January 12-16, 2026

PRIMED Institute - Johannesburg

Duration

Five full-day workshops, from 9am to 5pm.

Date and Location

January 12-16, 2026

TBD

Johannesburg, South Africa

Registration fee

TBD

Host

Alvira Foundation & Become

The PRIMED Institute is a five-full-day immersion experience in the field of character education.

We invite leadership teams to spend a few days together, in a climate of trust, reflecting and discussing what can make their communities places where personal growth is promoted in a strategic and intentional way. 

We will use the PRIMED model, developed by Professor Marvin W. Berkowitz, as a guide to introduce attendees to an effective perspective for addressing the transformation of the educational center. Those leading this change need to understand the principles that underpin the practices they will later implement.


Implementing a change of this magnitude, which directly affects the culture of the community, requires a united team eager to take on this ambitious challenge. During the Institute, attendees will have the opportunity to bond with their fellow team members, share many hours of conversation and enjoy a good time together.

With the knowledge gained from the PRIMED model, attendees are invited to make an action plan for the next academic year. This kind of transformation requires several years of work. The plan developed as a result of these days can serve to open the way and introduce the perspective of character education in their communities. Participants will be mentored by the PRIMED facilitators.

Speakers

The speakers of the course are Juan P. Dabdoub and Aitor R. Salaverría, co-directors of Become.

Juan P. Dabdoub is Associate Professor at UNIR, member of the Education, Citizenship and Character Research group at University of Navarra, Scholar Affiliate of the Center for Character and Citizenship, and Secretary of the Association for Moral Education. For 10 years he worked in a Residence Hall as responsible for promoting the development of the character of the students.

Aitor R. Salaverría is a member of the Education, Citizenship, and Character Group at the University of Navarra, where he researches how to promote character development in universities. He was in the direction of the Colegio Mayor Belagua for 10 years, 4 of them as director.

Un ejemplo vivo

Audience

The PRIMED Institute is aimed at leadership teams of educational centers. It is recommended that the director of each center attend with his/her leadership team (we recommend a minimum of three participants per team). However, it is also possible for leadership teams to attend, even if they do not have their leader in attendance.

Certification

Those who complete the Institute can receive certification from Become, the Center for Character and Citizenship at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and the Education, Citizenship and Character Group at the University of Navarra.

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Testimonies

PRIMED Institute | Change in perspective

PRIMED Institute | Change in relationships

PRIMED Institute | Change in the school

PRIMED Institute | What would you like to share


What is the PRIMED model

The PRIMED model is an acronym for six design principles for school improvement that integrate 42 character education effective practices for schools identified in studies, reviews, and meta-analyses from the last quarter of a century.

Effective means that these practices are supported by scientific evidence, including statistical tests of the significance of their impact in character development. Rather than specific practices or strategies, these principles are six reminders of what should be considered to design each practice and strategy to effectively transform educational institutions into communities that cultivate moral and civic virtues in strategic and intentional ways. This is a brief description of each one of them.

Prioritization

Relationships

Intrinsic Motivation

Modeling

Empowerment

Developmental Pedagogy

For more information:

Dabdoub, J. P., Salgado, D., Bernal, A., Berkowitz, M. W., & Salaverría, A. R. (2023). Redesigning schools for effective character education through leadership: The case of PRIMED Institute and vLACE. Journal of Moral Education53(3), 558–574. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057240.2023.2254510

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