Galway Bay fm newsroom – Actor Cillian Murphy has been attending Youth Empathy Day at NUI Galway, hosted by the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre.
The youth-led day brought together 200 Transition Year students from six secondary schools in Galway, Dublin and Tipperary, all of whom are taking part in a new pilot education programme called Activating Social Empathy.
It supports adolescents to learn empathy in schools.
Actor and Patron of the Centre, Cillian Murphy spoke to the students about the importance of empathy in his work as an actor.
A series of workshops on literature, drama, music, yoga, mindfulness and social media will explore how these areas can be used to teach and promote empathy.
Two of the Centre’s Youth Researchers will host a peer-led session on their own experience of developing empathy.
The day will close with a group brainstorm on developing an Empathy Charter that can be carried into schools, setting out how empathy can be fostered within school communities.
