With Covid- 19 and the Black Lives Matter movement at the forefront of our attention, now is an important time for all of us to practice empathy within our wider community.
Demonstrating empathy, namely being able to understand and share someone else’s feelings, is an essential life skill, and here at OHS, we believe it forms an integral part of a young person’s education.
Empathy Day, held on the 9th of June, focused on how we can use books to step into someone else’s shoes. A growing body of worldwide research suggests that regularly reading fiction can increase our brain’s capacity for empathy. It’s been reported that 98% of us can train our brains to become more empathetic through reading (Source: EmpathyLab).
Our librarian, Ms. Stott, has put together this wonderful selection of resources that encourage all of us to explore and strengthen our own sense of empathy through literature.
Listen to two of our favourite Oxfordshire authors, Jo Cotterill and Robin Stevens chatting about empathy and the importance of listening.
Older readers may like to take some recommendations of classic books about Black Lives Matters, the Civil Rights Movement, and more compiled by Vogue.
Watch the Old Vic’s production of ‘A Monster Calls’ by Patrick Ness screening until the 11th June (two-hour viewing).