Global Character Alliance Newsletter
June 2026
Conferences and Events
Centre to Host 2nd Africa Regional Conference in Nairobi, Kenya
The Centre for Character and Leadership will host the 2nd Africa Regional Conference from 26th – 28th August 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya. This Conference will bring together organizations previously funded under the Global Innovations for Character Development (GICD) and leadership of the Association for Character Development in Africa (ACDA), to collaborate and promote cultivation of virtues among educational leaders working in Colleges and Universities.
Chile National Character Education Seminar 2026
The 2026 National Character Education Seminar brought together policymakers, academics, school leaders, and educators to explore global trends in character education and their relevance to Chilean schools. The keynote address by Agustín Porres situated the topic within an international conversation, emphasizing that character formation is central to the purpose of education. Discussions highlighted the challenge of making character education a public priority while ensuring equity and avoiding ideological imposition. A central message emerged: forming good people is a core responsibility of every school.
Australian Character Education Summit Opens Call for Papers
From 12th – 13th November, the 2026 Australian Character Education Summit aims to explore the fundamentals of Character Education and why it is relevant and important in contemporary Australia. This year’s conference will be hosted at Scotch College, Melbourne. Dr Liz Gulliford of the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues, UK, has been announced as the first international keynote. The Australian Character Education Summit is therefore inviting relevant practitioners to submit proposals to present at this year’s conference.
Association for Moral Education (AME) Hosts 52nd Annual Conference
From 12th – 14th June 2026, AME held their 52nd annual conference, Re-Creating the Social Fabric in a Fragmented World: Education for Shared Responsibility, bringing together 350 participants from 40 different countries at the Hotel Riu Plaza España, Madrid. The event was organised by the Centre for Character and Human Growth at Universidad Villanueva with the support of the Templeton World Charity Foundation and featured four keynotes, with an additional ‘Policy Roundtable on Moral Education and Public Policy’.
10th Annual Conference of Aretai - Center on Virtues (Italy)
On its 10th anniversary, Aretai – Center on Virtues will dedicate its annual conference to Applied Virtue Ethics, exploring how virtues and practical wisdom can address contemporary challenges in technology, AI, environmental ethics, care, the arts, and institutional life. Keynote speakers include Sylvie Delacroix, Marcello Di Paola, Julia Driver, and Ian James Kidd. During the conference, Julia Driver will receive the 3rd Aretai Center Prize.
Flourishing Schools International Community of Practice (Fall 2026)
This September, join The Greater Good Science Center and educators around the world to explore how to strengthen purpose, empathy, and gratitude in schools and classrooms. You will leave with tangible research-based practices to increase well-being for adults and students, a renewed spirit and sense of belonging, and a Certificate of Completion with 15 clock hours. $99-$149 with scholarships available; no one will be turned away for financial reasons.
Publications and Resources
Blogging about Values-based Education
The GAVE Research Committee has launched a blog project, organized around the following three Values-based Education (VbE) themes: Conceptualizations/frameworks of VbE, Research methods in VbE, and Best practices in VbE. We invite anyone interested in Values-based Education Research to consider contributing a blog. Blogs should be 500 to 1000 words, target a lay audience, include an image or other multimedia, include a brief positionality statement, and cite appropriate sources.
Transforming Incarcerated Communities Through Character Strengths
What happens when correctional facilities focus on strengths instead of deficits? VIA’s new case study on Shining Light, a nonprofit bringing strengths-based programs to 450,000 incarcerated individuals, offers a striking answer: a 97% positive mindset shift and a 21% drop in violent incidents. Hear more from CEO Ashwani Dhar and Dr. Ryan Niemiec at ECPP in Dublin, July 1–4, and catch Ryan’s keynote, The Character Strengths Revolution.
Flourishing amid crises of war and COVID-19 pandemic among undergraduate students
A new study by Missaye Mengstie of the University of Gondar, Ethiopia has been published in the journal Heliyon. The purpose of this study was to examine flourishing amid crises of war and the COVID-19 pandemic. A samples of 373 undergraduate students were chosen to complete VanderWeele’s flourishing index. The findings showed high flourishing scores. The participants thrived in a variety of flourishing dimensions such as mental and physical health, happiness and life satisfaction, character and virtue, and close social relationships. This implies possibility of thriving in challenging circumstances.
Jubilee Centre Staff Publish the First Population-Level Study of Character Education
Using UK Department for Education data from over 3000 English secondary schools between 2016 and 2024, the study examined whether schools recognised for their character education provision through the Association for Character Education’s Quality Mark or Quality Mark Plus showed stronger academic progression than other schools. The findings show that these schools consistently outperformed other English schools on a national measure of academic progress.
