It’s no secret that one misstep can ripple out like waves in a pond. As children, we’re told over and over to be mindful of our actions, or we can quickly find ourselves in trouble. And while some heed the advice, many don’t completely understand it until it happens to them. One day, they’re on the honour roll, dreaming of their future career. The next, they have a criminal record that can be used to pull them down at every juncture of their life. It happens quickly, and sometimes to the kids we would least expect. Take the recent house party in West St. Paul for an example. Youth caught up in wanting to blow off some steam and spend time with friends are now under investigation for their involvement in assault and property damage. So many believe it would never happen to them, their kids, or their loved ones, until it does. 

That’s why education on ethics matters.

It goes beyond the warnings from parents and teachers. It helps youth dive into the heart of ethical matters and recognize potential consequences before they happen. Take, for example, a teen who has worked hard to maintain straight As while playing on her high school basketball team and volunteering for the social justice committee. She likely has good judgement and a strong work ethic that has been instilled in her by her parents. But like all teens, she feels the need to create some distance from her parents and their constant nattering about choices. Her friends invite her to a house party that starts off tame, and as they drink, they believe everything that’s happening is in good fun. Her judgement is affected, she’s caught up in the moment, and she sees a police cruiser pull up. Her best friend starts climbing the cruiser, and she might just throw caution to the wind and join in. There’s an extra process that tends to happen for people who hold ethics very close to their hearts and those who are trained to look at situations from an ethical perspective. As the chaos unfolds, these people often take one extra second to contemplate potential outcomes. They remove themselves from their own thoughts and emotions in that moment to the perceived thoughts and emotions of others. They recognize the distress in the officers’ eyes, who are trying to prevent a sexual assault. They see the larger significance of the moment and realize how their actions could lead to their own, or someone else’s downfall. An education in ethics allow people to be more mindful in most situations and more aware of their personal brand. They think more about their reputation on how their actions will affect that. Someone’s personal brand is what opens or closes doors for them throughout their life and stay attuned to what that brand is and what they would like it to be helps guide their decisions. 

The BBB Education Foundation of Manitoba’s LIFT program is an ethics certificate program that does just this. It can easily be incorporated into programs, schooling and work and catered to specific audiences. But the end result of it is the same: helping people avoid those missteps that will impact them for years to come. For more information, make a donation or register for the LIFT program visit www.bbbef.org or contact foundation@manitoba.bbb.org