Truth or Dare in Yangon
“What is the most compassionate thing that you have done?”
This question was put to a team of volunteers (three teachers and three students) from the International School of Yangon (ISY) during a ‘Truth & Dare’ game staged as part of their Compassion Summit last month.
Our director, Ben Solanky was lucky enough to get to know ISY early last year when he visited Myanmar to work with some of the country’s NGOs, international schools and meet new partners who craft the type of gifts that we would like to sell more of.
This connection has been sustained throughout the course of the pandemic and the ties of solidarity have grown even stronger since the military coup in February. Despite the hardships, including displacement, with students and staff scattered all over the world, ISY is keeping its learning alive - and still daring to be compassionate.
The school, which describes itself as “a community of compassionate global citizens” invited Ben to be a partner in delivering its one-day Compassion Summit - held online.
Through the digital waves, Ben gave a keynote speech about the importance of empathy in our ever-challenging world. He ended with a personal sharing and told of his own experiences as a refugee welcomed by a compassionate community.
“I am the son of a refugee.”
Welcome letter handed to the Solanky family as they fled Uganda to UK
Other activities and exercises included workshops and the making of two word clouds (before and after the event), and the Truth or Dare game.
“Name a time where you wish you had shown more compassion.”
Participants told their truths with openness and courage, and the impact of the game ran deep. As volunteers said:
“Students were able to learn the story behind some of their teachers and classmates through a lens that doesn’t always come up in daily conversations. It helped them realise how compassion can play a role in almost any situation, though scary.”
And underpinning this was Ben’s message that:
“Empathy is a muscle that needs to be exercised.”
By routinely practising empathy and acting on compassion, inspirational solutions to complex problems can be found.
Ben and the entire EA team would like to thank the Compassion Summit team at ISY for inviting us to join their innovative and engaging event, and also for their commitment to show compassionate action no matter how difficult the circumstances.
You can read more about how the school found it here or listen to one of the students describe it here:
Or read in their words here
Delivering ‘Empathy Exercises’
We have a wide-ranging expertise in delivering empathy experiences to businesses, schools and organisations, in person and online. Please get in touch if you would like to know more about running these exercises with your group.
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