Character.bg is asocial project for establishment of an online platform for character building and character education in Bulgaria.

We will build strength and unity of character in kids by:

1) Nurture of character strengths in them through customized materials and instruments for character building;

2) Facilitation of better collaboration and coordination among participants and places for character building;

3) Provision of methodological support for integration of character education in Bulgarian educational system.

The main social issue, which Character.bg works on, is weak character and lack of unity of character in kids in Bulgaria. We have found 4 causes, which lead to this social issue:

1) Lack of shared basic information about character itself and its nurturing in kids: almost all of us in Bulgaria understand character and act upon it in different ways, in most cases with no science behind;

2) Little coordination and collaboration among places and participants in character building: kids, parents, teachers, administration and society mutually blame each other and overthrow responsibility to somebody else;

3) Lack of contemporary customized materials and instruments for character building, connected and reflecting kids’ daily activities;

4) Lack of good exemplars, embodying strong character and unity of character within themselves and sharing it with kids in mutual relationships.

Sample effects, which weak and disunited character creates in kids are low self-actualization and authenticity, bad life circumstances, undeveloped potential, worsened relationships with one another, parents, teachers,community and society, bad connection with environment, involvement in negative behaviors such as cheating in class, absences, drug and alcohol abuse, criminal activities, precocious sexual activity, etc.

The value-added of Character.bg is in the combination in one spot on line of:

1) Character strengths and principles of character education as the basic and scientifically proven information for conscious nurturing in kids and integration at home and at school;

2) The most appropriate means possible, shaped in materials and instruments for character building, which represent this information in the most understandable way to kids;

3) Participants and places for character building, including kids themselves, parents and relatives, classmates, friends and peers, teachers,local community members, administration in public educational institutions,good exemplars, home, kindergarten, school, street, neighborhood, local community and society, online;

4) Relevant support, which makes this combination possible and being embodied in trainings, access to research and resources,practice and exercises, methodological support.

Most pioneers in character education are organizations, based in the US and the UK. They involve VIA Institute on Character, which has classified 24 character strengths, Character.org, which has defined a framework of 11 principles for effective character education, Character Lab, KIPP, CHARACTER COUNTS, Jubilee Centre for Character &Virtues, University of Birmingham School, etc. These are our role models and target partners from abroad. Our long term goal and vision for Character.bg is to do for kids in Bulgaria what Character Lab does for kids in the US.

Main target groups of Character.bg are kids of preschool age in kindergartens and students from the 1^st till the 12^th grade at schools. We will initially develop and test the platform in the town of Blagoevgrad, Southwest Bulgaria, as on the bases of the results we will modify and expand it, so we can reach other towns in the region and across the country.

All funds raised on www.BitHope.org will be used for financing a series of events for character in Blagoevgrad, for purchasing a domain name, hosting and a platform template, and for development of a first beta version. This short video introduces Character.bg and features these activities:

An initiator of Character.bg and character education in Bulgaria is Association “Community Causes &Undertakings” (ACC&U). ACC&U is a start-up community for change and development, which implements causes and undertakings through social innovations. Character.bg is being undertaken within their first cause “BG Wisdom in Action”,which promotes practical wisdom and development, based on virtues.