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International Online Conference on:
How Might We Build a Culture of Empathy?
Permanently Ongoing

Sub Conference: How to Nurture, Foster and Teach Empathy in the Education System?
http://j.mp/JNDbGl

A section of the conference is specifically about how to How to Nurture, Foster and Teach Empathy in the Education System? We invite educators to join and propose panels on this topic.
 

Interviews and Panels.

Best Ways to Learn, Practice and Deepen Empathy
Michele Borba

Michele Borba, is an internationally renowned educational psychologist and an expert in parenting, bullying, and character development. She is an award-winning author of twenty-two books translated into fourteen languages. One of the foremost authorities on childhood development in the country, she is a regular NBC contributor who appears regularly on Today and has been featured as an expert on Dateline, The View, Dr. Phil, NBC Nightly News, Fox & Friends, Dr. Oz, and The Early Show, among many others.  She is author of, UnSelfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World.

 

"Empathy is the root of humanity and the foundation that helps our children become good, caring people. But the Empathy Advantage also gives them a huge edge at happiness and success."


Sub Conference: Education

 
Mary Gordon founder of 'Roots of Empathy' talks With Edwin about the Importance of Empathy
"Your quest for an empathic culture, or a Culture of Empathy as you call it, I think is a great quest. I don't think it's ever to late to develop empathy. It starts so naturally... I think we should do everything that we can to cultivate empathy and we can do it at every level. So why would we not."  Author, Roots Of Empathy: Changing The World Child By Child
Ashoka Activating Empathy

Emotional Intelligence: Going On An Empathy Adventure
Susan Stillman and Edwin Rutsch

Susan Stillman is Director of Education at Six Seconds, The Emotional Intelligence Network, Institute for Social Innovation. Through the Six Seconds website, she is hosting the Empathy Adventure over a six weeks period.

Susan writes, "Empathy is one of the vital competencies of the 21st century. Empathy is related to collaboration, building trust, problem solving, health, and peaceful resolution of conflict. It is an essential component of leadership and critical to success in business and education. Empathy and compassion may even be key to the survival of the human race.

Empathy can be viewed even more broadly as compassionate action. So we’re inviting you to this Empathy Adventure — where we’ll come together online to discuss the many types of empathy and then perform a few simple acts of empathy that will ripple out to many others. Through personal stories of group members and empathy “experts,” the group will develop a deep awareness of empathy. We’ll observe what happens when we invite empathy to be more present in our lives, and document the way it affects us and our interaction with others. Over approximately six weeks, the project will follow these three stages..."
Sub Conference: Education

Thea Blair: Got Empathy? The Foundations of Empathy

Thea Blair is a Waldorf teacher, and a Pediatric Massage Therapist. She operated a successful, Waldorf-inspired pre-school out of her home for fourteen years. Observing the amazing results of touch, either playful or comforting, in resolving children's emotional stress led her to seek a massage training. She now works as a parent and teacher coach, and a touch educator. Thea brings Peer Massage to schools as a consultant. She is available for talks and workshops about touch, parenting, and childhood development.  In this dialogue we discussed her empathy research and insights.

Thea wrote a research paper on empathy: "The Role of Motor Development in the Development of Empathy" and holds "The Foundations of Empathy" presentations on empathy as well. She writes: "The ability to empathize develops with contributions from various biologically and environmentally based factors. These factors include genetics, child temperament, parenting factors such as warmth, parent-child synchrony, and other qualities of the parent child relationship, and physical imitation such as facial mimicry and motor imitation, using areas of the brain such as the mirror neuron system and the limbic system. In this paper I will explore how motor development supports the development of empathic awareness."

Sub Conference: Education

Eva Scherer Building Empathy with Children, Touch & Massage

Eva Scherer, professional body worker and the owner of several Sports & Therapeutic massage clinics in Auckland.  In 2000 with like-minded professionals, Eva established Child Connection Trust, a registered charity.

The aim of this organization is to introduce massage into the mainstream education system as a low-cost prevention for child abuse and family violence.  Since then, her award winning Children Massaging Children programme has benefited children in New Zealand as well as overseas. "Our programmes teach Peace and Empathy in the purest way... Most people would react with surprise or disbelief at the concept of empathy being taught in schools; however, this idea is more than mere wishful thinking. The idea of teaching children empathy has been the subject of extensive research in New Zealand and also the focus of at least two Master's degree theses in Poland."

