Growing the 'we'

Engaging classroom activities to trigger consideration and exploration of collaboration and its corresponding character strengths.

Character Education matters, perhaps now more than ever. It is clear that individual integrity, in all its dimensions, should be cultivated. And fortunately, many schools are answering this mandate by providing valuable programs focused on developing capable, motivated and decent individuals. Still, the job of character education should not just be to cultivate the individual. Along with equipping young people with a robust ‘I’ mindset, character education should strive to cultivate a high functioning ‘We’ mindset. Growing the 'We' aims to teach collaboration and its corresponding character strengths with engaging, easily facilitated classroom activities.

Judy Bernstein believes collaboration uses our best selves to do better work. As VP of Insights and Visioning at CBA, Judy uses applied creativity to unlock possibilities for brands, teams and businesses. Her passion for group invention informs her work in Insights, Innovation, Co-creation and Facilitation. She has a M.Sc. in Creativity and Change Leadership from the International Center for Studies in Creativity, certifications in Lego Serious Play and Design Thinking and teaches Creative Problem Solving at the world’s largest and longest-running creative thinking conference, the annual Creative Problem Solving Institute. She created Growing the We: Collaboration and Character Education to help young people develop an appreciation for and fluency in collaboration. Follow Judy on Twitter: @2bjudyb