Ed Kirwan is a storyteller, a filmmaker, a creative, but an educator at his core.  He taught science in North London at the age of just 22. He dealt with kids that had a lot of anger in them, a chip on their shoulder, and a real lack of motivation. Their thought processes revolved around a fear of failure, being judged and a lack of aspiration.  Ed deferred from the usual teaching methods as he didn’t see them as very effective. He would play basketball with the kids, build a trusting relationship, and ultimately, one that included empathy: a skill that he believes is the most important  to our development as human beings. Yet it’s one that’s almost never practiced or developed at school.  So Ed started Empathy Week in 2020 where students are inspired by stories of incredible people that Ted films around the world. The content is gripping and engaging. 5 stories are shown over 5 days followed by discussing the social, cultural and moral themes in class. Then they complete their own empathy action projects - creating solutions to challenges that can change the world.  I really loved this episode and I hope you do too! Happy listening.  Check out more about Empathy Week here: https://www.empathy-week.com/about This episode is brought to you by Undrgoods: underwear that's ridiculously comfortable, environmentally conscious and unapologetically superior! Go to https://undrgoods.com/ and use the discount code FOREVERSTUDENT for a whopping 20% off!  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.