Over the past three decades, the science of forgiveness has expanded dramatically, serving to define and measure the virtue of forgiveness, document the benefits of forgiving, and identify concrete methods for practicing forgiveness. This research has clear implications for improving personal health and wellbeing, strengthening relationships, and even ending cycles of violence between groups and nations. Yet not enough of these findings have reached the public, particularly individuals and organizations well-positioned to apply them to their work serving others. A project from The Greater Good Science Center (GGSC) addresses this gap between science and practice.

The project is animated by a key insight: that leaders and practitioners across sectors can use lessons from this science in their work as opinion leaders to teach, influence, and support others. These leaders can serve as tremendous force multipliers, greatly scaling the reach and impact of forgiveness science. This aligns with Templeton World Charity Foundation’s Discover Forgiveness campaign to zero in on educators, mental health professionals, and faith leaders as “frontline workers” —  those especially capable of applying forgiveness research in this way.

Goals of the project are:

• Educating target audiences about why forgiveness is an important character virtue for them to teach, advocate, and model in their work, drawing upon relevant research findings;
• Equipping these audiences with practical, science-based strategies and tools that help them teach others how to forgive, and generally nurture propensity for forgiveness;
• Building an enduring audience for science-based multimedia resources through engaging, visual, and dynamic content that explores why and how to forgive, and raises awareness of Discover Forgiveness as a resource for valuable material on the topic.

To achieve these, GGSC aims to increase its outreach to influential leaders and practitioners — a network the GGSC has cultivated for 20+ years, and which already includes a high percentage of educators and mental health professionals.They also plan to build out partnerships in the education, mental health, and faith sectors.