Creating a Platform for Global Innovation and Capacity Building in the Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of Character Development Programs for Templeton World Charity Foundation’s (TWCF) Global Innovations for Character Development (GICD) initiative.

Project Timeline: September 30, 2019 – February 2022

Richard Lerner and Elizabeth Dowling from IARYD and visiting professor at IARYD Marc Bornstein serve as a capacity-building platform team to grantees of TWCF’s GICD initiative. The platform enhances the capacity of GICD grantees to use cutting-edge theory and methodology to innovatively design, implement, and evaluate character development programs across the majority world.  The capacity-building support the platform team enhances the ability of grantees to make cutting-edge and scientifically rigorous contributions to the field. 

Key activities of the platform include:

1. Needs assessment and asset mapping.  To be maximally useful to grantees regarding capacity building for program design, implementation, and evaluation, an essential step is conducting needs assessments coupled with asset mapping (Lerner, 1995) for each grantee.  This mapping provides the platform team with knowledge of where, in the developmental pathway of a program from its “birth to its maturity,” a specific program and its program leaders are located and, as such, the extent to which the resources needed for enhanced program formation (e.g., development of a theory of change or a logic model), improved program implementation (process), or refined impact assessments are present. In collaborative discussions with the grantees, the platform team then devises a plan to address specific needs and provide necessary resources.

2. Theory-based, methodological support.  In the context of a useful theory of change (one that reflects clear understanding of the character development-process and, as well, that is linked to a functionally-appropriate logic model – steps that are key outcomes of the needs assessment and asset mapping process), the platform evaluators then collaborate with the grantees to assure that the program has the methodological features requisite to be effective (a) within the scope of the current developmental status of the program; and (b) with a plan to enhance the program to grow developmentally in regard to the program goals.  Accordingly, in addition to selecting with each grantee the appropriate evaluation design to use for the developmental status of the program, the platform team collaborates in measure selection and/or adaptation/new-measure development and, as well, in the use of appropriate and feasible (given the developmental status of the program and its personnel) quantitative and qualitative data analysis methods.  The team then supports grantees in their efforts to analyze data regarding the impact of their respective programs on key character development constructs of interest.

3. Support in reporting. The platform team supports grantees in reporting efforts they pursue to publish findings from their evaluations

4. The platform team also produced and presented three webinars that were made available to all grantees of the GICD initiative. To access Webinars, see Presentations.

The IARYD platform team has been invited to join a larger Platform team to support all of the current GICD grantees. A proposal is currently being considered by TWCF.

Publications and Presentations
Project Updates