Instilling Empathy from an Early Age, a Simple Way to Shape Children's Character for the Future
JAKARTA - Forming a child's character for the future is not enough to rely on academic intelligence. One of the important foundations that needs to be instilled from an early age is empathy, the ability to understand and feel the condition of others.
The most effective way to train empathy is not just through advice, but through real experiences, such as sharing and participating in social activities. That's where children learn that success is not only measured by grades, but also by caring for others.
In the midst of parental attention that is often focused on academic achievement, the aspect of character education is still often overlooked. In fact, forming a caring, responsible, and socially sensitive person cannot only rely on learning in the classroom.
These values actually develop more strongly when children are directly involved in real activities that touch the lives of others. This initiative is presented by the English 1 English language school network through the "English 1 Unite for Sumatra" program.
This program is a fundraising movement aimed at helping children and families affected by floods in a number of areas in Sumatra. More than just a donation, this program is a learning tool for children to understand the meaning of sharing directly.
Operation Director English 1, Christopher Lloyd, emphasized that character formation cannot only rely on theories in the classroom. He conveyed that character education needs to be realized through real actions involving students and parents directly, so that the values of empathy and concern can grow naturally.
Through this campaign, students not only learn the concept of empathy in theory, but also experience it themselves. They are involved in the fundraising process while understanding the purpose and impact of the assistance provided.
For parents, this approach is a reminder that children's learning process does not only come from books, but also from everyday life experiences.
Marketing Director English 1, Rhea Danaparamita, explained that the funds collected will be used to meet the basic needs of the victims, such as food, clean water, and health services.
"This is targeted to reach around 250 thousand beneficiaries, including 170 thousand children in the affected areas. However, the main essence of this program does not lie in the amount of collected assistance, but in the learning process experienced by children while participating in it," he explained.
Through the "Super Parents: Kindness in Action" campaign, children are encouraged to actively participate in various social activities. These activities include collecting donations with families, breaking the fast with the community, to the "Junior Learning Buddies" program, where students have the opportunity to become teachers for other children in the surrounding area.
Interestingly, to participate in the program, students must go through several stages of selection, such as writing a motivation letter, undergoing an interview, and undergoing training.
"Not only for our students, parents also show a positive response to activities like this. Because it is possible that things like this are things they can't get in formal education," he said.
This process not only trains communication skills, but also builds a sense of responsibility and confidence. This is where the role of educational institutions becomes increasingly important.
Schools are no longer just a place to transfer knowledge, but also a space to cultivate social sensitivity and shape children's character holistically.
Rhea emphasized that her party wanted to instill a culture of sharing consistently in the learning environment.
"We as an educational institution have a responsibility not only to improve students' academic ability, but also to build social awareness and concern for others," he said.
For parents, approaches such as inviting children to share, discussing the condition of others, and involving them in simple social activities can be the first step to cultivating empathy from an early age.