Character Playbook, Powered By United Way, Verizon, EVERFI The NFL, Impacts Over 2,000 New Jersey Students in its Inaugural Year

Character Playbook, Powered By United Way, Verizon, EVERFI The NFL, Impacts Over 2,000 New Jersey Students in its Inaugural Year

Program Expands with New Virtual Classroom Experience in 32 Active Schools across Norther New Jersey

Character Playbook, a digital character education program developed by digital learning innovator EVERFI, Inc. and presented by United Way and the NFL Foundation launched nationally during the 2016 NFL Draft. The initiative has been implemented directly in 32 active schools throughout northern New Jersey. The Character Playbook curriculum is comprised of six interactive, digital modules that cover key concepts around positive character development, social-emotional learning and building healthy relationships. The course was designed for students in grades seven through nine; the digital learning experience enables students to engage in true-to-life scenarios that include bystander intervention strategies and positive relationship examples. These interactive events, hosted in New Jersey by the New York Jets and United Way of Essex & West Hudson has engaged hundreds of students in the important conversation of why character matters. New York Jets players have hosted live events with their local United Way and Verizon. To date, the Character Playbook has helped 2,191 middle school students in 8 New Jersey school districts learn how to cultivate and sustain positive, healthy relationships in its first year. These districts include students from Newark, Bloomfield, Belleville, Irvington, East Orange, North Arlington, & West Orange.

Data compiled by EVERFI during the program's first year indicates that the interactive learning process has helped students to increase understanding of key social-emotional topics—based on pre- and post-assessment scores.

"We are very pleased about our partnership with the NFL and the New York Jets and proud that we are collaborating to bring this much needed program to schools," said Catherine Wilson, President and CEO of United Way of Essex and West Hudson County. "We believe that this innovative curriculum will deliver the type of innovative character education that is crucial for our students in the 21st century."

By the end of the program's first year:

• 74 percent of students were more likely to believe they deserve to be treated with respect
• 70 percent raised their expectations about how to treat others
• 69 percent said the program helped them identify actions they can take to treat people with respect
• 66 percent better defined the role they can play in resolving conflict

Student Testimonial:

"I never thought a program could help me with my social life outside and inside the house. Because I'm a person that gets mad over a little thing. This program helps me learn how to calm myself down with breathing and stuff like that. And I also learned that you have to have the right amount of people that can help build you up instead of tearing you down....this program helped me through a lot of problems."

Donald, 8th grader, Brick Avon Academy, Newark, NJ

Teacher Testimonial:

"Thanks to Character Playbook, my students learned how to interact with others in a mature and healthy manner, a manner that extends respect to the people they meet."