Roots of Empathy expanding as far as sponsors and volunteers are supporting

Times Contributor

 

Empathy is a trait that everyone can improve on, and is the same trait that students are learning in classrooms throughout Strathmore and area through the Roots of Empathy program. 

Roots of Empathy is an award winning, charitable organization that teaches students from kindergarten to Grade 8, the important virtue of empathy. In order to do so, a parent and infant visit a classroom for frequent visits over the course of the school year.  A trained Roots of Empathy instructor will also be present to help aid the classroom’s attention to the small baby to assist the class to understand why the baby may feel a particular way. The instructor will help the students identify what can be done to create a positive outcome for the baby, and in doing so, the students learn nurturing skills. The interaction between the class and the young child can often be integrated within the required school curriculum, while at the same time, it teaches the students social and emotional literacy, as well as problem solving.

The Roots of Empathy program was created in 1996 by Canadian Mary Gordon, who had firsthand experience working with families that had endured child abuse, neglect, and domestic violence. Gordon saw the absence of empathy in a lot of the family’s homes and therefore saw the need to create the experimental program. Gordon outlined the initial Roots of Empathy program in 1996, and it was piloted in a few classrooms throughout Toronto. The Roots of Empathy program has expanded significantly over the past 16 years, and has reached beyond Canadian borders. Roots of Empathy programs currently are situated in the United States, New Zealand, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and in the Isle of Man. According to the Roots of Empathy website, www.rootsofempathy.org, over 450 000 Canadian students have been taught by through the Roots of Empathy program over the past 16 years.

The Roots of Empathy’s mission is to create caring individuals that can recognize the feelings of others, igniting an internal and external awareness. In a long term perspective, the Roots of Empathy states on their website that the desire is to “break the intergenerational cycle of violence and poor parenting.”

The gap between young children becoming responsible parents may appear to be large, but since the year of 2000, there have been nine independent evaluations of the effectiveness of the program, and two whole reviews of Roots of Empathy that are able to support the organization’s claims. The key findings in all of the studies have showed a consistent increase in emotional literacy and pro social behaviors, and furthermore, a decrease in aggression. 

In the Wheatland County region, there have been eight Roots of Empathy programs during the 2011-2012 school year including: a couple of Grade 1 classes, several Grade 5 classes, a split class of six, seven and eight, and a Grade 8 class. Schools currently affiliated with the Roots of Empathy include: Westmount, Trinity Lutheran Christian Academy, Standard School, Brentwood, and Sacred Heart Academy.

Sandy Vigrass, the Roots of Empathy Provincial Manager in Alberta, who has also been an instructor herself, said that the Wheatland County School’s demand for the program is exceeding what can currently be accommodated.

“Because we don’t have as much funding to cover the training costs, costs to run the program, or peoples change their careers, some of our instructors are volunteers and they don’t volunteer forever, so we have to replace them. Funding is definitely something that restricts the expansion of the program,” she said.

Vigrass stated that the success of each year has been greatly dependant on getting the message out there; Roots of Empathy need volunteers.

Roots of Empathy receives some funding from the Government of Alberta from the Human Services Ministry but, the success of the program has been largely attributable to generous donations from sponsors. 

“In Strathmore, we’ve had generous support from Wheatland County and FCSS (Family and Community Support Services), and it’s what helps us to be able to maintain and increase the number of programs in Strathmore,” said Vigrass.

This year’s group of Roots of Empathy programs in Strathmore and area are soon to come to an end, and a new wave of programs will be implemented in classrooms in the upcoming school year. Where each program is to be designated is established at the school level, where the school believes the program can be the most effective.

“It’s a universal program. It’s not meant for the victim kids or the bullied kids, it’s meant for a whole classroom of children. It is most effective when the classroom teacher is keen, enthusiastic and, is willing to incorporate it in within their regular Alberta education curriculum that’s required,” said Vigrass. 

For the 2012-2013 school year, Roots of Empathy is recruiting families with an infant born in June, July, or August, who are willing to visit a classroom nine times throughout the school year. Community members, support staff from schools and social serving agencies who are interested to train as a Roots of Empathy Instructor are most welcome to apply.

More information about becoming an instructor or volunteer family can be found by calling Margo Comstock at 403-934-2237

More information about the organization can be found at the Roots of Empathy’s website, www.rootsofempathy.org