Sub Conferences: Education and Home-Family

Hunter Gehlbach: How to Build a Culture of Empathy in Education

Hunter Gehlbach is Associate Professor of Education at Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is an educational psychologist who brings social psychological principles to bear on educational challenges. His research focuses on improving educational settings through enhancing the social interactions of teachers and students. His specific interests within social psychology focus on social perspective taking – how people discern the thoughts and feelings of others within the classroom.

Hunter says, "Education is a fundamentally social act. Almost all classroom learning (and much of the learning that occurs outside of schools) involves social interaction – even reading entails communication between author and reader. Our lab group’s research strives to enhance these social interactions. Primarily through bringing social psychological principles to bear on educational problems, we aim to impact students’ (and teachers’) learning, motivation, behavior, and psychological well-being. Our group focuses particularly on social perspective taking – the capacity to figure out the thoughts, feelings, and motivations of others – which we view as the core aptitude that people employ to navigate their social world. By helping teachers and students improve their social perspective taking and better understand where each other are coming from, we aspire to improve the classroom experience for both students and teachers."

Sub Conferences: Education and Science

Gil Lavie: Global Empathy Experiment - How to Build a Culture of Empathy

Gil Lavie is a Viral Advertising Expert and started the Global Empathy Experiment (GlobalempathyExperiment.org) in one of his classes at the the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Israel.  He say, "I'm half art - half science. My interests are memes, humor, empathy and other fascinating notions. I had a 10-year career in hi-tech global marketing. Then I started one of the first viral ad agencies in 2002, where I created over 50 viral video commercials that organically reached out to hundreds of millions of viewers".
"Globalizing empathy is a step towards a better society, developing care and understanding that cross geographical, social and species boundaries. Can us caring lead others to care? And can this care be translated into actions? Actions like saving lives, spreading love, reaching out and giving a helping hand… We are simply students creating a platform for promoting Empathy by crowd-sourcing creativity & humor."
Sub Conferences: Education 

Maryam Sakeenah: How to Build a Culture of Empathy in Pakistan

Maryam Sakeenah is a social worker, teacher, and freelance writer living in Lahore, Pakistan. She  teaches Literature, Islamic Studies and Sociology.

 

She is leading a project for virtual education for underprivileged school children

Maryam also authored a book documenting Islamic and Oriental responses to the Clash of Civilizations, titled Us Versus Them and Beyond: An Oriental-Islamic Rejoinder to the Clash of Civilizations Theory.

 

I talked with Maryam from her home in Lahore, Pakistan about her article, The Murder of Human Empathy.  This was her response to the recent attacks on Christian homes in Lahore. She writes,   "Empathy is curbed and limited through narrow, parochial banners of ethnicity, nationalism, race and creed so that the empathic drive does not extend to the out-group. The out-group is then ‘otherised’. However, a more severe form of this is dehumanization of the other, often institutionalized by the social superstructure: state, media, education, religion."
 

She calls for leaders (especially religious leaders) in Pakistan to stand up and advocate for fostering empathy for all people.  "Empathy humanizes and civilizes. Its suppression intensifies secondary drives like narcissism, materialism, violence and aggression. The task of religion, education and the media must be to bring out the empathic sociability stretching out to all of humanity..."
Sub Conferences: Education 

Bob Kane, James D'Amanda & Edwin Rutsch: How to Build a Culture of Empathy in Education

Bob Kane is Director of the Center for Mindfulness & Empathy Education (CMEE) at The Harley School. Bob  teaches Hospice at The Harley School. As an end-of-life care educator and hospice nursing assistant, he continues to mentor high school students to provide comfort care to the dying and their loved ones

James D'Amanda is a Grant Writer and Event Manager at CMEE, as well as, a freelance writer.

The Center for Mindfulness and Empathy Education at the Harley School has the mission to empower Nursery-12 teachers, students, staff and parents with the requisite tools and support necessary to foster a sustained, compassionate presence through the development and nurturing of programs that demand authentic human engagement, stimulating our inborn capacity to compassionately connect to and understand others, embracing their situation as our own...  The center evolved in response to the increasing recognition that mindfulness and empathy play an indispensable role in humanizing our educational systems... We don't have a School uniform. But we do require you to walk in someone else's shoes.
Sub Conferences: Education 

Bob Sornson: Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy in Education

Bob Sornson was a classroom teacher and school administrator for over 30 years, and is the founder of the Early Learning Foundation.  He works with schools and education organizations across the country, focusing primarily on developing comprehensive programs which support early learning success,

building classroom and school culture to support the development of social and behavior skills, and offering parent training.

