Educators came together to attend workshops on several Bahamian islands to participate in the country’s second annual “Character Day Training Workshop”.
The workshops - which took place on New Providence, Abaco and Grand Bahama – were geared toward informing educators about the importance of the development and improvement of character for not only themselves, but also their students.
Character Day is an international project introduced four years ago by a San Francisco-based film studio, Let It Ripple.
The PACE Foundation, Bahamas AIDS Foundation, Lyford Cay Foundation’s FOCUS, Sandals Foundation, Commonwealth Bank and the FTBL Charitable Foundation all partnered to kick off this year’s event.
Sonia Brown, the woman at the core of Character Day in The Bahamas, explained just how and why she introduced the initiative.
“When we became aware of Character Day, we thought, ‘well why don’t we bring this to everybody in The Bahamas if we can specifically focusing on students who are in school because we have a captive audience’, explained Brown.
The workshop’s coordinator Charlene Carey reminded the audience of the their roles to bring out the best in their students.
“You have students that are sitting in your classrooms, that are sitting in your groups, that have these talents that they are sitting on and we need to give them opportunities to shine,” she said.
On the second day of the seminar, Dr. Niambi Hall-Campbell, one of the event’s board members and an educator herself, reminded the teachers that Character Day is not only about molding students, but also serves as a way to reflect on themselves with self-care and mindful moments through taking deep breaths.
“If we can just start to take just 60 seconds to center ourselves and connect to the life force of our own breaths, it will really enhance us,” she said.
Over the course of the seminar, educators took part in a number of activities including a speed-networking exercise that gave everyone the opportunity to become acquainted and connected.
At the close of the workshops, teachers did not walk away empty handed. They received Character Day bags filled with wristbands, folders, a bag of treats and Character Day t-shirts.
On September 13, The Bahamas will celebrate Character Day along with over 109 countries around the world.
During that time, participating organizations and persons will highlight the importance of core character strengths: resilience, grit, empathy, courage and kindness.
Workshop organizers say Character Day in The Bahamas will continue and have no doubt that the number of participants will continue to grow.
For more information: email characterdaybahamas242@gmail.com or visit http://pacebahamas.com/character-day-bahamas
Educators came together to attend workshops on the Bahamian islands of New Providence Abaco and Grand Bahama to participate the second annual Character Day in The Bahamas to learn about character development of themselves and their students. On Several Bahamian islands to participate in the country’s second annual “Character Day Training Workshop
