choose empathy - Empathy Action

Gratitude In Uncertain Times

This week saw the launch of our Christmas campaign. It also saw England enter into another lockdown. Once again, we collectively face a period of change and uncertainty. Without doubt, these continue to be challenging times.

During the first lockdown, we reflected upon what this time of change was teaching us: we shared stories, baked bread and reached out, via our Rainbow campaign, to those who had touched us with their kindness and resilience. Now, with darker nights and the prospect of a different festive celebration, we remember the flipside of lockdown for many: loneliness, fear and anxiety.

That is why reaching out to each other matters more than ever. In every challenge, there are glimpses of light and hope. This Christmas, our campaign is focussed upon expressing gratitude; telling someone – a friend, carer, key worker, family member – how grateful we are for their presence, for their kindness, and for their help.We know it has taken, and will take, a lot of great people to get us through. We want to help you say a huge ‘thank you’.

It couldn’t be simpler. Choose from our range of ethically made gifts and add a gift message expressing your gratitude. We will send your gift and message, beautifully handwritten on a postcard, to your chosen recipient. In addition, each purchase of one of our gifts helps their maker raise their community out of poverty.

We believe that, even in the most trying of times, focussing on gratitude can help lift us all. We’d love your help to share our message of thanks.

#foryoubecause #empathyaction #chooseempathy #empathyactionstories

Choosing to listen

Imagine: a trip overseas, a drink with friends, a much-needed haircut. All these pursuits are now possible. Summer has arrived along with its team sports, outdoor performances, barbeques, picnics and ice creams.

Panic buying is over and spirits are brightening as people come together and share stories of lockdown, as if it’s an event of the past. Life is – it seems – returning to an approximation of ‘normal’. Even traffic is once again a thing.

Now, imagine the elderly woman still alone in her home because she is ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’. Sometimes she goes for a week without seeing a single soul. She is sharp as a whip and is aware that isolation is making her frailty worse and her mind slow down.

Imagine, too, the man who works in the supermarket. He’s scared for his father who has underlying health issues and depends on him. Shops are now busier and shoppers are more relaxed – many do not wear face masks and some get too close. The man knows he is lucky to have work, yet he also knows that he needs to keep himself and his father safe.

There are many more people we could imagine: the woman who is paralysed by her fear of catching coronavirus. She prefers to play it safe and stay cooped up in her flat, despite her friends’ reassurances. Or the man who is beset by concerns about a different disease, but doesn’t want to burden the medics. Or the young couple worried about their future now that both are unemployed.

And imagine the abused children who suffered in silence long before COVID-19 was a headline. They still do.

The pandemic has allowed strong characteristics to flourish. The kind that are “the best in people”.

Volunteer-based initiatives have been welcomed far and wide, and we have innovated and adapted in life-affirming ways (some of which we may want to keep). And the accelerated laser-like focus on key issues has been hard but necessary. Many are waking up to problems which have lingered under the radar for too long.

The story of the pandemic is messy and ongoing.

Lockdown is easing (for now) but there is no vaccine yet. We have to learn how to accommodate the disease and remember to stay connected.

Busier streets render those locked behind front doors more invisible still. Let’s listen to the woman – so aware of her vulnerability – when she wonders, without a shred of self-pity, whether she will outlast the pandemic. And look behind the smile of the man at the checkout as he serves you and thinks of his father.

The world needs characters like these more than ever. Ones who will lead us and not leave people behind. Ones who will remember that others are vulnerable.

The opportunities to choose empathy today are greater than ever.

Empathy Action 2.0

This is an exciting and creative moment for Empathy Action.”

Over these last months we’ve been exploring how to continue our work of crafting and curating experiences that build empathy and encourage compassionate action. In these changing times, we’ve been inspired to consider how we can adapt our message of choosing empathy and its importance within our communities and across the world.

We are applying our expertise to create new, innovative programmes offering bespoke empathy experiences that can be delivered remotely or with smaller teams.”

It’s a great time to speak to us particularly if, like us, you’re thinking about what you can do differently.

Whether it’s a virtual classroom visit, an in-depth empathy exercise or access to our bank of resources, we’d love to hear from you!

Rainbow Empathy in a Time of Crisis – 7

Team Empathy Journal – Part 7

Continuing our blog about this time of global crisis from the perspective of a voluntary team, taking each day as it comes. Thank you for reading.