 

Bob is the author of a number of books including: Stand in My Shoes: Kids Learning About Empathy.  "When Emily asks her big sister what the word empathy means, Emily has no idea that knowing the answer will change how she looks at people...  Empathy is the ability to notice what other people feel. Empathy leads to the social skills and personal relationships which make our lives rich and beautiful, and it is something we can help our children learn. This book teaches young children the value of noticing how other people feel. Were hoping that many parents read it along with their children." 
Sub Conferences:
Education 

Kathryn Lee: How to Build a Culture of Empathy with Education

Kathryn Lee is Director of Innovation, Partnerships, and Service at Prospect Sierra School in El Cerrito, California. She was an organizer of the 'TEDxGoldenGateED: Compassion and Education Conference' held in Richmond, California which had over 700 attendees. Prospect Sierra is an innovative school that has been at the forefront of incorporating empathy and compassion into it's curriculum including the Root's of Empathy and the StartEmpathy programs.

How can we build a culture of empathy?

Celebrate, Educate, Discover, and Uncover. I  believe that empathy is not only a muscle that needs regular exercise to stay strong, but that there are stages in the development of empathy, and  essential skills to be learned.  For example, if you feel for other people, but your speech doesn't convey that, then you might not really be helping to create a more empathetic society.

Also, to be an effective communicator in the world, one must know how to listen for understanding, convey that in words and body language, AND have advocacy skills. We can't listen our way out of a problem. Sometimes empathy requires strong action -- compassion -- and it might not always be cum-by-ah.
Sub Conferences: Education

Leah Green: Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy & Compassion

Leah Green is Founder and Executive Director of the Compassionate Listening Project. She has led 26 training delegations to Israel/Palestine, speaks and writes about Middle East peace-building, and has produced three documentaries about the conflict. Contributor to the book: Practicing the Art of Compassionate Listening.
Leah shared many personal stories about the power of empathy and compassion.
How to build a culture of empathy?
'
Training, I just believe that we need to integrate programs starting in school - meaning preschool, kindergarten, whatever age...and consistently include these programs at every level. For parents, I also think it would be incredibly helpful if every family had to have “training” before they have children.'  

Sub Conference: Education 

Andrea Cohen: Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy & Compassion

Andrea Cohen is a communications consultant, project developer, and facilitator who has been involved with the Compassionate Listening Project for many years. Author: Practicing the Art of Compassionate Listening.
 

 
For Andrea, empathy is like the exquisite attunement of musical strings to each other. The opposite is chaos, discord, and the sound of finger nails on the chalk board. She offers ways and skills to create and deepen the attunement. 
How to build a culture of empathy? 
Listen with the heart and teach people specific conflict resolution skills they can use in the heat of conflict when they might tend to lose their ability to stay centered in the heart.
Sub Conference: Education 

Susan Partnow: Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy & Compassion

Susan Partnow is an organizational development and training consultant and teaches Compassionate Listening and many other empathy and compassion building processes  Contributor to the book: Practicing the Art of Compassionate Listening

 

How to Build a Culture of Empathy & Compassion?

1. Set the Intention (value it; talk about it; name and invite it).

2. Slow down to the speed of wisdom to make space for it.

3. From the Inside Out: Cultivate self awareness and regulation - know your triggers; do the practice with compassion & BE Compassion.

4.  Build community from these principles - to embrace conflict, differences, challenges as opportunities to deepen intimacy, understanding, connection - and find creative solutions like Restorative Circles.
Sub Conferences:
Education

Jan Hutton: Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy and Compassion

Jan has served as a community organizer, social worker in hospice and hospital settings, meditation teacher, group facilitator in the Quaker community and, she hopes, a ‘kind’ person. The guiding principle for Jan’s work as a facilitator is, “How do we look at those who differ from us and see our shared humanity?”

She offers Compassionate Listening Training with the strong belief that implementing peacemaking in the public sector makes it vital that we practice, heart to heart, that very same peacemaking in our personal lives. To build a culture of empathy we each take responsibility for acknowledging the fear that our own hearts might break when empathizing with someone else's pain?

