Empatico is a free digital platform that empowers students and educators to connect their classrooms with others around the world. The non-profit organization gives kids the opportunity to learn about different perspectives and practice interpersonal skills that are crucial for building cross-cultural relationships later in life. Empatico guides partner classrooms through activities that touch on perspective taking, critical thinking, cooperation and respectful communication.
Formats/platforms used:
Empatico is a browser-based platform consisting of a matching algorithm, video, chat messaging, and file-sharing technology along with high-quality classroom activities that address social-emotional competencies. The platform is compatible with in-person, remote, and hybrid learning environments and gives teachers access to facilitator guides and professional development resources that equip them to better promote empathy and understanding in the classroom.
Primary website’s URL:
Problem solved:
Empatico was created to foster a more empathetic and compassionate future generation. It prepares today’s youth for an increasingly connected world in which cross-cultural relationships are vital for success. Empatico provides students with the opportunity to connect with kids from outside their own communities and expand their cultural horizons. Through fun teacher-guided activities and digital-enabled video connections, kids learn about different perspectives and practice interpersonal skills that are crucial for building cross-cultural relationships later in life.
Grade/age range:
Originally focused on children aged 6-11, Empatico is expanding its content to also work with middle school-aged students.
Core/supplemental/special needs/extracurricular/professional development?
Empatico’s activities are standards-based and compatible with a wide range of school curriculums. The Empatico Team also developed a professional development course, ensuring that as young learners encounter differences or struggle to engage constructively, their facilitators are equipped to guide them through the cognitive empathy practice of perspective taking, or “seeing the world through their partner’s eyes.” Empatico experiences support critical thinking and bridge-building by helping kids explore their common humanity and recognize that many factors can influence their perceptions about the world, and that differences can enrich and strengthen collaborative experiences.
Standards:
Empatico’s activities are created with a variety of education standards in mind. Activities cover a wide range of subjects and are flexibly designed to easily align with any classroom’s curriculum.
Lesson time needed:
Activities can take anywhere from 15 to 60 minutes. Empatico provides educators with a range of activity types and durations so that they can find the right one to fit their classroom needs.
Pricing model:
Empatico is a non-profit organization. Its platform and programs are free for classrooms and educators.
Additional services needed:
Empatico activities can be completed offline or online. In order to participate in a live Empatico exchange, all that is needed is an internet connection and a device with a webcam.
What makes Empatico unique?
Empatico is creating a global movement to spread kindness and empathy around the world by combining the best of technology with the best of humanity to expand the boundaries of learning. Empatico provides virtual exchange activity plans that are designed to spark empathy, curiosity, and creativity through joyful student interactions, as well as supporting resources for educators to create meaningful experiences.
By empowering young learners to connect meaningfully with peers elsewhere who may look, think, live, or dream differently than they do, Empatico is bridging the gap between “us” and “them.” Empatico is teaching children to connect digitally, to communicate effectively, and to value working on a team with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. We’re enabling the next generation of leaders to be the change agents the world needs to achieve a more compassionate global climate attuned and committed to collective well-being - and we’re giving them the tools they need to realize and succeed in such a world.
Characteristics:
The Empatico platform is designed to be a simple intuitive experience for Teachers to connect their classrooms to other classrooms across the world. On the platform Teachers can:
Match - Empatico automatically finds potential matches based on similar interests in activities, classroom schedules, and student ages.
Message - Empatico provides a platform for teachers to message each other and upload pictures and videos to shared folders.
Meet - Empatico's built-in video feature along with our support of other video tools on the platform and Empatico Library of resources and activities allows for meaningful synchronous or asynchronous connections among classrooms.
Here’s what users are saying:
"[The children] went away with a sense of new understanding and how important it is not to just assume things by the way people look. They developed an ability to discover commonalities and cultivate a sense of curiosity about people around them. It was truly a life-changing moment for some of these young minds."
--Cathy WIlliams, Educator, South Carolina
“Through our work with Empatico and our partner class my students developed the power to be patient, the power to be resilient, the power to communicate effectively, the power to be positive digital citizens, and the power to be kind and empathetic towards others.”
--Alicia Schordine, Educator, Texas
