 |  | And we're off! We love this time of year. In some of our regions - Costa Rica and New Zealand - we are midway through our program year but everywhere else we are just getting started, and are deep in the middle of training Instructors, matching them with volunteer parents and babies, and setting up programs with schools. It’s a time of high energy, excitement, hope, and for us at Roots of Empathy, deep appreciation for the way communities around the world rally to support the program. Together we are helping children develop the empathy they will need to grow and thrive in today’s world. We send a warm welcome to all of the Instructors, families, teachers, and schools who are gearing up for a wonderful experience around the green blanket. And to our Roots of Empathy family in Costa Rica and New Zealand thank you for your contributions so far to your communities. Costa Rica, you are pioneers in Central America, leading the way in Spanish speaking countries. In New Zealand where we have deep roots, we continue to make an impact on the mental health and wellbeing of children. Check out this beautiful video from The Key to Life shared by our New Zealand Program Manager, Ally Fulcher, that shows just how important human connection, and empathy, is. | | New Instructor Resources There’s always more to learn. We continue to support our Instructors in delivering the best programming possible with ongoing professional development, in person and through our Virtual Training Institute. Kathy Kathy, Manager of Professional Development, is rolling out a series of classroom videos for Instructors this fall. The first two will be available in mid-October, so Instructors, keep your eye on the dashboard! | | | | Awards What a season it’s been! Roots of Empathy has been honoured several times, most recently as a winner of UpSocial’s Accelerating Change for Social Inclusion (ACSI) project in Lisbon and Athens. We will soon hear about Rotterdam and Stockholm. ACSI is a EUROCITIES initiative to address social challenges through proven innovations. For a list of recent recognitions, see Roots of Empathy News. | | | | Research News Research is core to our work and we have two new studies coming out soon. A Northern Ireland study has found that Roots of Empathy had a positive impact in increasing children’s prosocial behaviour and reducing their aggressive and difficult behaviour. The full report will soon be published. You can read a summary here. Our first research from Switzerland – a two-year study – will also be available soon. Stay tuned! | | | |  | It’s always busy in the fall, but Roots of Empathy Founder/President, Mary Gordon, is very, very busy this fall. Mary has been, and will continue to speak, around the world over the next few months. Most recently, on September 14, she spoke in Portugal at UpSocial's Accelerating Change for Social Inclusion event on "Roots of Empathy Building Inclusive Societies." To see a full list of where she is speaking, see our events calendar. | | | | | | | | |
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mail@rootsofempathy.org | | | | | | | |
