Inspire Team

Strengthening Your Internal Resources

by for .  
#design thinking
45 - 60

Goal

This activity focuses on individual reflection and self-compassion to enhance empathy towards oneself and others. Participants will explore their struggles, provide advice to a hypothetical friend, and discuss how to cultivate kindness towards themselves.

Materials

    Instructions

    1. Optional Starting Activity: Begin by explaining the purpose of the activity and its connection to empathy and self-compassion. Ways to start this activity may include:

      1. Reading a short children’s story about empathy

        1. The Rabbit Listened (just what Taylor needed)

        2. Adrian Simcox Does NOT Have a Horse

        3. List of other empathy-focused books can be found here and here

      2. Showing a short video about empathy and self compassion

        1. Brené Brown on Empathy

      3. Follow-up questions using Poll everywhere, slido, or any other method that allows participants to submit responses anonymously. They may also want to just jot down notes instead of polling. Most important is that participants do not have to share their answers publicly:

        1. Based on this example, how empathic are you?

        2. Are you able to make time for others?

        3. Are you able to make time for yourself, and what you need?

        4. Why is empathy important in our relationships with others?

        5. Can you think of a time when someone showed empathy towards you? How did it make you feel?

        6. How can we practice empathy in our daily lives?

        7. What are some challenges we might face when trying to empathize with others, and how can we overcome them?

        8. How can empathy help us become better friends and classmates?

    2. Ask participants to think about a struggle they are currently facing and how it makes them feel.

      1. Allocate 5 minutes for individual reflection.

      2. Instruct them to write down their thoughts on paper or using a device. This can be a weakness they have or something they don’t feel they’re very good at.

      3. Emphasize that participants will not need to share their reflections with others.

    3. Next, instruct participants to imagine a friend approaching them with the same struggle. Ask them to consider the advice or support they would offer to their friend.

    4. Encourage participants to notice any differences in how they treat themselves versus how they treat others. Highlight the importance of observing these differences without judgment.

    5. Explain that by cultivating self-compassion, individuals can expand their capacity for empathy towards both themselves and others.

    6. Transition to a group discussion by asking the following question: "Can you notice three differences between how we treat others (our friends, for example) and how we treat ourselves? How can we be kinder to ourselves?"

    7. Facilitate an open and respectful discussion where participants can share their observations and ideas for cultivating self-kindness.

    8. Encourage participants to actively listen to one another's perspectives and to respond with empathy and support.

    9. Wrap up the activity by summarizing the key takeaways and expressing gratitude for participants' engagement.


    Optional Add On: If time permits, give learners the opportunity to write messages and reminders of kindness and compassion for themselves and their peers. This can be done anonymously, using paper and pen for in person group, or using the private mode feature on Miro or another white board. Everything can be compiled and shared, to serve as an important reminder and touchpoint to the group. 

    Background

    Preparation

    Prior to this activity, ensure all learners have access to a list of resources and support services that are available to them in their region, or through their program. 

    Technology Considerations

    If using a polling tool for the first optional activity, ensure the poll is set up in advance for participants to respond. This may include using smiley faces for responses, or another kind of likert scale (i.e. very much, somewhat, not so much, a little, not at all)

    Additional Context

    Remind participants that their individual reflections will remain private and that they have the option to share as much or as little as they feel comfortable.

    Emphasize the importance of observing differences in treatment without judgment, promoting self-compassion as a means to increase empathy towards oneself and others.

    Debrief Questions

    1. How did reflecting on your struggles and providing advice to a friend influence your understanding of empathy and self-compassion?

    2. What differences did you notice between how you treat others and how you treat yourself? How can you cultivate kindness towards yourself?

    3. How does practicing self-compassion impact your ability to empathize with others?

    4. Share an insight or realization you had during the group discussion about self-kindness and empathy.

    5. How can you apply the lessons learned in this activity to your daily life to enhance empathy towards both yourself and others?



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