The Virtues Project began with an idea -- that all children are born with the virtues in potential, and that when parents and educators awaken these gifts of character, we can change the world.

The idea evolved into Five Strategies for bringing virtues to life, from birth to death. They not only help us to raise kinder kids but to companion the dying in a compassionate and meaningful way.  In

Linda Kavelin-Popovs with her brother and her husband established a foundation, and in 1991, formed Virtues Project International as a Canadian corporation when they began to ship virtues books and materials world-wide. The Project has spread to more than 120 countries, and has thousands of facilitators who share its virtues-based principles and practices. The Project is not affiliated with any particular faith but draws its research from all sacred traditions including the oral traditions of First Nations.

Click here for more on the founders.

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The Mission of The International Virtues Project TM is to inspire the practice of virtues in everyday life by helping people of all cultures to discover the transformative power of these universal gifts of character. 

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Personal Life

Love. Kindness. Justice. Service. Virtues are the very meaning and purpose of our lives – the content of our character and the truest expression of our souls. For people of all cultures, ethnicities and beliefs, they are the essence of authentic success.

The Virtues Project™ helps us to awaken and deepen our connection with these qualities that give direction to our lives, nurture our relationships and bring passion to our purpose.

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Family and Parenting

Parenting is the most complex and important activity on the planet. Parents are a child's first educator, yet they receive little or no training for this vital role.

The Virtues Project™ helps parents to awaken the qualities of character that exist in potential in their children. By speaking the language of virtues, setting virtues-based boundaries and recognizing teachable moments, we bring out the best in our children -- and ourselves. We become mentors helping our children to become compassionate, courageous, respectful, confident and purposeful. The greatest gift we can give our children is the authentic self-esteem that comes from developing their virtues -- becoming contributors rather than consumers. The world needs people willing to take personal responsibility. Let it be this generation.

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Education

Character is destiny. Virtues are the content of our character. The Virtues Project™ nurtures our children in the skills and qualities they need to be successful in school and in life. Although they are the oldest practices in the world, virtues are essential to the true goal of education – intelligence plus character. Too many of our children are technical wizards and moral illiterates. Power plus control leads to violence. Power plus compassion transforms bullies into leaders.

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Leadership at Work

Successful leaders inspire and empower others to succeed. People watch what they do, more than what they say. Trusted leaders are the first to demonstrate integrity in the way they speak, act, and treat their colleagues and their clients.

Every mission statement contains a promise of virtues such as honesty, service, and excellence. A virtues-based organization brings that promise to life and sustains it with unity and trust.

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Community Development

A community-wide virtues initiative is a powerful way to apply The Virtues Project™. Launching a Virtue of the Month campaign in a school, a church, or an entire town ignites community spirit. It sets a tone of optimism and unity. After community members in Enfield, Nova Scotia identified their four core virtues, this small Canadian town invited students to design virtues banners that hung over flower baskets throughout the town. The Five Strategies™ are being applied in First Nations communities throughout the world to heal violence with virtues and to restore traditional values.

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Faith Communities

Research shows that children who commit senseless acts of violence believe that life, including their own lives, has little meaning. When the Kavelin Popov family originally saw the need to do something to counteract violence and suicide among children and youth, they looked to the sacred texts of the world's religions for the meaning of life. Woven like a silver thread of unity amongst them all are the virtues, described as the qualities of the Creator, the attributes of the human soul, and the very purpose of life. Service, love, faith, unity, honor.