It’s no surprise that a survey of 11,000 teenagers has found that 38% are more worried about their mental health now than they were before the pandemic.
We must assume that every child has been affected in some way by Covid-19.
Teachers across the country are finding that they need to put in place a plan for all children and personalised plans for those who are most deeply affected.
At EVERFI, we believe that those plans should include the teaching of compassion.
As Dr Nick Hobson, a behavioural scientist at the University of Toronto, says: “Compassion starts with empathy and then turns outward, with an intent to help.”
Compassion gives pupils the tools to help themselves and each other during these troubled times. Practising compassion allows us to come together and to overcome disputes and disagreements.
It is a quality more needed now than ever.
The Compassion Project
This is why EVERFI has launched a 45-minute course free to all UK schools called The Compassion Project.
It is designed for seven to 11-year-olds and was originally the brainchild of Jeff Weiner, LinkedIn’s Chairman, who says: “I’m not sure that I can think of anything more important than teaching compassion. The benefits are myriad in terms of … improving [children’s] sense of self, their self-esteem and the way they relate to others.”
It’s already been a runaway success in the US, reaching about 20% of all primary schools there.
The course uses real-life scenarios and role play to help young people understand how to practise compassion.
One pupil says the course taught her “not just to understand where others are coming from with their feelings, but to change my own actions based on how others feel or how I will make them feel”.
How my business can get involved
If you or your organisation is interested in supporting the teaching of compassion in primary schools across the UK, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact us here and we’ll be in touch.
