This document summarizes a program called Discoverables that aims to help young people develop character strengths and soft skills to improve their employability. It notes that over 1 million young people are unemployed and lack work experience. Discoverables provides online challenges to build skills like critical thinking, communication, and problem solving. Early feedback showed 90% loved the look and feel and 78% thought the character missions were very good. The program aims to have over 1.6 million visitors in its first three years to help young people gain command of their capacities.

2. “We must remember that intelligence is
not enough. Intelligence plus character—
that is the goal of true education.”
—Martin Luther King Jr. 1948

3. The Challenge
Over
1 Million
young people
are still
unemployed
48% 71%
of NEETs have
no experience
of paid work
of employers
think that soft
skills need to
be increased

4. Youth
Landscape

5. Young people spend more time online than anyone else
74% of that time is
‘just for fun’

9. ?
5 MONTHS

10. Character Strengths & Soft Skills
Thought Leaders
• Angela Duckworth
• Martin Seligman
• Richard Layard
• James Heckman
• Felicia Huppert
• Benjamin Franklin

15. Thinking
Doing
interacting
Critical Thinker
Initiative Taker
Fast Learner
Multi Tasker
Natural
Communicator
Team Player
Sense Maker
Flexible responder
Can Doer
Creative Innovator
Stress wrangler
Improvement Seeker
Problem Solver
Responsible leader
Confident Speaker
Decision Taker
Details lover
Proactive Networker
Methodical worker
Respectful Listener

23. 90%
78%
Loved the overall
look and feel - rated
great or good
Rated character strength
missions & soft skills challenges
very good or excellent
“Nothing like
this has existed
before. It is an
absolutely
brilliant idea.”

24. The Social Impact
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Total
Visit website
332,800
499,200
832,000
1,664,000
Take survey
170,360
255,540
425,900
851,800
Undertake 1
activity
23,296
34,944
58,240
148,600

25. "To prepare him for the future life means
to give him command of himself; it means
so to train him that he will have the full
and ready use of all his capacities.”
—My Pedagogic Creed, J. Dewey, 1897

26. A couple of questions
• How could Discoverables be integrated into other badge-friendly
programmes and platforms?
• What, if anything, would need to change for the US vs UK
populations, and other countries?
• What could we do with the„big data‟ we will capture around
strengths and skills development?
• Who should we talk to next?
discoverabl.es | @discoverables