PRIMED

Santiago de Chile

July 27-31, 2026

Instituto PRIMED | Santiago de Chile 2026

The PRIMED Institute is a five-day immersion experience in character education.

Event Information

Event Type: PRIMED Institute

Duration: From Monday to Friday, 9h to 17h

Place: Universidad de los Andes, Avenida Monseñor Álvaro del Portillo 12.455, comuna de Las Condes, Santiago de Chile.

Price: Private event.

Host:

Seduc & Become

The PRIMED Institute is a five-day immersion experience in 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.

Facilitador

The facilitator of the PRIMED Institute is Juan P. Dabdoub, Director of Become, Associate Professor at Universidad Villanueva, member of the Education, Citizenship and Character Group at University of Navarra, Scholar Affiliate of the Center for Character and Citizenship at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and Secretary of the Association for Moral Education.

01

Knowing the fundamentals of effective character education

Guided by the PRIMED model, participants are introduced to a sound perspective for approaching the transformation of their schools. Throughout the sessions, they will explore and connect the principles that underlie effective character education with other leading frameworks in the field. Those who will lead this change need to understand the theory behind the practices they will later implement.

02

Build-up team relationships through experiential learning

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.

03

Hacer un plan de acción for the next academic year

With the knowledge acquired through PRIMED and the other frameworks explored during the convening, participants are invited to draft an action plan for the next school year. Transformations of this kind require several years of sustained work, but the plan developed during these days can serve as a starting point for introducing a character-based perspective in the school. Throughout this process, participants are guided by the program facilitators.

Audience

Certification

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 backed by scientific studies, including statistical evidence of their impact on student's development. Rather than specific practices or strategies, these principles are six reminders of what should be considered when designing each practice and strategy to effectively promote character development. Here is a brief description of each one.

Prioritization

Visible and concrete prioritization of character development in all areas. Leaders should direct their efforts and resources in this direction holistically.

Relationships

Promoting caring relationships throughout the community for the sake of people and their learning, following the adage: "Kids don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care".

Intrinsic Motivation

Developing intrinsic motivation to do well, as opposed to external motivations such as rewards and punishments. It's not just about doing good, but also doing it for the right reasons.

Modeling

Everyone in the school, especially adults, should strive to be models of virtue, from which everyone can learn. Following Gandhi, it is about "being the change we want to see in the world".

Empowerment

Empower everyone in the community, hearing their voices and granting the autonomy that each one deserves to contribute to the common good by assuming leadership roles and responsibilities.

Desarrollo

And finally, a developmental pedagogy that integrates long-term character-related goals such as social-emotional competencies or moral reasoning into the curriculum.

For more information:

Redesigning schools for effective character education through leadership:
The case of PRIMED Institute and vLACE

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 Education, 53(3), 558–574. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057240.2023.2254510

Character Education Formation Program as an Epiphany and Transformational Experience for Educational Principals

Salgado, D., Bernal, A., Dabdoub, J. P., Berkowitz, M. W., & Bier, M. C. (2025). Character Education Formation Program as an Epiphany and Transformational Experience for Educational Principals in México. Research in Human Development, 1–33. https://doi.org/10.1080/15427609.2025.2524298

Creating cultures for character development: A Theory of change supported by vLACE, a scalable blended program

Dabdoub, J. P., Salaverría, A. R., Álvarez-Kafati, M. C., & Berkowitz, M. W. (Under review). Creating cultures for character development: A Theory of change supported by vLACE, a scalable blended program. Journal of Moral Education