This funding will support “Re-Creating the Social Fabric in a Fragmented World: Education for Shared Responsibility,” the 52nd Annual Conference of the Association for Moral Education (AME), to be hosted by the Center for Character and Human Growth at Universidad Villanueva in Madrid, Spain. Organized by Consuelo Martinez-Priego, Vianney Domingo and Juan P. Dabdoub, the project represents an important opportunity for young scholars in a non-English-speaking country to strengthen their place in the global conversation on character and virtue education. The grant will be legally administered by Fundación Universidad Villanueva, a non-profit higher education institution home to several Templeton-funded early-career researchers.

The conference will bring together 300–350 participants from over 30 countries. The event will create a platform for leading scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to explore how virtues such as forgiveness, hope, humility, and empathy can address urgent global challenges including polarization, ecological crisis, digital fragmentation, and the erosion of community bonds.

The program will feature internationally- recognized keynote speakers — Richard M. Lerner, Doret J. de Ruyter, Robert Enright, Tom Harrison, and Nancy E. Snow — a high-level policy roundtable with OECD leaders (including Andreas Schleicher and Michael Stevenson), 180–220 peer-reviewed research presentations, and applied workshops highlighting innovative practices. A dedicated Practitioners’ Day will showcase evidence-based programs and initiatives, fostering exchange between researchers, educators, schools, NGOs, and policymakers and encouraging adoption of proven approaches in diverse contexts. Networking opportunities, cultural events, and a strong focus on early-career scholars will support both intellectual exchange and professional development. Expected outputs include: a peer-reviewed special issue publication, short video resources, and a structured networking platform to foster ongoing collaboration.