Compassion

The tools have been grouped according to the “Ceed” or skill that they are attempting to guide, teach, or practice. Many of the tools in this toolkit correspond to more than one ceed and are therefore listed in multiple places.

Compassion: The feeling that arises when you are confronted with another’s suffering and you feel motivated to relieve that suffering; empathy in action. Requires you to be truly curious about others in order to learn about their lives.

Action Research

Ask youth to conduct research on various conflicts by visiting peace education websites or multiple media sources. After researching the dimensions and various perspectives of

Active Listening

This is more than just hearing what someone else is saying. Active listening builds trust and ensures that the other person in a conversation knows

Acts of Kindness

Encourage individuals to perform a kind and selfless act for another person, be it someone known or unknown, with the only purpose being to brighten

All about Activists

Youth brainstorm a list of activists, leaders, philosophers, philanthropists, and others who have made a difference in their communities and/or the world. They identify the

Autobiographical Story

To create an autobiographical story, start with the problem, tension, conflict or personal realization that will serve as the heart of the story. Then work

Bucket Filling

An idea born in 2006 that works very well with young children, in which a bucket represents your mental and emotional self. When your bucket

Bucket Toss

Create laminated pictures or drawings of various needs and wants, or have the items on hand. Have youth toss the items in a “want” bucket

Buddy Bench

A simple idea to eliminate loneliness and isolation and foster friendship and inclusion on the playground or in any public space. They work best when

Change the Ending

Revisit an event that ended with a less than desirable outcome. Encourage youth to create their own alternative endings. Why did they make the choices

Character Lenses

While doing creative writing, have youth investigate the people involved in their storyboards. What types of people were involved? What do you think they were

Compass Points

An interactive activity that increases awareness of our own and others’ preferences and opens doors to empathy. Create four signs on large chart paper –

Conflict Resolution Drama

Research shows that practicing pro-social behaviors is essential to internalizing these dispositions. Have youth form small groups of two to four. Hand out a sample

Count to Ten

Have children sit or stand in a circle. The group counts from one to ten. Anyone can say a number, but if two people say

Creative Expression of Empathy

Use art, media, song, and dance to create more impactful messaging and learning. Have youth present and understand peer relationships, social studies, literature, and current

Ethnomathematics

Defined by Brazilian mathematician Ubiratan D’Ambrosio as intersections of culture, historical traditions, socio-cultural roots, and mathematics. It seeks to answer the question of students in

Exercise in Empathy

Have youth adopt the perspective of those in history who are poorly represented or not represented in history books. With each news story, piece of

Expository Writing Structures

Although narrative structures are more easily remembered and come more naturally to youth, ask them to try these expository writing structures: Compare & Contrast (discuss

Family Cultural Sharing

Identify cultural treasures from the families in your classroom. Have families come in and share their cultural traditions. Highlight ways of celebrating community through dance,

Family Narrative

Research shows that youth who have knowledge of their family history, events, challenges, and successes have more self-control, higher self-esteem, and handle difficulties better. This

Find the Light in Others

Make it a practice to look for the “light” in others; see their kindness, compassion, strengths, and talents. Sit in a circle of 4-6 people,

From the Source Storytelling

Bring in guest speakers who have experienced violence, injustice, racism, or hatred of some kind. Allow youth to hear the story from the source. Teachers

Gender-Neutral Language

Make efforts to use language and references that are not limited to only one gender, for example, “How are you guys doing today?” or “Firemen

Gratitude Journal

Keep a journal with writings and/or artwork to record and express what you are most thankful for in your life. There are many small things

Grow a Garden

Consider the benefits of establishing and maintaining a garden….. time with nature, cultivation of living plants, growing of edible foods, time to reflect, and many

Gut Check

Project a slide or make a poster listing or showing in pictures a wide range of emotions and feelings (brave, uncomfortable, confident, jealous, peaceful, disappointed,

Hopes & Dreams

A reflection activity that can be done as part of a family meeting, intervention, restorative justice session, or other time in which a “big picture”

How does it feel?

After analyzing the information surrounding a problem or challenge, what is your reaction? Were the systems fair? Why or why not? Identify one or two

Ho‘oponopono

Learn about Ho‘oponopono, the Hawaiian system for ‘setting it right,’ and restoring individual and community harmony and balance. It promotes acts of healing interpersonal conflicts

Hugs

When appropriate, hugs help us feel better. When a child is having a tantrum, try asking for a hug or saying, “When you are ready,

Human Bingo

An interactive game to learn names and qualities about people in a group, that teaches skills of investigation, appreciating diversity, identifying similarities and differences. Photocopy

I Am Here For You

When a young person is in the throes of anger, panic, or emotional outburst, often their minds and bodies are experiencing a stress response whereby

I Statements

Used to confront a behavior without placing blame on another. . Also used to recognize one’s emotions. Another use is to state a point of

I Wish My ________ Knew

Have youth respond in writing to the prompt “I wish my __________________ (fill in person or role) knew…….” in order to learn more about their

Identify Needs & Interests

More likely than not, when people are angry or upset, they are expressing their “position” or a hardline stance on something. It’s important to teach

In Their Shoes

To help youth better understand those who are disabled, it could be helpful to have them explore what it’s like to be “in their shoes”.

