Tuesday 9th June is Empathy Day. This day was founded in 2017 by not-for-profit EmpathyLab, who are on a mission to inspire the rising generation to drive a new empathy movement.
EmpathyLab describe the purpose of the day on their website;
“Empathy is a vital human force which has come into sharp focus during the pandemic. Right now, we’ve never needed it more.
The good news is that it’s a skill you can learn, and Empathy Day on June 9 aims to help everyone understand and experience its transformational power. It looks forward to a future society in which empathy is much more central.
The day focuses on using books to step into someone else’s shoes. Scientists say that we can train our brain with stories – the more you empathise with characters, the more you understand other people’s feelings.”
The library team have picked these ideas as a good way of looking at the topic of empathy;
- Empathy Glasses - On Empathy Day at midday, Malorie Blackman will be asking everyone to put on their Empathy Glasses and recommend their favourite #ReadForEmpathy book on social media.
- An author-led timetable for the day.
- Check out new stories that authors have been sharing from the 27th May; Empathy Shorts with eight exclusive new stories from Atinuke, Gill Lewis, Bali Rai, Marcia Williams, A. F. Harrold, Lucinda Jacobs, Jo Cotterill and Sam Copeland who recently visited Freemen's.
- Empathy Read Alouds Authors talking about their books and characters in the context of learning about empathy.
