Schools - Empathy Action

Building “Desperate Journeys”

“Desperate Journeys“, Empathy Action’s new live interactive experience will be launching early next year to explore the refugee crisis with schools, businesses and groups.

Empathy Action are now actively looking for cast, backstage crew and event support to help build empathy with the global displaced and develop solutions and support for the refugee crisis.

The team have been trialling the set build at Tonbridge School courtesy of the Community Action Department of the school during their mid term break.

The experience is delivered within a maze-like set which can be assembled in a large hall or even outside during the summer. It will run for around 90 minutes as part of a 2-3 hour package delivered by the Empathy Action team, including briefing and a reflective feedback and discussion session. The experience is designed for up to 30 participants at a time, who will be guided through it by our cast members.

The challenging new piece is firmly based in facts, first hand accounts and case studies of this global issue to bring home to participants the human stories behind the headlines.

The launch is scheduled for 22-27th January at Tonbridge Baptist Church.

Empathy Action is now actively looking for more volunteering help to deliver this experience. The plan, to develop a pool of performers and crew, to rehearse through the autumn ahead of our launch week.

We need adults of any age who are comfortable improvising around a core script, interacting with the participants, and delivering powerful personal stories.”

If you are interested in helping please get in touch. Two local workshops will be running for all those interested.

Thursday 2 November 10 am -1 pm (Christ Church, Tunbridge Wells)
Friday 10 November 7 pm -10 pm (Christ Church, Tunbridge Wells)

If this strikes a chord with you please get in touch to hear more or to sign up for the workshops. Updates on the project will also be posted on Empathy Action’s Facebook page.

Global Citizenship, Empathy & Birthdays

Teaching Global Citizenship means allowing the students to deeply feel their responsibilities to those less fortunate than themselves. St Michael’s Prep school teacher, Mrs Chugg, arranged a ‘Go Global Week’ for students to

Develop knowledge of ‘other people & cultures’, and ‘concern & empathy for others not as fortunate as themselves’ and most of all a desire to make a difference.

Following a Christmas craft fair she met with Empathy Action and heard the range of stories form the producers of the products and the Action Pack idea for children’s birthday parties. She asked whether we could return and craft a half day programme for their Year 6s during their school’s ‘Go Global Week‘.

The other week the students explored how they felt about being in the richest 2% of the world. They listened to Sarah Playle, a local mum of 3, share about how she empathised with the refugee crisis in Calais and Europe. She described how her empathy acted as a catalyst to help others in need; particalrly teenagers who have become refugees, travelling vast distances with no families in the UK, and becoming a ‘community family’ for them. They were able to question her about what the Calais ‘Jungle’ refugee camp was like, ask why she wanted to help, and hear about her empathy for those less fortunate than her.

Students touched & felt products that were made from some of the marginalised communities, whilst listening to stories of the producers. At the end the pupils wrote their own “Empathy Action“, their personal plans for action, as a result of feeling for those less fortunate than themselves.

For Mrs Chugg, one of her hopes was to inspire the students to use their own birthday parties to be generous and help others by giving Action Packs as their party bags.

One student said to us “I will try and use Action Packs for my party“. He heard a little more about the producers of the the items, then as his ‘Empathy Action’ wrote:

I will have some of the party bag stuff for my party bags – PROMISE!

One parent fedback from the weekly newsletter to say:

So great to see this and keep our kids eyes open to what’s happening in the world, what they can do to make a difference and being grateful. Will came back inspired to raise money for the Syrian refugees

Empathy Action is returning in a few months to learn more of what these students will do as a result of the empathy programme. More to come from these Year 6s!

If you are interested in finding more about the empathy programmes for your school. Please get in touch here.

Geography Departments want their pupils to ‘step into’ the slums

New Delhi, India. Photo by Ben Solanky

“To understand a person you must first walk a mile in their shoes”- African Proverb.

School Geography departments in the UK are using our experiential activities as key components in their curriculums to help deepen their pupils’ understanding of poverty.

Poverty Focus days have become an annual feature for a number of schools in the UK including Sevenoaks School and Headington Girls School. Geography departments are keen to use the day as essential kinaesthetic learning around the topics of poverty and the less economically developed countries.

The programmes have grown from The Poverty Trap simulation to include a whole day of activities. This ‘journey’ of understanding includes; slum lunches, workshop and feedback sessions, as well as presentations from the broader school, alumni and other charities.

Mrs MacLeay from Sevenoaks School geography department says:

“As a teacher I’m delighted that our students are being challenged to become agents of change as they step into the shoes of the world’s poorest“

Mr Cunningham, Head of Geography from Headington Girls School tweeted that simulations serve to “bring issues to life” for the school.

Please get in touch if you are interested in running a themed day at your school, workplace or community group.

Sixth form Sevenoaks School student addresses Y9 after the Poverty Trap simulation

New Refugee Simulation

Empathy Action is currently designing a new refugee simulation for use with schools, businesses, charities, Churches and other community groups.

After many months of research spent travelling to hotspots, meeting and spending time with refugees, conversing with volunteers working in displacement camps and talking to other charities, Empathy Action is now weaving these stories into a new immersive simulation focusing in on the plight of the 65.3 million displaced people around our world.

Our aim, as with all of our simulations programmes, is to engender feelings. Feelings in this case that will deepen understanding and build empathy with those who are displaced. Feelings that will fuel a fresh wave of compassionate action in response to one of “the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time“.

Watch this space and our Facebook & Twitter channels updates.

If you are interested in helping, we’d love to hear from you. We have a range of needs and opportunities for this project and others. Email us on contact@empathyaction.org