“I can sum up positive psychology in just three words — Other People Matter. Period. Anything that builds relationships between and among people is going to make you happy.” -Dr. Chris Peterson

What is The Positivity Project?

Of this, I’m Positive beautifully encapsulates the essence of The Positivity Project (P2)—an organization dedicated to empowering America’s youth to build positive relationships by recognizing the character strengths in themselves and others. Their vision is to help schools and families cultivate citizens and leaders who will enhance our communities and country. Positive psychology’s scientifically validated 24 character strengths serve as its foundation. Positive psychology teaches that people have all 24 strengths within them – and that character is not just skills or behaviors, but rather an intrinsic part of each of us.

P2 is not a program with strict guidelines. Instead, it educates teachers on the character strengths and relies on them to teach in a way that best meets their students’ needs. It is a school-wide endeavor, grounded in the consistency of daily classroom instruction. Their model is holistic; it incorporates students, educators, and parents through regular interaction with character strengths vocabulary and concepts.

P2 helps educators instill vocabulary and the meaning of the character strengths through explicit teaching of each strength for 15 minutes per day. Schools will dedicate one week to each strength to help students understand them through definition, examples, discussions, and exercises. Schools and educators are encouraged to tailor P2 for their own best use, as they know their students and curriculum better than anyone else.

What are the benefits of implementing The Positivity Project?

P2 evolves throughout a student’s entire school career. The 24 character strengths develop and gain more meaning for students as they grow. Once students learn the meaning of each strength and what it looks like, they can then be embedded into the curriculum in every subject area. The character strengths become a part of a common vocabulary and they will see them in everything that they do.

P2 empowers students by acknowledging that the 24 character strengths are already a part of who they are as people. It helps them to realize that each and every one of them have these strengths. We want children to internalize the traits that society honors. Acknowledgement to oneself and realizing that you have the power to affect others in a positive way is much more meaningful and rewarding.

Positive character strengths can and should be acknowledged in the classroom, as it gives students a richer understanding of what the character strength looks like in their peer group. Students understand that they have their own “Super Power” and they will be acknowledged and valued for their own character strengths.

What is Stough doing with The Positivity Project?

Stough has joined The Positivity Project as a Partner School to support students in their social-emotional learning and growth. Our goal is that all students, staff, and families will grow in appreciation and awareness in our school and global community. Our staff believes that #OtherPeopleMatter and #OtherStallionsMatter and strives to support students in strengthening relationships and pro-social skills so that they can be successful, happy, collaborative, creative, critical- thinkers and problem-solvers. 

How can you help?

Check out The  Positivity Project’s 2022-23 Annual Calendar to follow along with what character strengths your child is learning about each week! We would love for you to take an active role in your child’s character education by tapping into P2 for Families/P2 Para Familias. By using the character strengths vocabulary and having discussions about the concepts, you will help your child understand the character in themselves and others in a different light. You can also follow our social media handles to see what we do daily.

Character Strength Definitions

Appreciation of Beauty & Excellence
You notice and value the world’s beauty and people’s skills. You don’t take things for granted.

您注意到并重视世界的美丽和人们的技能。你不会认为事情是理所当然的。

欣赏美丽与卓越

Bravery
You act with mental, moral, or physical strength even when you know things are difficult or scary.

即使你知道事情很困难或很可怕，你也会以精神、道德或身体的力量去做。

勇敢果断

Creativity
You come up new and original ways to think about and do things.

你想出新的和原创的方式来思考和做事。

创意创新

Curiosity
You like exploration and discovery. You ask lots of questions because you want to learn more about anything and everything.

你喜欢探索和发现。你问很多问题，因为关于任何事情你想了解得更多。

好奇求知

Enthusiasm
You approach life with excitement and energy. You energize people around you。

你兴奋地，有活力地对待生活。你激励你周围的人。

热心热情

Fairness
You believe that all people have value. You approach situations with an unbiased mindset and treat everyone with respect.

你相信所有人都有价值。

你不偏不倚地处理情况，并尊重每个人。

开明公正

Forgiveness
You forgive those who have done wrong. You accept that people make mistakes.

你原谅那些做错事的人。

你接受人们会犯错误。

宽容大度

Gratitude
You are aware of and thankful for good things that happen.

你知道并感谢发生的好事。

感恩之心

Humility
You do not seek the spotlight. You let your actions speak for themselves.

你不寻求聚光灯。你让用你的行动来证明自己。

谦虚内敛

Humor
You like to laugh and bring smiles to other people.

你喜欢笑，喜欢给别人带来微笑。

诙谐幽默

Integrity
You are honest and speak the truth. You present yourself genuinely and sincerely.

你诚实，说实话。你真诚地、真挚地

对待别人。

诚实正直

Kindness
You are generous to others and you are never too busy to help out. You enjoy doing good deeds for other people.

你对别人很慷慨，你永远不会因为太忙而无暇帮忙。你乐于为他人做好事。

乐于助人

Leadership
You value each member of your group and inspire people to do their best.

你重视团队中的每个成员，并激励他们竭尽全力。

 领导才能

Love

You value close relationships with others and being close to people.

您重视与他人的亲密关系和亲近别人。

Love of Learning
You master new skills and topics on your own or in school.

无论是自学，还是在学校，你学习新技能和新知识。

热爱学习

Open-mindedness
You like to consider new ideas and try new things. You examine things from all sides and don’t jump to conclusions.

你喜欢考虑新想法、尝试新事物。

你从多角度审视事物，不轻易得出结论。

开明思维

Optimism
You expect the best from the future and work to achieve it.

你期望未来最好的，并努力实现它。

积极乐观

Perseverance
You complete what you start despite obstacles. You never give up.

尽管有障碍，你还是完成了你开始的事情。你从不放弃。

坚持不懈

Perspective
You appreciate that people see things in different ways. You have the ability to understand the world from multiple points of view.

你欣赏人们以不同的方式看待事物。你有能力从多个角度了解这个世界。

多角度看问题

Prudence
You plan for the future and achieve your goals by making careful everyday choices.

你通过谨慎的日常选择来规划未来并实现你的目标。

谨慎审慎

Purpose
You have beliefs about the meaning of life and your life’s purpose. You seek to be part of something greater than yourself.

你相信生命的意义和你的人生的目的。你寻求成为某种崇高事业的一部分比自己大。

远大追求

Self-Control
You have the ability to control your emotions and behaviors. You think before you act.

你有能力控制自己的情绪和行为。你在行动之前思考。

克己自制

Social Intelligence
You are aware of other people’s thoughts and feelings. You understand why they do things.

你了解其他人的想法和感受。你明白他们为什么这样做。

社交情商

Teamwork
You work well as a member of a group or team. You are loyal and sacrifice your individual desires for the greater good.

作为一个团体或团队的一员，你工作得很好。你是忠诚的，为了更大的利益，牺牲你个人的欲望。

团队合作