Have youth think individually and record their views about a particular issue. Then have them share their ideas with one another. Teachers/parents can foster careful listening by having youth be responsible for representing their partners in a group share-out and discussion. The act of sharing another person’s ideas builds compassion and collaboration. By entrusting our …
Make a storyboard of a particular event in history that involves a social injustice (slavery, women’s rights, settlers coming to America, Hawaiian history). Have youth create a supporting narrative and present to the class, highlighting the social injustice and how it may have been prevented. Display storyboards and have the youth do learning walkabouts while …
An international evidence-based early childhood (age 3-5 years) program started in Canada in 2005 as the “younger sibling” of the Roots of Empathy K-8 program. The mission is to raise social/emotional understanding and literacy, and develop empathy in the youngest of children. See: seedsofempathy.org.
Teach youth the importance of face-saving in a conflict. Teach them how to calm themselves or another angry person through deep breathing and validation of their needs. Restate the needs or issues involved in the conflict if the person has trouble understanding. Don’t be remembered as the person that “lost it” and let their emotions …
An international evidence-based K-8 classroom program (started in Canada in 1996), which has shown significant effect in reducing levels of aggression among school children while raising social/emotional competence and increasing empathy. The mission is to build caring, peaceful, and civil societies through the development of empathy in children and adults. The “emotional literacy” taught in …
A way of seeing situations play out and encouraging individuals to think critically about how to intervene, and in the process build compassion for alternate perspectives. Here are some scenarios that can be role-played with youth, in order to encourage them to think (and act) outside of themselves. * You see a kid looking sad …
Explore what role females played in various events in providing leadership for problem-solving, collaboration and working together. How is that different or similar from today?
Design lessons that focus on the whole child, including: health, nutrition, home life, community life, culture, emotions, and safety. Reflect on all that a child needs to grow strong in body, mind and spirit. How do we nourish these needs in multifaceted ways? Come up with a Whole Child Portrait of every child and think …
Youth feel encouraged when you understand and respect their point of view. Express understanding for the youth’s thoughts and feelings. Show empathy without condoning, share a time when you have felt or behaved similarly, share your thoughts and feelings after fully listening to the youth and focus on solutions together. See: positivediscipline.com.
TWPG is an elaborative hands-on, youth-driven game/exercise. Founded in 2010, TWPG Foundation is dedicated to sharing the global mission of peace, developing self-awareness, and the life work of teacher John Hunter. It supports development of collaboration and communication skills for resolving and transforming conflicts, and the development of the skills of compromise, all while accommodating …
