SEL Toolkit: Social Awareness
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) nurtures social awareness, the ability to understand and empathize with others' points of view. This part of the SEL Toolkit contains strategies and resources for increasing young people's social awareness.
Teaching Empathy
Active Listening and Open-Ended Questions
One way youth work professionals can teach empathy is by modelling active, empathic listening skills.
Center or Healthy Minds: 5 Tips for Empathy-Building in Youth
These activities and tips move between recognizing our own thoughts and emotions to intentionally cultivating empathy and compassion.
Reclaiming Digital Futures: Linking Social and Emotional Learning to Digital Learning
What does digital learning have to do with social and emotional learning? This resource highlights ways that digital learning programs can support youth outcomes around collaboration and empathy.
Edutopia: Five Minute Film Festival
This series of short videos focuses on kindness, empathy, and connection.
Brené Brown on Empathy
In this video short, Dr. Brené Brown reminds us that we can only create a genuine empathic connection if we are brave enough to get in touch with our own fragilities.
Creating Inclusive and Safe Environments
Usable Knowledge: Accentuate the Positive
This brief article and one-minute video from the Harvard Graduate School of Education discuss the transformative power of "microaffirmations."
SALTO-YOUTH: Peer Education Approach in Cultural Diversity
This training manual focuses on peer education in cultural diversity projects.
Advocates for Youth: Creating Safer Spaces for LGBTQ Youth
The goal of this toolkit is to create a safer and more welcoming environment for LGBTQ youth by directly addressing homophobia and transphobia among staff and young people. The toolkit includes LGBTQ-inclusive activities and much more.
Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN): Educator Resources
GLSEN provides many resources on respect and inclusion, including lesson plans on how to create an inclusive and safe environment.
Nurturing Civic Engagement
Learning to Give: Youth Activities
Learning to Give provides meaningful, fun, and ready-to-use materials that will engage youth in giving to benefit the common good.
National Youth Leadership Council
This website serves as a clearinghouse for national service-learning efforts and materials.
Exploring Community Resources
Photovoice Manual and Resource Kit
Produced by the Hamilton Community Foundation, this manual provides practical guidelines for those wishing to start a new Photovoice program.