Sub Conferences: Education

 Leah Weiss: Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy & Compassion

Leah Weiss Ekstrom is a Contemplative Educator whose research and teaching focuses on the application of meditation in secular contexts.

Currently, Leah is Director of Compassion Education at Stanford's Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE).

Leah directs the CCARE: Compassion Training Course (CTC) professional education program as well as other educational initiatives such as the application of compassion meditation in schools.  "The Compassion Training Course is a nine-week program designed to develop the qualities of compassion, empathy, and kindness for oneself and for others. The CTC integrates traditional contemplative practices with contemporary psychology and scientific research on compassion. The program was developed at Stanford University by a team of contemplative scholars, clinical psychologists, and researchers."
Sub Conferences: Education

Erika Rosenberg: Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy with Education

Erika Rosenberg offers scientifically- and practically-based training and consultation in a wide range of areas associated with the study and/or understanding of human emotion, facial expressions of emotion, and the improvement of emotional functioning through meditation.
 

Erika has been practicing meditation for over 20 years. She is a senior teacher for Project Compassion at the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) at Stanford University where she teaches the 9-week Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT). The training combines science, mindfulness and Compassionate Communications traditions.
Sub Conference: Science and Education 

Laura Zax & Edwin Rutsch: Dialogs on How to Start Building a Culture of Empathy in Education

Laura Zax is Editor of the StartEmpathy.org website. Start Empathy, an initiative of Ashoka, is a community of individuals and institutions dedicated to building a future in which every child masters empathy.

Laura is also CEO & Co-Founder - The Nighttime Adventure Society. "I make music and mischief".

"Empathy is critical both to individual human development and to our collective ability to solve problems and build a stronger society. Cultivating empathy can start with really simple actions, like taking the time to stop, breathe, and listen when your child comes to you with a problem. It can start with a bedtime story. It can start by understanding what your strengths are as a school or as a teacher, and in honing in on ways you can embed empathy into your teaching, culture, and behavior. The bottom line: it can start today." Sub Conferences: Education

Joey Katona: How to Build a Culture of Empathy in Education

Joey Katona is the Project Manager for the Empathy Initiative (StartEmpathy.org) at the world’s leading social entrepreneurship organization, Ashoka. He leads a small core team working to launch the Empathy Initiative in the US and globally. He participates in the strategic development of the start-up and works to creatively manage the day-to-day operations.

Joey develops ways to help the team stay on track toward its goals -- coordinating, sourcing, and following up on various partner and funder leads and helping manage external relationships. "Start Empathy, is a community of individuals and institutions dedicated to building a future in which every child masters empathy...

Start Empathy is not out to build a single program, curriculum, or silver-bullet fix. Rather, we're working to unleash demand for empathy as a core 21st century skill – collaborating with social entrepreneurs, educators, parents, and key players in the media, business, and academic sectors to make empathy as essential as reading and math in early education. Success will take all of us, and will require rethinking how we parent, educate, and raise our children in a world that is changing faster than ever before. "
Sub Conferences: Education

Vinciane Rycroft & Edwin Rutsch: Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy with Education 
Vinciane Rycroft is Director and Co-Founder at Mind with Heart, an educators' network for a secular education in empathy and compassion.The main focus is on creating the conditions for young people to come to a firm commitment to empathy and compassion based on their own reasoning, experience and initiative.

Mind with Heart hosts the Conference, Empathy and Compassion in Society in London. The Conference will address three topics:
1. Compassion and empathy: scientific definitions, misunderstandings and function.
2. Compassion, the benefits at the personal level.
3. Compassion in action and social cohesion

Sub Conference: Education 

Meg Lyons: How to Build a Culture of Empathy & Compassion with Charter for Compassion Pakistan

Meg Lyons is Executive Officer of the Charter for Compassion in Pakistan. Meg talked to us via her laptop while being driven through the streets of Karachi, Pakistan at night. It really brought home the power of communications technology to bring people together.

Meg talked about her value of courage and authenticity, as well as, about her work of promoting the Charter for Compassion in Pakistan.

