Empathy Week with Ed Kirwan

In this episode Toria talks to founder of Empathy Week Ed
Kirwan. 

Ed Kirwan is the CEO, founder and filmmaker at Empathy Week - a
global educational programme that uses the power of film to
develop students into empathetic leaders, with the aim of
building the #EmpathyGeneration. 


Ed entered the working world through Teach First and taught
science in North London for 3 years, including as a Head of
Chemistry. Since then he has spent his time filming and using
visual storytelling to champion social causes - particularly
homelessness and in 2018 went to Mexico for the 2018 Homeless
World Cup. In 2019, Ed travelled to India where he worked
alongside Slum Soccer to develop a leadership modular course for
their young participants. These opportunities led him to create
Empathy Week which incorporates the use of powerful films, lesson
resources and a ‘Global Empathy Action Challenge’ and in 2020 the
programme reached schools in 40+ countries across 6 continents
and engaged 20,000 students before growing to engage a massive
80,000 students during 2021!


A strong believer in a fair education for all, Empathy Week is
free to every government and state funded school around the world
- every child should have the opportunity to develop the skills
of empathy, leadership and resilience. It’s not only an essential
step to creating a better world but one to help every student be
a success in life within and beyond school.


Ed is a storyteller. A firm believer in the power of film and an
eternal optimist. Film is a tremendous tool and has immense power
to inspire, encapsulate and motivate us to believe that we have
the ability to change the world - because we truly do. Crucially,
it allows us to experience another person’s life who we would
never have had the opportunity to meet otherwise and allows us to
place our own life in a new and more powerful context because of
it. 

This is how Empathy Week aims to move students and teachers into
action and towards a world where there is less ignorance and
stronger relationships across cultures and borders. With the
success in schools, Empathy Week now offers services to
businesses and employees at different levels of their careers. Ed
believes that to change the world we first have to understand the
people in it and that’s as important for business as it is for
schools. Empathy shouldn’t be an add-on. It is crucial to all
human interactions, life, performance and wellbeing.

To find out more and subscribe go
to http:www.empathy-week.com


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