Courage Day took place on Widener University’s campus on Monday, March 26th. Only a few people knew about it before it “splashed” across campus, taking many people by surprise!
Imagine a student leaving her dorm early in the morning and suddenly seeing a “sea” of 500 Courage Signs in walkways and parking lots across the university.
Many people told us the signs created a positive feeling on campus. The student organizers designed eight different Courage themes. Here are some examples:
But Courage Day was about more than just signs.
Imagine a Widener student or faculty member walking to the cafeteria or to class and immediately seeing an 8-foot Courage Wall. With 11 of them spread across campus, our Courage Walls were impossible to miss!
Next they were greeted by student volunteers trained to start the conversation by asking “Did you get your Courage Key yet?”
Piquing their interest, the student or faculty member watched a short video written and produced by Widener students. The video dramatizes eight different types of courage!
Click here to watch the 2-minute video: Courage Day video.
After watching the video, the student volunteer asked the person to write down their response to a single prompt: “I need to find the COURAGE to…” The best part of the day was seeing hundreds of students, faculty and staff members intently reading the responses of those who posted a response before them.
Everyone who wrote a response next received their Courage Key. The student volunteer asked each person to put the key on his or her key chain or in their phone’s tech wallet and use it as an inspiration to unlock their courage. However, the student volunteers told everyone that if someone they know needs the Courage Key more – they should pass it forward.
Over 1,100 students, faculty and staff posted a response and received a Courage Key.
Two of Philadelphia’s network affiliates came to campus and featured Courage Day on their evening broadcasts: ABC6 Evening News and NBC10 Evening News.