A. First Nations embrace education that is holistic, linguistically and culturally relevant and we acknowledge that learning and teaching is a lifelong journey from birth and early childhood to post-secondary and adult education;
B. First Nations acknowledge that we all have a duty and responsibility to provide guidance and teachings to our children and youth and that our ancestral teachings, through storytelling, legends and role-modeling have been preserved for thousands of years and connect the past to our future;
C. Our children and youth now attend different schools that reflect a diverse global population – and come from diverse global teachings. Schools are now tasked with teaching respectful behavior to many world peoples, including our Indigenous peoples in Canada;
D. The Roots of Empathy program was created in inner-city schools in Toronto and became a registered charity in October 2000. The program teaches Emotional Literacy, Perspective Talking, Problem Solving, Anti-Bullying, Culture of Caring, Participation Democracy, Social Inclusion, Neuroscience, Male Nurturance, English as a Second Language, Safety and Public Health Education, Abuse Prevention, Prevention of Teenage Pregnancy, Art/Music/Writing, and Literature;
E. Its “younger sibling” Seeds of Empathy, fosters social and emotional competencies and early literacy skills and attitudes for children from ages 3 – 5 years of age, and provides Professional Development for educators in Early Childhood Education;
F. In Canada, the Roots of Empathy program is developed in English and French and reaches rural, urban and remote communities, including First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities; and
G. The Roots of Empathy program fosters a teaching/learning environment that is compatible with traditional First Nations’ teachings and worldviews by addressing aggression in schools and improving the social/emotional competency and empathy of students towards one another.