Kauna: Enhancing the Teacher-Student Relationship Through Indigenous Character-Based Professional Development
Our organization, Early Years Nigeria Initiative (EYNI), based in Jos, Nigeria, implemented a TWCF-funded project that explored the use of indigenous character-training strategies to strengthen resilience. As part of the project, we developed Kauna, a culturally relevant character-based professional development curriculum designed for early childhood educators. The curriculum aimed to enhance teachers’ character and foster teacher-pupil relationships. To evaluate its effectiveness, we assessed the impact of Kauna and found that teachers who participated in the program demonstrated significantly greater sensitivity in their interactions with pupils.
Other News
Swedish Educators Complete Character Education Training with VEC
More than 30 school leaders, teachers and representatives from Sweden’s AcadeMedia took part in the Foundations of Character Education for Educators course at the Virtue and Values Education Centre (VEC) at Universidad Francisco de Vitoria. Over three days, participants explored leadership, curriculum design, virtues and a whole-school approach to character education. The programme also included a visit to Stella Maris La Gavia School to observe character education in practice.
Centre Collaborates with Stakeholders to Spearhead Tree Growing Initiative in Schools
The Centre for Character and Leadership together with the East African Cables and Kenya Education Management Institute has spearheaded a tree growing initiative in over 27 Comprehensive and Senior Schools situated in Machakos, Kajiado and Baringo Counties. This collaborative effort has led to the donation and planting of over 8000 indigenous and fruit trees seedlings as part adopt a tree and tag a virtue initiative during this year.
Building Capacity for PRIMED Across the Americas
In late May, the Center for Character and Citizenship hosted an international convening in St. Louis as part of a Templeton World Charity Foundation-funded initiative to expand PRIMED, the CCC’s evidence-based framework for whole-school transformation. Partners from seven countries collaborated to design a certification system for PRIMED Facilitators who will support schools across the Americas. The gathering strengthened a shared commitment to educational excellence, character development, and human flourishing.
Centre Launches a mentoring-based project on Cultivating Virtues for Leadership
On 28th May 2026, the Centre launched a virtual mentoring-based project on Cultivating Virtues for Leadership (CViL). The virtual mentoring-based project comprised a Cohort of School administrators from several Counties in Kenya who have enrolled to attend a series of 12 virtual Coaching and Mentorship Speaker Series. The virtual launch was attended by stakeholders from the Center for Character and Citizenship, Kenya Secondary School Heads Association and Teachers Service Commission.
Harvard Flourishing Program Launch New Website
To mark their 10th anniversary in 2026, the Harvard Flourishing Program (HFP) are seeking reinvigoration through renewed efforts to strengthen communications, enhance public presence, and increase the reach of their work. An early expression is their new website, which offers a clearer way to explore the program’s work, including their flourishing measures, and scholarship. The site highlights their impact initiatives and practical resources for institutions and communities seeking to better understand and promote flourishing.
Call for Applications: Teaching and Research Fellow in Character and Leadership at the University of Oxford
The department of Politics and International Relationships (DPIR) at the University of Oxford have advertised an open position of Teaching and Research Fellow in Character and Leadership at the Oxford Character Project. The position is full time and fixed-term for 2 years starting 1st September 2026. Potential candidates are invited to apply before the deadline 12pm on Friday 3rd July 2026.
Character.org Recognizes 290 Promising Practices in Schools and Organizations
Character.org, a leading advocate for cultivating character development throughout American society and worldwide, today certified 290 character-centered Promising Practices that have been implemented in schools and organizations.
Advancing Character Across Education Launches Communities of Practice
Three Communities of Practice (CoP) are now open to the full Advancing Character Across Education community. An Advancing Character Community of Practice is a group of ACAE community members who share a passion, purpose, curiosity, or concern that relates to the advancement of character across educational contexts. They collectively deepen their knowledge and expertise through ongoing interactions designed to foster learning, engage in practice, and amplify their outcomes. Topics include Depth and Breadth: Systems, Structures, and Sustainability; R.E.M.A. (Research, Evaluation, Measurement, and Assessment; and It Begins with Us: Fostering a Character-Centered Adult Culture.
Specialist Diploma in Character Education: II Edition
Following the success of its first edition, the Specialist Diploma in Character Education is now open for enrolment for a second cohort. Delivered in Spanish by the Virtue and Values Education Centre (VEC) at Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, in collaboration with the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues at the University of Birmingham, the programme begins in September 2026, runs for one academic year (40 ECTS credits), and is delivered entirely online.