Newborn babies who have played a pivotal role in the Island’s pioneering Roots of Empathy programme were among the guests of honour at a celebration hosted by Education Minister Anne Craine MHK.
Roots of Empathy sees tiny babies and their parents visit classes of six and seven-year-olds regularly throughout the year. Trained instructors coach pupils to observe the babies’ development and interpret their feelings.
The initiative to introduce the Roots of Empathy programme into Island schools arose from the Early Years Conference hosted by the Department of Education in 2007.
Roots of Empathy allows children to gain insight into how others feel and develop a sense of social responsibility for each other. Evaluations have shown it has had a dramatic effect in reducing levels of aggression and violence among schoolchildren by raising social and emotional competence and increasing empathy.
Ten primary schools participated in the award-winning programme’s first year in the Isle of Man, each hosting ten 40-minute lessons. would be extended from September 2009, with a further 10 schools taking part. From September 2010, all primary schools will be participating.
Minister Mrs Craine said ‘I have been very keen to see the year end results of this programme. Its intention, to enable young people to be able to explore and understand their own feelings and relationships with one another, has very powerful possibilities in reducing aggression and poor behaviour. At a superficial level, it is important for our children to understand the development of babies and their need for nurture but the strength of the programme is that it enables them to understand their own emotions and behaviour towards one another.
It has been a fascinating year and one that could not have happened without the willingness of the parents to become involved and in particular the babies themselves. I am very grateful to all those who have taken part. I know that all of our schools wish that they could have been in the first cohort to pilot the scheme but I am glad that we are continuing to roll out this important programme to all of our schools over the next two years. At some point we have to intervene and try to address the increasingly difficult behaviour that some children display and I think Roots of Empathy plays a valuable part in doing that.’
Another guest of honour at the celebration was Mary Gordon, the Canadian woman who founded Roots of Empathy in her homeland in 1996. Since then it has been rolled out to New Zealand and the USA. However, the Island is leading the way in Europe as the only country to launch the programme.
Mrs Gordon addressed the gathering saying ‘I am thrilled to be attending the first Baby Celebration of the Roots of Empathy programme in the Isle of Man. The implementation of the programme has been exceptional and the enthusiasm at all levels has been palpable. The Isle of Man has been a leader in introducing Roots of Empathy outside of North America. Its country-wide approach is lauded as intelligent investment in a peaceful and civil society.’
Mother of five Sam Quirk, of Douglas, has taken newborn daughter Alyssia, now 11 months old, into Ballacottier Primary School after being signed up for the programme by her health visitor. She said ‘I’ve enjoyed taking part and Alyssia really enjoys the interaction she has with the children. It has been interesting to see how the class reacts towards Alyssia each time we visit them and see how excited they get when they see how much she has grown and which milestones she has reached.
The class always have really interesting questions to ask relating to what she can or can’t do. It has also been lovely to hear them share with the class their own personal stories about themselves and other siblings when they were younger. The children are always so excited to give us pictures and things they have made especially for us and you can see that they have put a lot of thought and effort into them. I was asked by one of the children if Alyssia would like the tooth they had just lost as she didn’t have any, which was really sweet.’
She continued ‘The programme has been beneficial in lots of ways. The children have worked well, helping each other as a team. They have listened to what other children in the class have had to say about themselves and about how different situations and experiences have made them feel. They have learnt how important it is to listen carefully to the needs of a baby and how they show how they are feeling through their noises and actions. They have seen how much a baby depends on somebody to look after it and how helpless they are when they are small.’
Pupils at Willaston School formed such a close bond with ‘their’ baby, Alfie Corrin, that they threw a party for him, complete with cake, on his first birthday – which coincided with their last lesson. Other schools have marked their babies’ birthdays in similar ways.
Keith Hardisty, Headteacher at Willaston School, said ‘The children have looked forward to visits from Alfie and have taken a great deal of interest in watching him grow and develop over the past nine months. It was delightful when I asked what he needed and the first answer that emerged was “love”. We feel very fortunate to have been included on the Roots of Empathy programme.’
At the celebration it was announced that the Isle of Man Children’s Centre has managed to secure the necessary funding (from the H&S Davidson Trust, the Freedom to Flourish Isle of Man Champions and the Public Lottery Trust) for an evaluation of the programme. It will begin in September and use the skills of the University of British Columbia and King’s College London. UBC has evaluated Roots of Empathy delivery and outcomes in all the countries where it is run.
John Knight, Chief Executive of the Isle of Man Children’s Centre, said: ‘Evaluation is such an important part of the overall process as it is crucial to be able to demonstrate the impact and success of the programme in quantifiable terms. A deeper understanding of outcomes not only reassures everyone involved in the programme’s delivery but also helps to demonstrate to the funders that their investment is meaningful. Using UBC allows the programme on Island to be directly compared with other countries and be evaluated in a consistent way, which can only be of benefit to all parties.’
Our picture (by Andrew Barton) shows a line-up featuring the babies, their mothers and – from left – Health and Social Security Minister Eddie Teare MHK; Member of the Department of Education Dudley Butt MLC; Education Minister Anne Craine MHK; founder of Roots of Empathy Mary Gordon; Alistair Audsley, brand consultant, Freedom to Flourish programme; Professor Hugh Davidson and Director of International Development with Roots of Empathy Chris Sarson.
