Torchbearers of Liberty: Teaching young people the virtues that uphold Liberty and will help them succeed as productive, ethical citizens

Today, most young Americans lack the most basic understanding of liberty and its pillar virtues, especially gratitude, honesty, responsibility (reliability) and diligence, which are essential to preserving our fragile liberty and critical to personal success. Our project will revolutionize the way that liberty and its pillar virtues are taught to 21st century youth; provide new information to researchers and practitioners about the true essence of liberty and its pillar virtues, and the most transformative ways to teach liberty and the virtues. Outputs: New, experiential, interactive exhibits and immersive theater experience projected to impact 300,000 after 3 years live; web platform projected to reach an audience of 1 million after 3 years live; new educational materials; final evaluation report; a journal article co-authored with our project partner the Jubilee Centre, and a presentation at a major conference; marketing materials and media coverage as a result of the national communications campaign. Outcomes:1) Among education opinion leaders, opinion leaders in regional and national community organizations, teachers, parents and students, there will be significant demonstration of engagement in the interventions and steadily increasing usage of the program; 2) There will be new information for practitioners and researchers in the fields of education and the science of virtue about the most transformative of the interventions. We expect the findings will influence future research. Potential enduring impacts: 1) The exhibits, website and educational materials will become established, recognized tools for teachers to use to teach liberty and its pillar virtues; 2) A new line of scientific inquiry will open into the unifying definitions of liberty and its pillar virtues and transformative interventions teaching liberty and the virtues; 3) The program will rejuvenate the importance of character and civic education in the minds of opinion leaders and the public.