

PACE supports teen mothers allowing this disadvantaged group of young women to continue their education so that they can earn a high school diploma. As such, teen pregnancy prevention in an important part of our mission.  We have observed that many students who enroll in the PACE School show signs of low self-esteem and exhibit poor decision-making skills. Thus, the bulk of the counselling and services that we provide, centre around self-esteem and character development.

In 2016, the Foundation became aware of Character Day and believed that it aligned with our teen pregnancy prevention goals. We then sought partners to assist with bringing the event to The Bahamas. Our planning committee includes PACE Foundation members, representatives of Bahamas AIDS Foundation and Lyford Cay Foundations FOCUS programme, an educator, guidance counsellor and psychologist each with extensive and varied experiences with young people ranging from kindergarten to college.

We are working towards long-term outcomes, that is, the enhancement of the knowledge, skills and practice surrounding character education to bring about societal transformation. To achieve this, we are strengthening our programme by expanding our workshop series, distributing resources, administering small grants, and strengthening character education at the PACE School. Character Day events and a targeted public education campaign will broaden public engagement.  We are excited for this opportunity to continue to build upon our successes because as in the words of Maria Montessori, “Character education is just as important to education as reading, math and science.”

What do people do for Character Day?

Host a Character-Building Event – Your event can look and feel any way you like and occur any time in September. View films, have small group discussions, join global live webcasts and participate in team building exercises ……. the possibilities are endless!

  • Host

    Host a Character Development event during the month of October

  • Get Creative

    Be Creative! Your event should work for you and can be done anyway that you like, or you can use any of the resources available on the Character Day website at https://www.letitripple.org/character-day. There are free films, live webcasts, discussion materials and activities.

  • Post & Share

    Post about your event using #cultivatingcharacter. Share your posts to the Character Day Bahamas Facebook page and to characterdaybahamas242@gmail.com

  • Apply for Funding

    Apply by October 15th for a up to $1000 to support your long-term character education project. Contact us by email at characterdaybahamas242@gmail.com for application information.

How to prepare for Character Day?

Attend one of our workshops where we will provide everything you need including information, tips and materials to turn you into a Character Day Champion! Leave the workshop with resources and a plan for your event.

For further information, please email us at  characterdaybahamas242@gmail.com

Character Day is open to all: schools, youth organizations, workplaces, churches, businesses.

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