Ed Kirwan- Empathy: Connection that Inspires Learning

Summary:

In this episode of Beyond the Status Quo, Tamara and Kathryn speak with Ed Kirwan, founder of Empathy Week and Empathy Studios, which use film to build the skill of empathy in schools around the world. Ed traces his own first challenge to the status quo back to a Year 11 class he refused to write off, and follows a through-line from that classroom to his work today. His argument: trust is built on connection, connection is built on understanding, and empathy is the skill underneath both, the thing that turns belonging and human flourishing from aspiration into something schools can actually build.

Takeaways:

• Trust is built on connection, and connection is built on understanding, the chain running underneath everything Ed does.
• Film works as a catalyst for empathy: it creates a shared emotional moment that direct conversation on its own rarely reaches.
• Belonging has to be built through repeated, trusted connection over time, not simply declared as a school value.
• The more contact people have across different backgrounds, the less room bias has to take hold.
• Ed’s advice: think like an entrepreneur, try small things, measure what happens, and ask forgiveness rather than permission.
• Ed treats empathy as a skill, built deliberately through specific, repeatable methods, the same way any other skill is learned.
• Optimism is part of the job: educators are role models, and hope has to be modelled, not just felt.

Links:

Empathy Week | Website

Ed Kirwan | LinkedIn

Why Empathy Is Good for Business, and How to Improve It | World Economic Forum

Connect with Kathryn and Tamara on LinkedIn:

Tamara Zaple Rolfs FCCT | LinkedIn

Kathryn | LinkedIn

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