Emily Plihal
Local Journalism
Initiative Reporter
A program designed to help school-aged students gain more empathy will be back in classrooms this fall, and your help is required to make the program possible.
If you are a parent of an infant who will be between the ages of 2-4 months old in September and are interested in helping with the Roots of Empathy Program, Smoky River Family and Community Support Services is asking for your help.
“Each year we try and provide five classes of Roots of Empathy,” says FCSS director Crystal Tremblay.
“One in Ecole Providence, two in Ecole Routhier, one at Ecole Heritage, and one in Eaglesham school. We have two confirmed and one strong possibility, but we are needing two more volunteers for the program.”
Roots of Empathy is a Canadian program that was created in 1996 by Mary Gordon. The aim of the program is to change our world, one child at a time.
The program is designed to have a baby be the teacher of empathy. Learning through guided observation of the infant, children will learn to identify and reflect on their own thoughts and feelings and those of others.
“This program allows the students to connect to a baby and their family,” says Tremblay.
“Past participants love the program, and the experiences with the students. It is a way to get out and make a difference in the lives of the students that you are paired up with.”
Tremblay explains schools that support Roots of Empathy often experience dramatic and lasting effects in increased positive behaviour and decreased aggression.
“This program teaches the students emotional literacy through their baby,” she explains.
“Babies naturally show their emotions without bias,” she adds. “Through the program the students learn the emotional cues from the baby and are better able to recognize them in their selves and their classmates.”
Tremblay says they require one mother and baby for Eaglesham School, Ecole Heritage, and possibly one for Ecole Routhier. She urges interested mothers to check out the Roots of Empathy website at www.rootsofempathy.org to see if the program would be beneficial and interesting to them.
“Each time the mom comes into the classroom they are asked different questions based on the theme that is being presented,” notes Tremblay.
“These questions allow parents to reflect on their time with their baby and develop a different way of looking at their child.”
Tremblay says the children learn emotional literacy, as well as other important information like safety, why a baby cries, not to shake a baby, and other lessons.
“The program runs throughout the school year with nine themes with three visits each theme,” she says.
“Parents are only asked to attend the nine family visits throughout the year.”
If you are interested in participating as a guardian with baby for the program, please phone Tremblay at (780) 837-2220.