Youth ACHIEVEMENT FOUNDATION

CHARACTER TALK

YAF LOYALTY

Introduction and Definition

• Loyalty: The willingness to stand by you through “thick and thin”
• Objective: The students should be able to articulate what it means to be loyal and to give some practical examples of where they should practice this virtue

• Notes for Mentor-Student discussion

• Loyalty means standing with a person or group when doing so is difficult.
• Is often related to justice but can go beyond
• A loyal person does not ask “what is in it for me?”
• A good example is in the military or on a sports team
• Loyalty does not require that you like the other person but you recognize they need or deserve you support.
• Loyalty requires us to do right by the other person
• Loyalty never justifies, lying, law breaking, or hurting innocent people
• This is because bad actions are always unjust and never really help the person.
• It is never loyal to help a person do a bad thing!
• Can either the mentor or student give a good example of Loyalty in their own life

• Notes for general group discussion

• What is Loyalty
• How can it apply to
• Parents
• Friends
• School
• Country

• Summary points

• Loyalty means standing with someone in good times and in bad but never requires you to do wrong.
• Take away line: Do Right by your friends.