Why Relationships?
Our mission is to empower America’s youth to build positive relationships and become their best selves.
Why relationships? Because they are the cornerstone of health, happiness, resilience…and (according to experts) many jobs of the future. That is why we developed a strategy that schools use to inspire positive relationships (student-to-student and student-to-teacher) and cultivate school-wide #PositivityInAction.
The Problem
The research is clear. Our ability to build positive relationships is under assault.
Narcissism and Empathy

Teen Loneliness, Smartphones, and Social Media
Loneliness in America
Why are relationships so important?
Positive relationships are the cornerstone of health, happiness, resilience…and jobs of the future.
Health and Happiness

Harvard University Study on Adult Development
Resilience
Jobs

Persuasion, Negotiation, and Group Dynamics

Framing and Solving Open-ended Problems

Human Interaction and Nurturing

Applied Math and Statistics

Sound Writing
Our Model
Grounded in character strengths research.
Consistently focusing on all 24 character strengths helps students — and adults — develop self-awareness and empathy. This leads to positive relationships and a more positive school culture — that enhances teachers’ ability to teach and students’ ability to learn important subjects like math, science, social studies, and English.
The Evidence
Supported by strong empirical evidence.
The Positivity Project meets the criteria for a Tier 2 evidence-based intervention under ESSA.
A paper published in the International Journal of Education about P2 Partner Schools at the elementary and middle school level show that students reported significantly greater feelings of having quality relationships with others. When asked to name their favorite part of P2, the most frequent response from students was, “It makes me feel understood.” Read the summary here. Read the full paper here.
A paper published in the International Journal of Emerging Trends in Social Sciences highlights P2’s impact in elementary, middle, and high schools. As one educator explained, “I can honestly say I have never felt so good about a character education program in my teaching career. I can actually see this program working every day. Each week that we touch on new strengths, we are all reminded of our potential to be better human beings. We have truly seen a transformation in our program since we began using The Positivity Project…We have watched kids transform again and again, from disrespectful to respectful, from challenging to cooperative, and from ungrateful to grateful, just by modeling appropriate behavior, sharing learning experiences, and using character strengths to build relationships.”