Activating Empathy: Transforming Schools to Teach What Matters is a global competition seeking solutions that help young people learn and practice empathy in schools so they are equipped to succeed in a rapidly changing world.
Enter your solution, or nominate an individual, organization, or partnership with a solution to participate in the competition.
Summary
Empathy is a critical skill in a world defined by rapid change–one that is foundational to the social, teamwork and leadership skills required to contribute successfully to society.
As the pace of change accelerates, the level of empathy required to collaborate in the workplace, or on other types of teams that bring change to the world, is higher than ever before.
If you aren’t proficient in empathy, you’re severely limiting your opportunities to contribute to society, and are at risk of being left behind. If we are to create a world where everyone can be a player, provide input, and create value, we must grasp, practice, and develop empathy.
Who Should Enter
If you are a teacher, principal, parent, student, or other innovator with a project, a program, or a new learning experience that can advance empathy in education, we are looking for you.
Why you should enter
The competition allows you to:
- connect to a global online community that supports the impact you are making on the ground
- gain visibility with our community and recognition as a new best practice in education. Contribute to your community and become part of a movement to activate empathy!
- gain funding for your initiative
- a chance to win:
Prizes
There is more than $110,000 in cash and in-kind prizes from Ashoka’s Changemakers, Mattel, 1440 Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Donor’s Choose and Townsend Press.
How to Enter: please read the complete instruction on their website (find link below)
Competition Guidelines
- The competition is open to all individuals, organizations, and collaborations from all countries
- Your entry should reflect the theme of the competition: Activating Empathy: Transforming Schools to Teach What Matters
- Identify solutions that enable children to be effective citizens, leaders, and changemakers by equipping them with the skills to understand the perspectives of others
- Indicate growth beyond the conceptual stage and have demonstrated impact and sustainability
- While they support new ideas at every stage and encourage their entry, the judges are better able to evaluate programs that are beyond the conceptual stage and have demonstrated proof of impact.
Assessment Criteria
- Innovation: This is the knock-out test. The best entries describe a systemic or disruptive innovation with the potential to ensure that children master empathy, enabling them to be effective citizens, leaders, and trailblazers.
- Social Impact: The competition is looking for breakthrough innovations that envision how schools can integrate empathy learning into their curricula and culture. Innovations at any stage of development are welcome.
Sustainability: Judges will be looking for a clear “road map” for increasing impact and creating lasting change. Entries should describe not only how they currently finance their work, but also how they plan to finance in the future. They should also have a realistic time frame for implementation.
Deadline: 5PM EDT, March 30, 2012.
Winners Announced, June 12, 2012: The competition winners—the People’s Choice winner selected by the Changemakers online community, the two Judges’ Awards selected by the panel of judges, and the winners of the “special focus” prizes—will be announced on this day.
For detailed information, and to enter, click here.