Start Empathy

Start Empathy is calling all community stakeholders to recognize the shifting paradigms in the education world.

As hardwired as we’ve become to value the skill of reading comprehension, Start Empathy, an initiative of Ashoka, believes we need to become just as prudent in how we value the disposition of empathy. We’ve gone “from the old paradigm of literacy of the elite to the new paradigm of literacy for all.” Now we must look at “the new paradigm of education for changemaking in fluid environments.” Soft skills are taking the stage in the modern era. Leaders across a variety of industries are now looking for creativity, emotional intelligence, and adaptability, just as much as the ability to problem solve, think critically, and negotiate. As the world readies for change in myriad ways, we need to ready our learners to make a positive impact in the changemaking they embark on. That changemaking journey must be “rooted in awareness of self and others.” Explore Start Empathy, and imagine how you might integrate empathy into your learners’ everyday learning.