empathy and youth

March 28, 2014

Two weeks ago, March 11 marked the third anniversary of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit the Tohoku region in 2011. This date and this event resonates for me. Over 40 years of teaching English I have had the privilege to teach many Japanese students....

Waiting

January 30, 2014

One week ago I had just finished facilitating a memorable CAS workshop at Prince Alfred College, Adelaide. I had checked out of the hotel early enough to allow me a few hours of airport time, waiting for my connecting flight to Melbourne. I was excited  – I had...

global citizenship – the hidden agenda

December 3, 2013

As a young high school student I can still recall my father recommending me to read Vance Packard’s The Hidden Persuaders. At the same time that he gave me this book to read my dad made reference to the hidden agenda in education. He warned me, a naive young...

Tacloban

November 11, 2013

As international agencies struggle to deliver much needed supplies to survivors, there are reports that more storms might be on the way. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-12/philippines-braces-for-high-death-toll-new-storm/5084700?section=australianetworknews In...

Empathy – ‘turning it up to eleven’

October 31, 2013

Empathy : the ability to understand other people’s feelings and problems. Underlying any involvement in community service is a feeling of empathy – a sense of the feelings of others rather than your own. Empathy can be the trigger that stirs us to act in service...

A rush of blood to the heart

September 30, 2013

Most obviously we somehow know that doing good is good for the recipients or partners in service. Intuitively, we also know that doing good is also good for the ‘actor’ or the ‘doer’. Now a recent TIME report elucidates the real health benefits of  service activities....