Global Call to Children, Youth and Schools

to Co-Create Charter for Compassion 2.0

A Classroom Activity for Listening, Dreaming, and Speaking from the Heart

In 2009, a group of people from many different cultures and religions came together to write a very special document called the Charter for Compassion. It was a promise—between people, communities, and countries—to treat each other with kindness, respect, and understanding.

Now, as the world changes, we want to make sure that this promise still speaks to everyone. And that includes you—our children and young people—because your voice matters and your dreams help shape the world we’re building.

Let’s Start with Two Important Words

• Charter: A charter is a written promise or agreement. It can be made by a group of people who want to live by shared values and treat each other well. A charter says: “Here is how we want to be together.”
   
• Compassion: Compassion means noticing when someone is hurt, sad, or in need—and then doing something kind to help. It’s caring with action. It’s what makes people feel safe, seen, and loved.

Questions for Student Reflection and Group Discussion

1. What does compassion mean to you?
2. Have you ever seen someone show compassion? What happened?
3. How do you feel when someone is kind to you?
4. What would a compassionate school, town, or world look like?
5. Who do we need to include when we talk about compassion?
6. What kind of promises should people make to help make the world more compassionate?
7. If you could write one sentence for the new Charter, what would it say?

Suggested Activities for Educators

1. Draw Compassion

• Invite children to draw a picture that shows what compassion looks like to them.
• Examples: helping a friend, caring for nature, standing up for someone.

2. "If I Were in Charge…" Writing Prompt

• "If I were in charge of a Charter for Compassion, I would make sure it said..."
• Let students write their own paragraph, poem, or short list of “compassion rules.”

3. Charter Collage

• As a class or group, create a large poster with student quotes, drawings, or handprints, titled “Our Compassion Charter.”
• Use this as your classroom’s contribution to send to the global Charter for Compassion team.

4. Compassion Role-Play

• Act out short scenes where someone is in need of help or kindness—and others respond with compassion.
• After each scene, talk about what choices were made and how everyone felt.
   

5. Compassion Around the World

• Explore how different cultures express compassion (e.g., Ubuntu in Africa, the Golden Rule in many religions).
• Invite students to think about how compassion connects all people.

How to Submit Student Contributions

We want to hear from you and your students! Please send student responses, images, or group reflections to:

Email: contact@charterforcompassion.org
Subject Line: Charter 2.0 – [Name of School], [Country]

Submissions may be shared (with permission) as part of the Charter for Compassion 2.0 creation process. Let's show the world how the next generation imagines a more compassionate future.