The Fabric of Character

Marquette Ballroom IV

What is character and how do you shape it? This question has preoccupied parents, teachers, clergy, and leaders since time immemorial. But it takes on vital importance in our era. While the complexity and autonomy of life in the twenty-first century call for character more than ever, the conditions under which such character is forged are in trouble. How do we replenish the store of moral capital in such a diverse, individualistic, consumerist, and stressed society? How do we encourage a shared pursuit of the good? This session aims to break open a new path for donors and a wide range of institutional leaders in launching a character revival. Through inspirational stories of exemplary organizations, and a glimpse into a powerful set of 16 questions that you can use to evaluate your own, this session will equip philanthropists to shape existing initiatives that attempt to transform lives, and to build new ones.

Breakout session