The Moral Courage Project

* I disagree with my community about...

* If I say what I think, the worst that can happen is...

* If I say what I think, the best that can happen is...

* Should I say what I think? I've decided that...

Send me your answers to the questions above. When you do, you're ready to make moral courage a part of your life.

What is moral courage?

Put simply, it's the willingness to be original, unique and different from everyone else in your group.

And it's one of the hardest things to do. Because you'll have to take criticism from parents, friends, preachers, teachers and bosses who want you to conform.

Here's what Bobby Kennedy said about moral courage. He was speaking to South African students in 1966 -- the heydey of apartheid:

"Few are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those  who seek to change a world that yields most painfully to change."

That's why I've founded the Moral Courage Project at New York University's Wagner School of Public Service. The Moral Courage Project teaches young leaders to break silences for the sake of a greater good.

How does the Moral Courage Project work?

My focus is to teach, mentor and engage undergraduates.

How? First, through a course called Public Leadership and Moral Courage. Click here to learn more.

I'm also a faculty mentor at one of NYU's residential colleges. There, students and I meet every two weeks to strategize about turning moral courage into a popular movement.

The Project is developing other activities. They include:

* A road map to restore moral courage in multi-media journalism. Our goal is to devise, publicize and help implement a blueprint for promoting diversity of thought in mainstream media today.

* Screenings of my film, Faith Without Fear, in schools and community centers. The goal is to help students and teachers spark dialogues about how to exercise moral courage in our religions.

* Public conversations with agents of moral courage. The goal is to discuss the challenges and opportunities involved in being an independent voice, with people who are actually doing it.

In every case, the Moral Courage Project is developing leaders and not just studying them. We insist on applying the lessons of moral courage to the real world.

I'm not at NYU, but can I be involved?

Yes, you can.

If you want to have a screening of Faith Without Fear at your school or community center, get in touch with me. Tell me where you're located and who to contact to explore your request.

If you have ideas for how to turn my course into a global classroom so you can participate, especially through digital technologies, share your ideas with me.

See what I'm doing? I'm not spoon-feeding you answers. That's intentional. You can't have moral courage if you're not willing to think for yourself, innovate and take risks. Go ahead; use your imagination to offer thoughts that you believe nobody else will hear. I'm listening.

Finally, send me your replies to the simple questions I asked at the top. Here they are again:

* I disagree with my community about...

* If I say what I think, the worst that can happen is...

* If I say what I think, the best that can happen is...

* Should I say what I think? I've decided that...

I'll use your replies in my class so that students can learn from you.

Want to read more? Click on the images below:

                            My interview with NYU Today

                          About the Moral Courage Project