Grow in compassion and empathy

Volunteer

Volunteering can build compassion and empathy by allowing you to help those in need. Participating in community service allows you to look beyond your own needs and instills a lifelong passion to use your resources to help others.

Be kind to others

Practice kindness by being kind to those you interact with daily. Remind yourself to do one kind thing towards someone each day by putting a sticky note on your mirror or planner for school. Give a compliment, send a supportive text to a friend who is going through a hard time, write a nice note to a teacher or adult who has helped you in the past.

Practice perspective taking

Apply empathy in your daily life by thinking about challenges and problems you face in your own life and how they make you feel. Imagine a friend coming to talk to you about similar challenges they are facing and visualize how you would respond. Highlighting differences in how you respond to others compared to yourself will allow you to reflect on the kindness you show others. By building our own self compassion, we can improve our ability to show empathy towards others.

Step out of your comfort zone

Participating in new environments allows you to learn a variety of information and make friends with people who improve your ability to empathize. Talk to the new student at school, join new clubs, try sports, be friends with people from different backgrounds, or find a community project to join!