Education

Welcome to the Charter for Compassion International page for Partners in the Education sector. Here’s what you will find on this page:

Cultivating Compassion in the Classroom

Cultivating compassion in educational settings, and creating the kind of culture where it is a norm of student and staff behavior, may seem at first a noble ideal: a nice-to-have, something to be undertaken only when all other priorities are met. Yet we now have the evidence to show that a school’s ability to foster real learning, indeed to fulfill its fundamental purpose, depends on its ability to do just that.

More and more schools and educational organizations/groups are acting on this evidence and creating compassion-filled learning environments. Students and adults alike thrive when their social and emotional needs are met, when they feel a sense of belonging, when they feel their voices are welcomed and heard. Choosing to uphold the principles of compassion is central to a school’s ability to create a caring and inclusive culture and climate, to nurture a strong moral identity among those who walk through its doors, and to invite deep participation and learning.

What’s more, compassionate action is foundational to effective collaboration, and to advancing the common good—attributes that, in today’s increasingly connected world—are central to success. A compassionate school begins with the adults on campus walking their talk and modeling compassion to all.

How does an Education Organization or Institution become a Partner of the Charter for Compassion International?

There are at a number of ways you can get involved with the work of the Charter:

• Read, sign and act on the Charter for Compassionate Schools. There is great need for a Charter for Compassionate Schools that translates the principle of compassion to the uniqueness of the school world and acts as a rallying cry and unifying vision for schools and educational organizations across the globe.

• Join our network. If you are a principal, teacher, youth group, educational organization, early childhood professional, consultant, writer, musician or artist, or other specialist who works in education, join with our other partners in forming an accessible network of compassionate education specialists. Each partner has a page on our website that links back to your own site.

• Contact the CDFW to become a volunteer by contact us at compassionatedfw2@gmail.com. Visit our website to learn more about the Charter and our community initiatives, and partner sectors.

• Contribute to the Education Blog. Share what you are doing in your teaching and learning.

• Get our mobile Compassion App. Enter and access a world of compassion and record your thoughts and actions for caring for the others, yourself, and the Earth.

• Engage in the Compassion Relays and Games. The Relays are year-round and are a great way to engage everyone in compassion and increase momentum for the Games in September.