'The Charter of Compassion is a cooperative effort to restore not only compassionate thinking but, more importantly, compassionate action to the center of our lives. Our programs, tools, and activities allow our stakeholders and partners the opportunity to explore the value of collaboration, empathy, and compassion within their own respective entities, and institutionalize these positive changes across all sections of society. '
Sub Conferences: Education

Muna Awad & Edwin Rutsch: Building Empathy with Charter for Compassion - Jordan

Muna Awad is Programs Director at the Charter for Compassion-Jordan. She has 15 years of experience working in education as teacher, trainer and private tutor. She worked as head of department for training youth. Muna developed creative positive parenting tools: “Mother’s ToolBox” to help parents creatively overcome the challenges they face raising their children and be able to inspire them to become better people.  She feels education is the best way to build a culture of empathy and compassion.

Sub Conferences: Education

 Lisbeth Holter Bruda: Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy in Norway

Lisbeth Holter Brudal is a psychologist living in Oslo, Norway. She is the author of many books, including, Om bevissthet  (About Consciousness) which is about psychology, mindfulness, science fiction, near-death-experiences and cosmic consciousness and the terror attack 22.juli 2011 in Oslo

Lisbeth has developed courses in Empathic Communication. One course (20 hours) for professionals who want to use Empathic Communication in their work and one course (40 hours) for trainers in the method.

The trainers give the 20-hours courses, one-day seminars introducing the method, participate in different congresses about education and also give lectures about Empathic Communication at different university colleges. The trainers also learn during the 40-hours course how to educate other trainers. Empathic Communication, as a method, has been presented on Norwegian TV. 
Sub Conference: Education 

Sam Chaltain: Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy in Education

Sam Chaltain is a DC-based writer and education activist. He works with schools, school districts, and public and private sector companies to help them create healthy, high-functioning learning environments. He is Author coauthors five books including, American Schools: The Art of Creating a Democratic Learning Community

.  We talked about how to transform schools to create culture of empathy.  For Sam it's important that all students feel hear and seen and are able to express themselves.
Sub Conferences: Education

 
David A. Levine & Edwin Rutsch: Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy in Education 
Author Teaching Empathy: A Blueprint for Caring, Compassion, and Community,  "Empathy education is one of the most critical educational issues of our time because it is only when students feel emotionally safe and secure in all areas of the school environment—in the classroom, hallway, or cafeteria; at recess; and on the bus—that they will begin to focus and tap into the unlimited potential that lies within each of them.  Ashoka Activating Empathy Applicant

 Jim Lew: Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy

Jim Lew is an educator, author, and diversity trainer from Chicago. Jim  was the keynote speaker at the 'Fostering Empathy in Our Schools' Symposium held at the Ashoka Center in New York. Jim shares his perspectives on how empathy, diversity, and innovation combine to take hold in a school and school system.

Sub Conferences: Education

 

Nadine Dolby: Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy in Education
Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education, Purdue University.
Author: Rethinking Multicultural Education for the Next Generation: The New Empathy and Social Justice
By drawing on breakthrough research in two fields—neuroscience and animal studies—Nadine Dolby argues that empathy is an underlying element of all living beings. Dolby shows how this commonality can provide a scaffolding for building an exciting new approach to developing multicultural and global consciousness, one that has the potential to transform how our students see and relate to the world around them.
  Sub Conference: Education   Science
Joan Duffell & Edwin Rutsch: Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy in Education
Joan Cole Duffell is Executive Director of Committee for Children, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to the safety, well-being and social development of children through the provision and support of research-based educational programs for educators, families and communities. 
Commentator for Ashoka Activating Empathy

Lesley Grant & Edwin Rutsch: How to Build a Culture of Empathy with Mindfulness with Couples, Parents & Children

Lesley Grant, founder and director of Marin Mindfulness a unique community cooperative program that teaches mindfulness and loving-kindness practice to parents, teachers and children, preschool-preteens, speaks about how she is adapting mindfulness and applied mindfulness practices for children, parents and co-parenting couples, toward developing a culture of empathy. She says: “Parents who practice mindfulness can develop the capacities to raise children who seek creative non-violent solutions to problems.” Mindful family relationships and both parents and children’s peer relationships are a foundation of a culture of empathy.  Sub Conference: Education  (Mindfulness)

Sura Hart & Edwin Rutsch: Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy

Sura Hart is an internationally recognized trainer with the Center for Nonviolent Communication (CNVC) and is the contact person for projects integrating NVC into U.S. schools. She designs and facilitates trainings and curricula for students, parents, teachers, and school administrators around the globe, and is a co-founder of the annual five-day NVC Institute for Educators: Teach for Life!  She is co-designer of The No Fault Zone Game® and co-director of The No-Fault Zone.
Sub Conference: Education and NVC

Lynn Johnson & Edwin Rutsch: Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy with Arts Education 

Lynn Johnson is CEO of Glitter & Razz Productions and theater artist dedicated to building strong connections with creative & compassionate people to bring about positive social change.

