Great thoughts come from both the heart and the mind."
- Mary Gordon, Founder/President, Roots of Empathy
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Roots of Empathy babies celebrated across Canada
June 10, 2010: A multitude of babies and children were fêted today as "British Columbia's youngest teachers" at "A Decade of Empathy," the Vancouver Roots of Empathy baby celebration. The event - captured on the front page of the Vancouver Sun - was held to mark the 10th anniversary of Roots of Empathy in the B.C. It was one of hundreds of Roots of Empathy baby celebrations that happen across Canada and around the world at the end of each school year to thank volunteer Roots of Empathy babies and parents who have shared their special bond with children in the program.
Launched in British Columbia in 2000, Roots of Empathy - a classroom program that aims to change the world using a baby and parent as a model for empathy - is now widely acclaimed and has recently received unprecedented international media attention.
Roots of Empathy fell on hard times in the province in 2009 when provincial funding cutbacks - widely experienced by many charities and school boards in B.C. - forced the cancellation of more than 50 per cent of its programs. The "Decade of Empathy" event signaled a renewal of sorts, with the announcement that the program would continue next year thanks to other funders that have stepped forward.
"We are very lucky to have new funding partners this year, although we are still seeking further funding support in B.C.," said Mary Gordon, Founder/President of Roots of Empathy. "We are not going full-force next year, but we are still very much alive in the province. And we remain grateful to the Government of British Columbia for its outstanding support for so many years. We will continue to work closely in partnership with them and we are very hopeful funding can be restored when finances stabilize in the province."
The Vancouver event featured several dozen children and babies, all wearing Roots of Empathy "Teacher" t-shirts. Over the past 10 years, they have been teaching Vancouver's schoolchildren important lessons about empathy, emotions, neuroscience, temperament, inclusion, infant safety, and the power of a loving bond between parent and child. Many of the children present were Roots of Empathy "alumni" - former babies who participated in the program.
The festivities featured remarks from Linda Reid, MLA; Hal Wake, Artistic Director, Vancouver International Writers Festival; Lyle Viereck, Roots of Empathy Board Member and BC Hydro Director of Aboriginal Relations and Negotiations; and past and current Vancouver School Board representatives Chris Kelly, Larry Haberlin and Lisa Pedrini. As well, Hereditary Chief Ian Campbell of the Squamish Nation gave a traditional welcome to the territory and spoke warmly about the program:
"'Nexwniw' is a Squamish word for a good upbringing. The work of Roots of Empathy is vital in immersing young children with foundations of success. I commend the good work being done by this organization," he said.
One of the highlights of the event was the Roots of Empathy welcome song, a Baby Celebration tradition. The babies and their parents took in the ceremony from a giant padded green blanket - a nod to the trademark green blanket that children sit around in every Roots of Empathy program worldwide.
Gordon believes the program is making a difference. "We started by reaching 250 children in Vancouver ten years ago, and to date we have reached 85,000 children in British Columbia. It is these children who are lighting the footpath to the future. Empathy is the very foundation of a civil society."
At the heart of the Roots of Empathy program are classroom visits by an infant and parent. A trained Roots of Empathy instructor guides children in labeling the baby's emotions and reflecting on their own feelings and those of others (empathy). A decade of independent research consistently shows that children who receive Roots of Empathy experience dramatic and lasting effects in terms of increased positive social behaviour (sharing, helping and including) and decreased aggression (particularly bullying), and that the effects last for years.
Roots of Empathy is a charitable, non-profit organization with award-winning programs informed by the power of empathy. Founded in 1996, the program has now reached 325,000 children worldwide and has been recognized by His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, Daniel Goleman, and the World Health Organization. The organization works in partnership with Indigenous people globally, and has been endorsed in Canada by National Chief Shawn Atleo of the Assembly of First Nations. Roots of Empathy has recently been profiled in Time magazine and on Fox News.
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Editors/Reporters: for more information or interviews with spokespeople, please contact
Julia Morgan
Roots of Empathy
T: 416-204-7891
E: jmorgan@rootsofempathy.org
New children's book by Mary Gordon now available!
