Internationally acclaimed educator giving talk in Rotorua

MEDIA RELEASE

Internationally acclaimed educator giving talk in Rotorua

For immediate release: 18 November 2014

Internationally recognised, award winning educator and social entrepreneur Mary Gordon is coming to Rotorua. As part of her itinerary she will give a public talk about her innovative education programme, Roots of Empathy, on Thursday 27 November at 7.30pm at the Novotel.

Mary Gordon is the founder and president of Roots of Empathy, an innovative programme offered in more than 10 countries and has proven to reduce levels of aggression and bullying in school children by raising emotional literacy and increasing empathy. Currently six primary schools in Rotorua run the Roots of Empathy Programme.

Ms Gordon said she first started Roots of Empathy in Toronto almost 30 years ago. The programme has a local baby and parent who visit the classroom every three weeks over the course of the school year.

“A trained Roots of Empathy Instructor coaches students to observe the baby's development and to label the baby's feelings. The baby is the “teacher” and the instructor uses the baby to help children identify and reflect on their own feelings and the feelings of others.”

“The emotional literacy taught in the program lays the foundation for more safe and caring classrooms. The children are more competent in understanding their own feelings and the feelings of others and are therefore less likely to physically, psychologically and emotionally hurt each other through bullying and other cruelties,” Ms Gordon said.

“Roots of Empathy was developed with the aim to build more peaceful and caring societies by increasing the level of empathy in children,” she said.

Kaharoa School introduced Roots of Empathy in 2010 and Principal Warwick Moyle encourages more schools to become involved.

“The Roots of Empathy programme is fantastic for all primary school ages. Time and time again we have seen children emotionally develop and show more empathy as a result of running the programme in our school,” he said.

“Mary Gordon is only visiting four cities as part of her New Zealand trip and we are honoured she is coming to Rotorua.”

“I would recommend teachers and parents alike to come to her talk on Thursday 27 November to hear this inspirational educator,” he said.

To find out more information or to RSVP contact Kaharoa School. Cost to attend is $20.

Additional information

• Ms Gordon is the recipient of several prestigious awards recognizing her contribution to innovation in education and international social entrepreneurship, including the Manning Innovation Award, an award for being the top social enterprise in Canada. In 2009 she received the Public Education Advocacy Award from the Canadian Teachers' Federation.

• The focus of Roots of Empathy in the long term is to build capacity of the next generation for responsible citizenship and responsive parenting. In the short term, Roots of Empathy focuses on raising levels of empathy, resulting in more respectful and caring relationships and reduced levels of bullying and aggression. Part of the programme’s success is the universal nature of the program; all students are positively engaged instead of targeting bullies or aggressive children.

• In 1996 Mary outlined the initial curriculum of Roots of Empathy and began piloting the program in Toronto. In 2000 she established the national and international organization Roots of Empathy, which now offers programs in every province of Canada, New Zealand, the USA, the Isle of Man, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Wales, Scotland, and Germany. In 2005, Ms Gordon created the Seeds of Empathy program. She is a Member of the Order of Canada and an Ashoka Fellow.

• Ms Gordon is also the founder of Canada's first and largest school-based Parenting and Family Literacy Centres, which she initiated in 1981. They have become public policy in Ontario and have been used as a best practice model internationally. Ms Gordon speaks and consults to governments, educational organizations, and public institutions. The Nelson Mandela Children's Foundation brought Ms Gordon to South Africa to share her parenting expertise. Ms Gordon has also presented to the World Health Organization, the Skoll World Forum, and the United Nations, among others.

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