For three years, Chol has been in a collaborative partnership with Kirklees Libraries, delivering empathy-themed workshops to young people.
The project aims to introduce children and young people to empathy. This is achieved through reading and delivering other creative activities that highlight different life experiences. These activities provide participants with the tools and understanding to be more aware of the feelings and emotions of others.
This year, due to the restrictions of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, Chol developed pre-recorded bitesize videos to deliver these sessions to schools and educational settings. These videos can be used in isolation or together to form a drama-based empathy workshop.
No experience in drama is necessary. The resource pack includes written guidance notes with extra hints and tips and further ideas on how to adapt the sessions. Through the pre-recorded empathy films, Chol’s Creative Director, Lauren Ash, guides teachers and students through the activities, encouraging the class to pause the video at key moments to complete the tasks.
This series of activities is based around The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q Rauf. The book is about the refugee crisis and is ‘a story about friendship, kindness, and adventure.’ During the videos, small sections of the book are read out. This inspires pupils to read the book themselves.
To view and download the empathy videos and information pack, please head to the Kirklees Libraries website.
