How I Celebrated Empathy Day
Can an outrageous act of everyday kindness change someone’s life?
I put this question to the Year 2 class at Vinehall School, Robertsbridge, E. Sussex, to kick off our Empathy Day workshop.
Empathy Day is a bold experiment spearheaded by Empathy Lab, a grassroots UK educational organisation dedicated to using literature to foster empathy. On June 12, schools, libraries, bookstores and coffee shops across the country marked the event with a range of activities and initiatives. I was thrilled to take part.
I started the workshop by reading my short story, Three Pounds Fifty in Change, featuring Julian, a down-on-his-luck artist who suddenly realises that he doesn’t have enough money in his wallet to pay for his cup of coffee. He anxiously sketches a five pound note on a napkin as he wonders what to do next. The cafe owner whimsically accepts his oeuvre as hard currency, leaving him with a pocketful of change — and inspiration to turn his fortunes around.
After I deposited Julian safely in happily-ever-after, and the last giggle subsided, we discussed the role of empathy — first, in the story, and then, in the children’s own experience. We talked about the people in our lives who needed our empathy, and how we could offer it to them. Then we all wrote personal “Empathy Commitments” on scroll templates. (My personal favourite: “I will teach my cat the three times table.”) I also asked the class to help me imagine Julian’s art gallery by drawing the pictures he creates at the end of the story — an act of creative empathy that they undertook with gusto.
Which is why, when one lad asked me, “Is being a writer fun?” I assured him, fervently, that, “It’s the best fun there is.” The engaged energy of a posse of seven-year-olds is ample pay off for the wrangles with writer’s block, tiring day-job/writing slalom and inevitable piles of rejection letters.
It was particularly satisfying to see the children identify with my adult protagonists and their plight. The majority of contemporary picture books spotlight children, and explore issues related to childhood. While children obviously need stories that explore their world, I have always believed that stories about adults also provide vital nourishment.
In the adult world, consequences are steep and uncushioned. Young readers thrill at the raised stakes. One girl held her hands to her face in alarm when the mayor threatened to shut down Julian’s art stall. Others frowned as Julian’s daily dinner budget shrank, wondering if he’d eventually be able to afford anything at all.
Adult characters also have the independence and agency that children crave, so stories about adults can spark children’s imaginations about life’s possibilities. (Surely, this is why children often play at being the adults they anticipate becoming, be it mummies and daddies, fire fighters, or Olympic athletes.) Julian didn’t have a lot, but he had the freedom to paint all night long — and no one could stop him from caricaturing the mayor with verve. My listeners smirked at his cheek. They grinned at the end, when he used his hard won earnings to treat the cafe owner to an ice cream — some of them relishing the hint of romance.
Most importantly, stories about adults encourage children to cast their empathy nets more broadly, and to consider the concerns of their seniors, as well as their peers. In our discussion, the children shared observations about homelessness, poverty, and even difficult times that their parents had experienced. In the subsequent activity, they committed to showing empathy to older siblings, parents and teachers, as well as younger siblings, friends and pets.
Authors can help children relate to adult characters by depicting adults’ childlike traits, as these provide a kind of bridge. Eyes lit up when Julian ordered kid-friendly sausages and mash, and when the cafe owner decided to pretend that Julian’s sketch was genuine currency.
Poster Art: Rachel Duncum
For children to grow up and embrace adulthood successfully, they must find increasing common ground with adults — real and imaginary. Children’s authors can help can help young readers prepare for this crucial life change by fostering inter-generational empathy through the stories we tell.
No comments yet.