EmpathyLab
EMPATHY =
The ability to experience someone else's emotions (EVEN AN ANIMAL!) and take action to help.
I am delighted to support EmpathyLab, a fantastic initiative to help young people read stories, build empathy and make a better world.
In their own words:
Young people are growing up in a society with a major empathy deficit; hate crimes are at their highest level since records began and there are increasing concerns about the negative effects of social media. EmpathyLab is the first organisation to build children's empathy, literacy and social activism through a systematic use of high-quality literature. Our strategy builds on new scientific evidence showing the power of reading to build real-life empathy skills. We believe that empathy is a beacon of hope in a divided world.
Over on their website, you can learn more about the empathy initiative and access stacks of free resources, including free guides, feature books, top tips, and more information on what empathy is and how to build it. All the resources are for use in homes, libraries, and schools!
An events page offers EmpathyLab events, launches, and appearances at festivals and conferences for your diary, including the free online Festival for Empathy Day.
Register for the following resources here:
Early Years Toolkit (2024)
Primary Toolkit & Early Years Toolkit (2024)
Secondary Toolkit (2024)
Library Toolkit & Early Years Toolkit (2024)
EmpathyLab has also launched Empathy Builders – a powerful new partnership with over 40 children's publishers committed to driving a new book-based empathy movement.
And you can access Read Alouds, where authors, illustrators, and poets read aloud from the #ReadForEmpathy Book Collections, sharing wonderful, empathy-boosting stories.
Further resources include:
Empathy Shorts and the Illustrators' Gallery