May 24, 2010: A children's story book created by ROE/SOE Creator Mary Gordon for parents and for children 3 to 8 years old, is now available for sale. In Daniel's Day, the introduction to this book gives parents unique insights into the emotional life of a five year old child and the importance of the ebb and flow of relationships in families. A tin mirror at the back of the book invites reflection on feelings from both the adult and child reader in a playful way. It is available in English and French.
Roots of Empathy in TIME, on Fox News, and Elsewhere
May 20, 2010: The Roots of Empathy organization is receiving unprecedented international media coverage recently! TIME magazine has recently done an article on Roots of Empathy (available on newsstands worldwide as of May 20). The article appears on page 45 of the May 24 edition of TIME and is also available online.
Meanwhile, Fox News (Fox & Friends) has interviewed Mary Gordon on the topic of bullying. Watch the interview on the Fox News website, here. The show aired on Sunday, May 23, at approximately 8:20 a.m. EST. CNN's Anderson Cooper 360° show plans to do an upcoming episode on Roots of Empathy, which will likely air in the fall.
Finally, a new book about empathy called Born for Love, by Maia Szalavitz and Dr. Bruce Perry, features Roots of Empathy extensively.
Roots of Empathy in TIME online
April 17, 2010: Roots of Empathy has been featured in an article on TIME magazine's website today. The article, entitled "How Not to Raise a Bully: The Early Roots of Empathy" explores the idea that empathy is essential for positive and proper development. It profiles Roots of Empathy as a program that is successful in teaching empathy to school-children. Read the article now!
Empathy spreading in New Zealand
March 1, 2010: In the Southern Hemisphere, where the school year has just begun, Roots of Empathy (ROE) is celebrating a major milestone: our fourth year of operations in a country outside of Canada. New Zealand now has the longest-running international ROE program, which has already reached 4,275 children in four years. In 2010-11, we welcome new ROE partner, Barnardos, one of New Zealand's largest and most trusted children's organizations, as our lead agency in the country. The program was first introduced to 250 children in Auckland in 2007.
To read more about Roots of Empathy in New Zealand, click here.
Mary Gordon Contributes to Empathy Debate on The Huffington Post
Feb. 18, 2010: Roots of Empathy is delighted to announce that a blog post by Mary Gordon, "Empathic Civilization: Building A New World One Child at a Time," has appeared today on The Huffington Post, one of the most popular news websites on the Internet. Mary was invited to submit her post by Jeremy Rifkin, whose new book, The Empathic Civilization, devotes several pages to Roots of Empathy and calls it part of "a new pedagogical revolution" in empathy and one of the "most interesting innovations" in this area. For the next few months, leading thinkers on empathy such as Mary have been invited to share their thoughts on The Huffington Post.
We invite you to join this global empathy debate, a debate that Roots of Empathy has been advancing since 1996. You can comment or 'vote' on Mary's post or to share it on Facebook, Yahoo or Twitter. Or comment on another post in the empathy series (scroll down to Related Blogs on Huffington Post).
Roots of Empathy in the Globe & Mail
Dec. 11, 2009: An article recently published in the Globe & Mail called Let's teach our kids empathy argued that the inherent problem with today's society is a lack of empathy. Author Freda Lewkowicz concluded the article by stating, "Lack of empathy is not that far removed from the danger zone of loss of humanity. I think it's imperative to begin teaching empathy and compassion in school, right next to lessons on essay writing and Canada's fur trade. A little more of 'I feel your pain' would go a long way in making our world a gentler place for all…"
In response to the article, ROE Board Member, Mary Alice Macneil wrote a letter to the editor, stating that ROE is striving to do just that—teach our children empathy. She states: "This idea is at the heart of the Roots of Empathy program, first offered in Toronto in 1996 and now running in 1,644 schools across Canada.… Let's hope some day all Canadian children will have the opportunity ROE provides to grow emotionally…".