Just Because

These are positive interactions that we can make with each other “just because”, meaning they are not in response to what someone else does. “Just

Kindness Catcher

With paper, scissors and pencils, allow children to make folding “catchers” (also called “origami fortune tellers”), with their kind acts written inside the various flaps.

Kindness Tree

Role-play one act of kindness each week with words or actions. When acts of kindness are noticed or a classmate shares an act of kindness

Kupuna Sharing

Bring in a knowledgeable kupuna (elder) to share their life story. Discuss how roles, rights, and responsibilities look similar or different in Hawai‘i (or elsewhere)

Labels

It is important to talk with youth about labels and the stereotypes that go along with them. Do peers call your child a “jock” or

Lenses

Have youth find at least two photographs from a movement—past or present—against what are perceived as unjust laws. The goal is to find photographs that

Let It Settle

A great visual tool to show the imbalance of a brain that is experiencing anger or rage, and how it is possible for the anger

Literature Circle

Use a literature circle to discuss major elements of a story that is developmentally appropriate to the audience. Include its characters and events. Are the

Marketplace of Human Rights

Youth are buyers and sellers in a marketplace activity where human rights are the only commodity. In buying particular human rights and in designating the

Mirroring

Repeating the meaning of a person’s words in a warm and caring tone assures the speaker that you seek to understand instead of judging or

Modeling Self-Awareness

At mealtimes, during commutes, or whenever there is time to talk with a teen, let them know how you are feeling and why. For example,

My Community

Focusing on wants and needs, have youth each draw their own classroom, school and/or family. How would they meet their needs? They will most likely

Neighborhood Walkabout

With gloves and buckets, walk the neighborhood and pick up rubbish off of sidewalks, in public parks, or on the beach. Combine with lessons about

Patterns of Connection

Approximately once a month (or more often), have students write down four names – 3 classmates that they want to get to know better, work

Peace Flower

A strategy for youth to problem-solve themselves. Between two children, they pass a flower back and forth. The first child begins by saying, “I felt

Peace Relevant Literature

Multiple peace education and character education books exist (go to www.ceedsofpeace.org for many book titles). Use throughout all lessons and have readily available in the

Play It Out

Create an end of the semester or end of the year skit or play on a particular historical event. Each child/student has a role. Play

Power of the Bystander

The bystander is one of the most critical, if not the most critical person in a conflict. Teaching youth how to successfully and confidently intervene

Reframing

Use reframing to defuse anger and keep dialogue open and positive. To reframe, take a negative statement and remove the emotionally-charged, damaging, and accusatory words,

Role Play

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

Roots of Empathy

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

Saving Face

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

Seeds of Empathy

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.

Silk Road

The Silk Road carried trade from cultures embracing numerous religions and worldviews. Stretching from Italy to Japan, the Silk Road runs through Buddhist, Confucian, Christian,

Story Board

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

Structured Academic Controversy

An opportunity to explore controversial issues and divergent positions and work to reach consensus on what may have happened– highlighting the complexities of particular perspectives,

The World Peace Game

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

Think Pair Listen Share

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

Three Things About You

An activity that allows for exploration of diversity and elimination of stereotypes. Ask each person to write down three things that no one would know

Try It On

n exploring conflict, commit to trying on different perspectives in the conflict. Draw out of a bowl a particular role with an attached explanation. Play

Upstander

A person who recognizes when something is wrong and then acts to make it right; doing one’s best to help support and protect someone who

Wagonload of Compassion

Share individual stories of people in need. Identify what everyone can contribute. Where could we find the needed materials? Together as a group, deliver the

Web of Life

Youth sit in a circle, often at a transition point in the day. Holding a ball of yarn, they share one thing (something they like

What Should We Do?

Show pictures and/or video of certain situations at school and in the surrounding neighborhood. Examples include: seeing garbage on the floor, an elderly person dropping

What Would They Say?

Ask youth to critically think about how others might respond to their words and actions. “What would they say or think if you did or

Where in the World?

Show youth a variety of pictures of celebrations involving young people from around the world. Place cut-outs of known children/students into the celebration picture (make

Where Were Women and Girls?

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?

Whole Child

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

Winning Cooperation

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