Developing Character In Baltimore's Youth With Help From Ravens
BALTIMORE (WJZ)--The Baltimore Ravens launched a new initiative Monday called "Character Playbook," which focuses on developing character in young people and it takes a high tech approach.
Excitement inside Maree Garnett Farring Elementary School as Lardarius Webb, the Ravens and the United Way launch a "Character Playbook" for the Baltimore community.
More than 250 6th through 8th grade students are participating in the initiative and it's targeting them in a high tech way: in the school's computer lab.
Current and former players like Matt Stover guide the students.
"All of your emotions you are supposed to have its how to get control of them, right?" said Stover.
Players say these are lifelong lessons important to learn early in life.
"The essence is just trying to teach these kids emotions be able to see what different in a couple of games that she's showed me being able to view expressions on people's face how to analyze them and be able to see if they are mad, anxious, confused," said Sam Koch, punter for the Ravens,
"Say I got mad at my friend and my other friend stopped talking to me because she was with her, this shows me to talk to them about how I feel," said Alexica Heard, a 6th grader at Maree Garnett Farring Elementary School.
The Character Playbook is a NFL wide initiative being used in Computer labs across the nation.
"There are 6 half hour segments that the kids can sign onto that teach them about themselves put them in role play situations to figure out which decisions should I make, what's the right thing to do in these circumstances," said Mark Furst, President of United Way of Central Maryland.
The United Way of Central Maryland and the Ravens have brought this Character Playbook to 40 schools in central Maryland. It starts with just 6th graders but they hope to add in 7th and 8th graders later this year.
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