 

Using the expressive arts and theater to promote and teach empathy to children and adults. We believe that play lights us up and connects us. We believe that compassion is a skill that can be taught and practiced.  The program was one of 15 Finalists in the Activating Empathy competition.
Sub Conference: Education and Arts

Dan Roberts: Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy with Clowns

Dan Roberts is Founder and Executive Director of the Red Nose Foundation in Indonesia which is transcending boundaries through play. 

 Red Nose Foundation provides children with a place to learn and play together, no matter one’s race, religion or economic standing. Through the structured study of physical arts (circus), the children learn that a success is celebrated as a team, and a failure is to be challenged together.  Red Nose Foundation uses a three-step model to support the development of empathy in our students and to teach them skills to build and reach their dreams. The first stage is pure arts exploration. The program was one of winners of the Activating Empathy competition
Sub Conferences: Education and Arts


 

Mark Collin & Edwin Rutsch: Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy in Education

 

Mark Collin is Executive Director and Founder of Dovetail Learning.  The Toolbox Project by Dovetail Learning is a human development project that transforms what it means to be an educated person.  Our mission is to build children’s capacity for resilience in life and in learning through personal awareness, self-mastery and empathy for others. Some of the  tools are like metaphors of empathy. The program was one of 15 Finalists in the Activating Empathy competition.

Sub Conferences: Education

Dina Buchbinder & Edwin Rutsch: Building a Culture of Empathy with Sports

Dina Buchbinder is director of Sports for Sharing. "Our solution is integrating civic education into children’s lives through games and sporting activities. Sports for Sharing is driven by three objectives: raising social awareness, heightening cultural appreciation and promoting healthy living."  One of the values the program promotes is empathy. The program is one of the 15 finalists out of 600 for the Activating Empathy Competition.

We talked with Dina about the program and how if fosters empathy.  She says, empathy is like seeing from many different perspectives, like a prism or kaleidoscope. The opposite is like being in a dark box with no light. The program was one of 15 Finalists in the Activating Empathy competition
Sub Conferences: Education

Hannah Adams & Edwin Rutsch: Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy with Games

 

Hannah Adams is Education Coordinator at the Greater New Orleans Fair HOUSING Action Center. In their Equal Opportunity Game, students are assigned characters and must work in teams to find the housing that best meets their characters’ needs. Students learn to empathize with and take the perspective of others.

Some of the characters “experience” housing discrimination, and students see the impact discrimination has on access to education, healthcare, jobs, and other resources via “situation cards” that they draw periodically. The game was one of 15 Finalists in the Activating Empathy competition.
Sub Conferences:
Education

Mark Rodriguez & Edwin Rutsch: Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy with Arts Education 

Mark Rodriguez is Executive Director of Changing Worlds in Chicago, Illinois.  'Changing Worlds is an educational arts nonprofit organization whose mission is to foster inclusive communities through oral history, writing and art programs that improve student learning, affirm identity and enhance cross-cultural understanding. In a global landscape where lack of empathy leads to stereotyping, violent behaviors and lack of human connections, Changing Worlds uses the power of personal narratives with writing and the arts to build inclusive learning communities, affirm identity and build cultural and human connections.' The program was one of 15 Finalists in the Activating Empathy competition.
Sub Conferences: Education and Arts

Xueqin Jiang & Edwin Rutsch: How to Build a Culture of Empathy in Chinese Education System 
Xueqin Jiang has been designing and implementing a specialized curriculum for Chinese students planning to study in American colleges and universities. He is deputy principle of the Peking High International Division, which aims to educate China's next generation of educators, writers, and thinkers by teaching them empathy and creativity.
The program was one of 15 Finalists in the Activating Empathy competition.

