Roots of Empathy
‘Building caring, peaceful and civil societies’
The mission of Roots of Empathy is to build caring, peaceful, and civil societies through the development of empathy in children and adults.
The vision is to change the world, child by child.
Roots of Empathy (RoE) is a programme designed to develop children’s compassion and understanding of others.
We began our first RoE project at St.Finian's over 3 years ago (2022); we have seen its positive impact through:
-greater awareness of and connection with others
-promotion of a calm and empathetic school environment
-improved well-being and positive mental health
The programme works by linking up with a family and their new born baby (4 months old). Over several months, the baby and their parents come into school to enable children to watch the baby's development and interactions over time.
Currently (2025) we are working with baby Amaya. Every few weeks, from the age of 4 month old, Amaya comes into school with her mum and we follow her development; we observe how she moves, responds to sounds and we even watch her sleep. We ask questions to understand how to love and care for something so precious and small.
What our children say about Roots of Empathy..... (2024 programme)
We are so excited when it’s a day for baby Sofia to come into school’ Y4
‘She’s so cute; she rolls over on her mat, laughs and gurgles!’ Y4
‘We have noticed how much she’s grown since the first time she came to visit us, in September.’ Y4
'We need to be gentle and use quiet voices so Sofia feels happy and secure around us' Y4
The mission of RoE is to build caring, peaceful, and civil societies through the development of empathy in children and adults.
