The objective of the Compassionate School Network (CSN) is to give teachers the tools and training they need to teach compassion. The goal is to raise compassionate children who will then grow up to become compassionate adults with the hope is that this will lead to a more tolerant, peaceful society.

Despite the important place of compassion in all major world religions as a litmus test for character development, and the rapid growth of research on compassion in neuroscience and psychology, few educational programs have been designed to introduce compassion education in schools.

The program is based in the firm belief that "compassion is a skill."  And  compassionate living skills can be learned and cultivated. The program incorporates 10 ‘compassion skills’ that are based directly on Karen Armstrong’ book Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life.

The ten core compassionate living skills are:  generosity, humility, mindfulness, empathy, gratitude, self-compassion, courage, action, loving-kindness, forgiveness.

Viewing compassion as skill allows educators to easily integrate compassion into the school’s culture, curriculum, and activities, without sacrificing valuable teaching time. While highlighting ‘gratitude’ for example, teachers can utilize various stories, poems, events and discussions, yet still meet important learning objectives.  Cognitive abilities are linked to our socio-emotional abilities: positive youth development, a student’s ability to think critically, their achievement, learning, and life satisfaction. Cultivating ‘compassion skills’ like mindfulness, gratitude, action etc will have a profound effect both on students learning process and for the way they live their lives. 

Location

Karachi, Pakistan