 

 

Marilyn Schlitz & Edwin Rutsch: Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy
President/CEO - Institute of Noetic Sciences
The Institute of Noetic Sciences is a nonprofit research, education, and membership organization.  The Worldview Literacy Project advances the development of empathy by fostering appreciation for diverse worldviews and enhancing skills for global citizenship. Empathy requires two things: the capacity to recognize another’s state of being and the ability to see another’s point of view (perspective taking).
Ashoka Activating Empathy Applicant
 
Dara Feldman & Edwin Rutsch: Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy in Education
  Dara Feldman is Director of Education and a Master Facilitator for The Virtues Project, offering keynotes, workshops and retreats transforming school culture and empowering students, educators and families to thrive.
Commentator for Ashoka Activating Empathy
Stan Davis & Edwin Rutsch: Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy in Education
Stan Davis has worked for human rights in many different ways. In the 1960s he worked in the US Civil Rights movement. As a social worker and child and family therapist in the 1970s and 1980s, he worked with abused, traumatized, and grieving children and trained Child Protective Workers.
Commentator for Ashoka Activating Empathy

 
Noble Kelly & Edwin Rutsch: Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy in Education
About Noble Kelly
Education Beyond Borders is a non-profit NGO devoted to closing the education divide through teacher professional development and community education.
Commentator for Ashoka Activating Empathy
 
Bridget Cooper & Edwin Rutsch: Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy in Education
Bridget Cooper is Professor of Education at the University of Sunderland in the UK. Bridget has taught for 31 years in schools, adult education and Higher Education in various capacities across the age and attainment range. 
Author: Empathy in Education: Engagement, values and achievement

 
Bridget Cooper 2: Building a Culture of 'Profound' Empathy in Education
Bridget Cooper is Professor of Education at the University of Sunderland in the UK. Bridget has taught for 31 years in schools, adult education and Higher Education in various capacities across the age and attainment range. 
Author: Empathy in Education: Engagement, values and achievement

 

Ira Liss & Edwin Rutsch: Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy with Games
Ira Liss co-founded and currently runs AOK, a “social game for social good” played online, on iOS and Android mobile devices and out in the real world. AOK converts player engagement into charitable donations, and offers virtual and real rewards to players that post, share, "like" and comment on Acts and Observations of Kindness.
Ashoka Activating Empathy Applicant

Mark Collin & Edwin Rutsch: Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy in Education

 

Mark Collin is Executive Director and Founder of Dovetail Learning.  The Toolbox Project by Dovetail Learning is a human development project that transforms what it means to be an educated person.  Our mission is to build children’s capacity for resilience in life and in learning through personal awareness, self-mastery and empathy for others. Some of the  tools are like metaphors of empathy. The program was one of 15 Finalists in the Activating Empathy competition.

Sub Conferences: Education

Dina Buchbinder & Edwin Rutsch: Building a Culture of Empathy with Sports

Dina Buchbinder is director of Sports for Sharing. "Our solution is integrating civic education into children’s lives through games and sporting activities. Sports for Sharing is driven by three objectives: raising social awareness, heightening cultural appreciation and promoting healthy living."  One of the values the program promotes is empathy. The program is one of the 15 finalists out of 600 for the Activating Empathy Competition.

 

We talked with Dina about the program and how if fosters empathy.  She says, empathy is like seeing from many different perspectives, like a prism or kaleidoscope. The opposite is like being in a dark box with no light. The program was one of 15 Finalists in the Activating Empathy competition
Sub Conferences:
Education

Hannah Adams & Edwin Rutsch: Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy with Games

 

Hannah Adams is Education Coordinator at the Fair Hosing Action Center in New Orleans. In their Equal Opportunity Game, students are assigned characters and must work in teams to find the housing that best meets their characters’ needs. Students learn to empathize with and take the perspective of others.

