Exploring the Science of Character, Meaning, and Purpose on the 4th Annual Character Day
September 4th, 2017
NEW YORK – Emmy-nominated Film Studio Let It Ripple is pleased to present the fourth annual Character Day with an estimated 100,000 events around the globe in companies, schools, museums, and homes – wherever people already gather – all screening the same films and joining an interactive worldwide LiveCast Q&A featuring prominent thought leaders talking about the importance of developing character (qualities like curiosity, creativity, initiative, collaboration, and empathy), and how developing those strengths can lead to a life of meaning and purpose in today’s world. Scheduled for Wednesday, September 13, 2017, Character Day is an innovative global initiative that has proven successful since its inception in 2014, and last year oversaw 93,000 events in 125 countries and all 50 states.
Spearheaded by Tiffany Shlain, Emmy-nominated filmmaker, thought leader and founder of The Webby Awards, Character Day highlights recent breakthroughs in the social science and neuroscience behind character development, and provides the tools (films, discussion kits, online resources), for millions of people to engage and develop the character strengths needed to thrive in today’s world – for free.
On September 13th, groups around the world will join and connect through the following:
- Screen Let It Ripple’s global premiere of the brand-new short film “30,000 Days” that examines how people can live a life of meaning and purpose and explores the history of different philosophies around asking questions about living a good life.
- Additional acclaimed short films are also available to screen, including: “The Adaptable Mind” (10 minutes), “The Science of Character” (8 minutes) and “The Making of Mensch,” which explores character education through the wonderful ancient Jewish teachings of Mussar (10 minutes).
- Use free printed discussion kits that include the poster of periodic table of character strengths – a scientific graph outlining character qualities.
- Tap into a 24-hour global LiveCast Q&A that links together the thousands of film screenings and discussions, and invites all participants to watch and ask questions to prominent leaders from extraordinarily diverse perspectives.
“Character Day is about bringing us all together to spend a day focusing on who we are, and who we want to be — for ourselves, our families, and the world,” said Tiffany Shlain, co-founder of Character Day and founder of the Webby Awards. “There’s so much science now to prove that we can develop who we are throughout our lives, and that doing so leads to more happiness, success, meaning, and purpose. Who doesn’t want that? We’re living in challenging days that require us to step up and ask these bigger questions in new ways.”
Over 20 thought leaders around character development will be participating in the Character Day Global LiveCast Q & A including Krista Tippet (Peabody Award winner, New York Times best-selling author), Angela Duckworth (MacArthur “genius” award, author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance), and The Dalai Lama Center, who will be contributing a special video message on Character Day. All participants can tap into this global Q&A that happens through Facebook Live and Google Hangouts to watch and ask questions throughout the day. The list of speakers will be continuously updated at www.characterday.org. To date, there are already more than 60,000 screenings scheduled in all 50 states and across 60 countries with events taking place at organizations spanning the top tech companies, museums, schools, universities and libraries – as well as homes around the world.
Everyone is encouraged to create their own distinctive event at any time of the day and in any place on Wednesday, September 13, 2017.
Please join the worldwide conversation and initiative by signing up. It takes two minutes and is absolutely free thanks to the support of visionary foundations including The John Templeton Foundation, Jim Joseph Foundation, The Covenant Foundation, Righteous Persons Foundation, Lippman Kanfer Foundation, and Embrey Family Foundation.
Sign up at CharacterDay.org.
About Let It Ripple
Let It Ripple’s mission is to use film, technology, discussion materials, and live and virtual events to engage people in conversation and action around complicated subjects that are shaping our lives, and updating these topics through an engaging, accessible, 21st-century lens. Over the past twelve years, the team has created and distributed 28 films, engaged more than 50 million people in dialogue, and created a new way of making films called “cloud filmmaking,” where films are made collaboratively with people from all over the world and organize global days of screening, conversation and action.
Helmed by Tiffany Shlain, Emmy-nominated filmmaker, thought leader and founder of The Webby Awards, Shlain has had four films premiere at Sundance, has won more than 85 awards and distinctions, and has had four of her films selected by The U.S. State Department to screen at embassies around the world to foster dialogue across borders. Find out more at http://www.letitripple.org.