Last weekend saw the launch of our fabulous Rainbow Campaign. So many heart-warming words have come our way:

“These beaded curios take me right back to happy times … I would love to brighten up a little lonely low patch.”

“I wish I could send them across the world.”

One friend wrote to say how wonderful it was to be able to “shift mindsets with a simple trigger.”

As our Innovations Manager, Sandy says, “It’s been a huge privilege to be conveying the beautiful messages that people are sending.”

So it’s probably time to meet our Rainbow Makers … the Vashavi, the amazing artisans behind these symbols of hope.

Based in Cape Town, Patmore Mphepo and his team of 12 work from home – a house with two bedrooms (some of the artisans sleep in the sitting room). They start work each morning at 6am, crafting Rainbows and other gifts by hand. The best days are when an order is received. On other days, the craftsmen go out and sell what they’ve made on the streets. But selling like this is nigh on impossible with the current crisis, and life will become even harder in the coming months as Winter arrives in South Africa.

Patmore and his co-workers are from Zimbabwe, but came to South Africa with the aim of earning money to support their families, which is why “nothing makes us happier than having orders, meaning that our families are taken care of.”

Patmore continues, “Selling handicrafts makes a huge difference to our lives and that of our families. The money is spent on sending our kids to school. Some buy medication for their family members which is in short supply in Zimbabwe.”

The men take great pride in their craft, and are passing on their skills to younger people who have followed in their footsteps in search of a better life. They also love “putting smiles on our family members’ faces when they receive trinkets from us.”

We asked Patmore what his greatest fear is. He replied, “Going without work, knowing that at the end of the month we need to pay our rent and send groceries home to Zimbabwe.”

Patmore hopes that in the future he and his team, “might work from the comfort of our own country.”

He also hopes that the people who buy their gifts “know that they are making a difference not only to the artists but to their immediate families.”

If you would like to send a Rainbow to a special person you care about, we still have a few left. Thank you so much for your support.

Stay in touch, keep connected and take care of yourselves – and others.

#chooseempathy #rainbow #lockdownlove #hope #giftsthatgivetwice

Meet our Table Builder #2

Here is the second of our Christmas Table Builders! Joe has kindly answered some questions based on our Christmas Campaign:

“When you have more than you need, build a longer table, not a higher fence.”

Joe is a Gap Year student, based in Sevenoaks, Kent.

1. How do you like your brussel sprouts?

Not overly keen on them but will eat them if fried off.

2. What’s at the top of your Christmas Wish List?

Nothing really on top of my list, really only want a few items of clothing.

3. Is it a turkey Christmas, or are you veggie, vegan, seagan, or something else?

I’m trying out being a vegetarian at the moment for health purposes, however I might take a break on Christmas Day and eat the usual Christmas dinner.

4. Who will be at your Christmas table?

My Mum, Dad, Brother, Grandad and my uncles.

5. What’s your best Christmas Cracker joke?

What do you get when you cross a vampire with a snowman? Frostbite!

6. If – in the spirit of our Christmas Campaign – you would be keen to build a longer table rather than a higher fence, who would you lengthen your table for this Christmas?

Yes I would be much in support of making longer tables and not higher fences. I would lengthen my table for all those who are unable to sit at one this Christmas.

7. Who would you most like to encourage to do the same (i.e. is there someone you can think of who would benefit from being mindful of the saying!)?

I would say it would be great to encourage those in higher income families to be involved.

8. Which of our handcrafted Christmas gifts would you like to give to another?

This year I am the table fairy for my Christmas Day table and so will be giving everyone a handcrafted gift suited to their self. These are the candle for one uncle (he lights up everyone and loves candles), friendship bracelet for my mum (my best friend), elephant for my grandad (favourite animal), VW car for my dad (first car), bullet bell for my brother (he does shooting), and the angel for my other uncle (as memory to my Nan the original table fairy).

Thanks so much Joe!

Will you be a #tablebuilder this Christmas?

For Gifts That Give Twice shop here.

The pandemic has allowed strong characteristics to flourish. The kind that are “the best in people”.

The story of the pandemic is messy and ongoing.

The opportunities to choose empathy today are greater than ever.

This is an exciting and creative moment for Empathy Action.”

We are applying our expertise to create new, innovative programmes offering bespoke empathy experiences that can be delivered remotely or with smaller teams.”