Some of the characters “experience” housing discrimination, and students see the impact discrimination has on access to education, healthcare, jobs, and other resources via “situation cards” that they draw periodically. The game was one of 15 Finalists in the Activating Empathy competition.
Sub Conferences:
Education

Mark Rodriguez & Edwin Rutsch: Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy with Arts Education 

Mark Rodriguez is Executive Director of Changing Worlds in Chicago, Illinois.  'Changing Worlds is an educational arts nonprofit organization whose mission is to foster inclusive communities through oral history, writing and art programs that improve student learning, affirm identity and enhance cross-cultural understanding. In a global landscape where lack of empathy leads to stereotyping, violent behaviors and lack of human connections, Changing Worlds uses the power of personal narratives with writing and the arts to build inclusive learning communities, affirm identity and build cultural and human connections.' The program was one of 15 Finalists in the Activating Empathy competition.
Sub Conferences: Education and Arts

Owen Marcus: Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy with Men
For the last 15 years I have focused on men issues and men’s groups. Six years ago I started Sandpoint Men Groups where I have taught other men to lead deep groups. For the last couple of years I have blogged about men issues. Author, Empathy – Men’s New Secret Weapon
Ashoka Activating Empathy Applicant
 
Panel 001-B: How to Nurture, Foster & Teach Empathy in the Education System?
Moderator: Sherry McCreedy
Panelist: Mutima Imani
Panelist: Ilene Fortune
Convener: Edwin Rutsch
Our second panel with some members of the empathy curriculum development team. We discussed How to Nurture, Foster & Teach Empathy in the Education System?  2011-11-15
 

Panel 002-A:  How does The No-Fault Zone Game teach and support creating a
culture of empathy in schools?

Moderator: Jared Finkelstein

Panelist/Producer: Sura Hart
Panelist: Victoria Hodson

Panelist: Tom Gostinger
Panelist: Sophie B Langri
Convener: Edwin Rutsch 
Sub Conference: Education




 

 

Sura Hart and Edwin Rutsch: Dialogs on how to Build a Culture of Empathy
Sura Hart is an internationally recognized trainer with the Center for Nonviolent Communication (CNVC) and is the contact person for projects integrating NVC into U.S. schools. Educators - creating compassionate and lively schools and communities. Teachers and parents need empathy as well.
Ashoka Activating Empathy Applicant
Victoria Hodson & Edwin Rutsch: Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy in Education
Victoria Kindle Hodson, MA holds degrees in education and psychology and has been a classroom teacher in public, private, and Montessori schools—preschool through college. She is the co-founder and co-director of Kindle-Hart Communication and the Learning Success Institute. Victoria is an educator, author, consultant, curriculum developer, and co-designer of The No Fault Zone Game.    
Ashoka Activating Empathy Applicant

Daniel Bassill & Edwin Rutsch: Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy

Daniel Bassill is founder of Tutor/Mentor Connection and CEO of Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC

Sympathy = random acts of kindness. The philanthropic systems of support for charity are built more on sympathy than empathy, thus they are not consistent streams of support that are required to solve
complex problems in many places.  How to build a culture of empathy?
a) information collection. b) advertising/public awareness to increase number looking at info. c) facilitation/building understanding = like what happens in faith groups every week. d) action – people using ideas in many places, where they provide time, talent, dollars, leadership, advocacy, etc. to help kids to careers.
Sub Conference: Education

Katy Dawson on Having Empathy for an Angry Child
Dialogs on how to Build a Culture of Empathy
Schools can become centers of empathy,
some say don't teach empathy at school but rather at home, they haven't been in the schools.

 

 
Zoe Weil Talks about Empathy and Humane Education  
I talked with Zoe Weil, founder and president of Institute for Humane Education about how empathy and compassion relates to her work with Humane Education.  Author, The Power & Promise of Humane Education

Empathy doesn't just come from within us. We are susceptible to the situations and systems we are in.  To build a culture of empathy, we have to make sure the systems in place, food systems, transportation systems, clothing, product systems are humane and sustainable. Sub Conference: Education

   
Carolyn Zahn-Waxler Empathy Expert Big Page:
Child Development
"Throughout her career Carolyn has studied the origins and development of empathy and caring behaviors beginning in the first years of life. These longitudinal studies have focused on the role of genes, temperament, family life and socialization experiences that foster or impede compassion and altruism in children. She has also conducted longitudinal studies on (a) the role of emotion in the development of psychopathology in adolescents and (b) risk and protective factors in the development of conduct problems."
Center for Investigating Healthy Minds 
Blair Ryan & Edwin Rutsch: Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy in Education
Facebook: blair.ryan2
Facebook: The Empathy Factory
Empathyfactory.com  
'The mission of the Empathy Factory is to instil a sense of empathy and a philanthropic spirit in Nova Scotia’s youth. To build a generation of generous, conscientious humanitarians. To empower children to effect the world and be socially conscious global citizens'