Youth Collaborating for Compassion
This EdNet Forum was held on Thursday, September 15, 2022 7:30-9:00am PDT
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
~ Dalai Lama
There is a need for all of us – especially youth, who are future leaders and citizens of the world – to imbibe compassion and kindness in our lives. That one step would contribute to making ours a more peaceful and tolerant world, where diversity is embraced and cultural differences are celebrated.
To make this an actionable reality on a global scale through a fun learning experience for youth, the Foundation for Peace and Compassionate Leadership in collaboration with the Charter for Compassion is spearheading a movement called Youth Collaborating for Compassion.
This co-initiative supports the self-directed development of young leaders through global intercultural/inter-school conversations and action-learning projects. These projects are initiated at the Middle and High School level by the students themselves (with the support of their teachers)and aimed at developing in them the skills for empathy, collaboration, problem solving and action at the local and global levels.
The founding director of FPACL, Arun Wakhlu will be illuminating how this process unfolds and also will share examples of how this has been practically applied in schools that are part of the Compassionate Schools network. The YCC vision is to create a global base of connected young leaders who hold space and work from Peace and Compassion, on socially purposeful projects that they are passionate about.
Working with young leaders through YCC
Through the YCC initiative, FPACL facilitates the process for students of Compassionate schools to initiate:
Action learning projects that catalyze, self-identified community goals and school centric initiatives to improve the overall well-being of the students at a school. These young leaders can therefore be instrumental in supporting the tackling of issues like drug abuse, bullying, violence, gender discrimination, racism, mental health, and other challenges our youth face today. Not just in their own communities and schools but in the world at large.
Intercultural/inter-school conversations with other schools in the Compassionate Schools Network. These conversations aim to illuminate and sensitize young minds to cultural similarities despite geographical differences, heighten their inner potential to be sensitive and tolerant of diversity, and improve their ability to work effectively in global teams.
YCC also holds space for young people to have the opportunity to share about and action their passion projects with other youth, thus developing a stronger bond with one another across the world. Through these newly formed bonds they are encouraged to take ownership in possible areas of sustainable collaboration from a perspective of Peace and Compassion.
Arun Wakhlu is a member of the global executive council of the Charter for Compassion and Author of the award winning book “Managing from the Heart." , and co-author of the book “One Wholesome World”. He is the Executive Director and Chief Mentor of Pragati Leadership, based in Pune, India - A spiritually inspired and professionally skilled community that works with clients in 29 countries, with an aim to unfold sustainable value for all stakeholders.
Arun is also the Chairman of the Pragati Foundation, an NGO working for catalyzing sustainable livelihoods and Compassion in Education. He has initiated and facilitated several international conferences to foster peace, prosperity, and collaboration for compassion.
His latest book (co-authored with his father Prof. Dr. Omkar N Wakhlu ) “One Wholesome World” is a practical game changing manual for global transformation starting with each one of us. Arun’s seven core strengths are Compassion, Creativity, Optimism,Enthusiasm,Relationship Building, Strategic Mindedness and Resilience. He loves life and sees it as Love In Full Expression.
