Said to Myself

In just over a week,  on September 13th, will be the annual celebration of Character Day created by my friend Tiffany Shlain. In preparation for this I wanted to share a new article I wrote for the September addition of the American Camp Association Magazine entitled The Job of Making Mensches: Campers with Integrity and Honor. In this article I explored the process of sharing the resource inspired by Tiffany Shlain’s Periodic Table of Character Strengths  titled “Making Mensches Periodic Table”with the field of Jewish camp.  This this poster and accompanying resources inspired and continues to inspire discussions about how to develop Middot, character traits ( see below links). At the outset of this project, to get the creativity flowing, we  intentionally left it as an informational resource for you, your family, or your organization to utilize in whatever creative way you find relevant. As time moves on we realize that we need to provide more specific resources. You might enjoy this expanding and interactive website version of Making Mensches. We have some interesting new functions, programs, and fun things planned for this coming year. We also continue to develop additional educational resources surrounding this project.  If you would like to contribute any ideas, suggestions, or directions to take this project please contact me or just comment below.

I hope that seeing this blog or even reading my new article inspires you to find a  new way to join in celebrating Character Day this year.

Resources for the Making of Mesnches

• Making Mensches Periodic Table
• Making Mensches – Questions to Consider
• The Job of Making Mensches: Campers with Integrity and Honor– American Camp Association Magazine
• Inspired by an amazing website on the Periodic Table on TedEd, here is an expanded, interactive website version of Making Mensches, a project of FJC’s Hiddur Initiative, made possible by The AVI CHAI Foundation, Jim Joseph Foundation, and the The Maimonides Fund.