Here at ROE we know and have seen that the value of fostering the development of empathy in children has a lasting positive effect on them and an immediate effect on the classroom, which is simply a microcosm of our larger society. We continue to strive towards changing the world child by child.
Roots of Empathy book now available in the U.S.!
Dec. 1, 2009: The U.S. edition of Roots of Empathy: Changing the World Child by Child was launched today at a wildly popular Town Hall event in Seattle, Washington, featuring Mary Gordon. The book is now available at booksellers throughout the United States and at online sites such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble (in Canada, it continues to be available online at Chapters/Indigo).
The new edition has received critical acclaim and features a foreword by Dr. Daniel J. Siegel, author of The Developing Mind and Parenting from the Inside Out, who writes, "Mary Gordon has created a brilliant strategy for teaching young children the essential skills to see the mind within each person... Empathy in all its forms is cultivated in this science-based, emotion-inspiring, life-changing immersion in the inner world of human development."
Seattle was the first American city to run the program, which launched in 2007. For more information about Roots of Empathy programs in Seattle, click here.
Canadian Teachers' Federation Honours Mary Gordon
Jul. 16, 2009: The Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF) recently honoured Mary Gordon with the 2009 Public Education Advocacy Award. The award is presented to groups or individuals outside the teaching profession who have made major contributions to promote and support public education in Canada. A former Kindergarten teacher, Ms Gordon became the founder of Canada's first school-based Parenting and Family Literacy Centres in 1981, which have been used as a best-practice model around the world. The premier of Ontario made the program policy in 2008 as part of their anti-poverty strategy. In 1996 Ms. Gordon founded Roots of Empathy, and in 2005 she created the Seeds of Empathy program.
"Mary has demonstrated exceptional commitment and greatly contributed to strengthening and supporting public educations", said CTF President Emily Noble. "On behalf of teachers across Canada, we wish to express our heartfelt thanks to Ms. Gordon for her visionary leadership and support to public education," she concluded. The CTF speaks for nearly 200,000 teachers in Canada as their national voice on education and related social issues.
Ms. Gordon's name will be added to the roster of CTF Public Education Advocacy Award recipients who include His Excellency John Ralston Saul, Kathy LeGrow, Canadian School Boards Association, Annie Kidder, People for Education in Ontario, Denise Pike, President of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils, Alfie Kohn, U.S. author and educator, and last year's recipients, the Association francophone des parents du Nouveau-Brunswick and Gerard Kennedy, former Education Minister of Ontario. (more)Lieutenant Governor of Ontario visits Roots of Empathy Classroom
Mar. 28, 2009: Roots of Empathy was privileged and honoured to have Ontario's Lieutenant Governor, the Honourable David C. Onley attend a Family Visit in teacher Taz Kassam's grade one classroom at Sunny View Public School in Toronto on Friday, March 27, 2009. Sunny View serves the needs of children with severe disabilities.
Also in attendance were Joan Green, Chair of the Board, our own Mary Gordon, Founder/President of Roots of Empathy and school principal Marita Adams.
Mr. Onley graciously addressed veteran Instructor Kathy Kathy's ROE class and spoke of the transformational impact of Mary's vision of "the baby as teacher". Everyone watched as baby Claire brought self-confidence and joy to children who face daily struggles few of us can imagine.
Toronto District School Board to open ROE Centre of Excellence - first in world
May 14, 2009: With the signing of an official partnership with Roots of Empathy the Toronto District School Board will become the first in the world to open a ROE Centre of Excellence to be piloted in six elementary schools beginning in the fall. The Centre of Excellence will see a select group of TDSB schools and Roots of Empathy instructors delivering the highest quality of ROE programming in Canada. Six ROE Instructors will deliver three programs each in six jointly selected TDSB schools with at least two programs running at each grade level from K - 8. (Read more)
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We are proud to support Roots of Empathy. This program really brings character development into the classroom, teaching young students about values like empathy, respect and inclusion." - The Honorable Kathleen Wynne, Minister of Education of Ontario, 2007