November 13, 2024 – Fostering Critical Thinking in a Hyperconnected World

This panel delved into the critical role of empathy, creativity, and critical thinking in children’s development within a rapidly evolving tech landscape. The session explored the challenges and opportunities posed by AI, focusing on how to nurture more balanced technology use and empathy in young minds.

As a panelist, Mary Gordon shared a compelling perspective, emphasizing that empathy is essential for child development and cannot be cultivated through screens alone. She observed: “It’s a balance of how much time our children are playing with one another, or with an adult, versus interacting with the screen. And you do not develop empathy interacting with the screen. And it’s core.” Mary  addressed technology’s impact on social skills and the risks of increased loneliness, stressing the importance of real-world interactions, intrinsic motivation, and community-driven approaches over strict bans to manage screen time effectively.

Joining Mary in this thought-provoking discussion were:

• Melissa Cash, CEO & Co-Founder, Pok Pok
• Ben Drury, Co-Founder and CEO, Yoto

The session was moderated by Rebecca Hutson, Editor & Editorial Director at thenewsmovement.com.

Together, the panelists underscored the necessity of teaching children healthy digital habits and constructive digital learning, understanding the implications of screen use, and fostering connections outside of screens to nurture empathy. They highlighted the shared responsibility of parents, educators, and tech developers in creating a balanced approach to technology and types of digital interactions in children’s lives.

The Web Summit brought together over 70,000 attendees, including policymakers, heads of state, and leaders from tech companies and startups, to tackle a pressing question in today’s uncertain times: Where to next?

See the panel discussion here.

Mary, Founder and President of Roots of Empathy, was one of two Thought Leaders invited to address global Ministers of Education in Edinburgh, Scotland.

In her formal presentation, Mary emphasized the role of empathy and relational teaching in strengthening student connections, shaping classrooms where students feel a sense of belonging and inclusivity. This, in turn, promotes greater student engagement—an urgent need as schools contend with rising absenteeism and increased student dysregulation.

Following this, Mary delivered a public talk titled Reach to Teach: Empathy – The Superhighway to Connection, where she spotlighted Roots of Empathy’s vision for education that builds not only academic competencies but also nurtures the empathy needed to foster friendships  – “armour for a child”. Mary observed that schools have a massive influence, it’s not just where children learn but it’s where they become. Learning emotional literacy is state-dependent. Watch Mary’s presentation here.

Mary Gordon, President and Founder, participated as a panelist at “The Transformational Power of Male Compassion online event, speaking on the opening panel. The discussion focused on ‘understanding and celebrating the beauty of males and nurturing boys’ development into healthy men.’ The event, hosted by the Global Compassion Coalition and moderated by Dr. Daniel Ellenberg, also featured Dr. Judy Chu (ROE US Board member) and Dr. Paul Gilbert as panelists. In the first week of release, the panel discussion garnered over 1,000 views.

Mary shared crucial insights on the importance of fostering empathy in boys to address the “male crisis of connection.” She emphasized that nurturing empathy can improve mental health, reduce bullying, and break intergenerational cycles of violence. Roots of Empathy proudly supports the Men and Boys Compassion Institute.

Roots of Empathy Founder and President Mary Gordon  was interviewed for the Power of Love Summit, emphasizing the connection between love and empathy. “To truly love, you must understand and feel with others… Without empathy, there is no glue in relationships,” she stated. The full video, which delves further into these important themes, received 2,000 views in its first two weeks.

Mary Gordon was delighted to be the closing speaker at the 30th Augustana Human Library. Her talk, “Walking a Mile in My Shoes,” delved into the significance of empathy as a cornerstone of building an inclusive society, its impact on children, and the importance of developing empathy early.

The Augustana Human Library has been recognized with multiple awards, including the 2018 University of Alberta Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Award. In 2017, it also received the ALA Presidential Citation for Innovative International Library Projects.

Mary Gordon closed the conference  with an inspiring and motivating presentation on the impact of the empathy movement through the global work of Roots of Empathy. Attended by 450 judicial mediators, her talk was followed by an informative Question and Answer session.

Mary Gordon presented at the conference for judicial directors and supervisors. Her presentation on the global work and impact of Roots of Empathy was recorded for the Statewide Conference for Mediators on April 19th.

The Judicial Council is the policymaking body of the California courts, the largest court system in the nation. Under the leadership of the Chief Justice and in accordance with the California Constitution, the council is responsible for ensuring the consistent, independent, impartial, and accessible administration of justice. Judicial Council staff help implement the council’s policies.

Mary Gordon was the Keynote speaker at the 5^th Annual Early Learning Conference hosted by the Métis Nation of Ontario in Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario. The conference provided an opportunity for 350 attendees and educators from across Ontario, and other provinces to enhance their knowledge of Métis children and how to support Métis children in the classrooms and community. In her presentation Early Literacy Development Requires the Connection of Mind, Hand and Heart,  Mary received spontaneous applause throughout the presentation including when she said, ” I may not have prepared notes, but I have a prepared heart.” She was honoured to receive a standing ovation at the conclusion of the presentation which reviewed the history of Seeds of Empathy in supporting children’s development in early literacy and emotional literacy.

Speaking to 450 attendees at the Liuna Station in Hamilton Ontario, Keynote Mary Gordon spoke about “Setting a Place at the Table for Everyone”. Empathy is the ultimate human trait. Children’s parents and ECEs are powerful models for empathy. If we want to build a society that is inclusive and caring where everybody feels that they belong, it is imperative that we develop empathy. Thank you to the sponsors: Affiliated Services for Children and Youth, the City of Hamilton, and Mohawk College.

Mary Gordon gave the opening keynote address and spoke on the theme of Collective Trauma, Collective Hope, highlighting the cumulative effect of trauma and how empathy provides us with hope for the future. The New Brunswick Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Education funded the bilingual conference.

Roots of Empathy also presented a workshop, where Mary Gordon was joined by Julie Lundberg, Director of Curriculum and the Director of Atlantic Canada, Annie Oh, Research and Evaluation Coordinator, and Darlene MacDonald, Program Manager, NB & PEI. Together, they shared Roots of Empathy’s History as a Trauma Informed Program. 770 delegates attended the conference from a variety of professional fields such as education, government, military, RCMP, and social work, and they came from across Canada and from parts of the United States. See more about what was presented here.

In Helsinki, Finland, during education week, Mary Gordon co-presented with Aleta Margolis, Founder and President of the Center for Inspired Teaching, where they spoke and lead a dynamic discussion with teachers and policy makers. Their theme was on Cultivating Empathy, Academic Excellence, and Deeper Understanding.

Mary Gordon gave the opening keynote address at the HundrED Innovation Summit announcing the 2024 Collection, where she shared the inspiration for Roots of Empathy and its global impact. HundrED, a Finnish non-profit organization, annually evaluates global education programs for their impact on delivering quality education innovations that ‘transform school systems’ and equip students to ‘thrive as global citizens’. To see Mary’s speech, please visit this link.

Roots of Empathy was inducted into the HundrED Hall of Fame for Education Innovation in 2023. See our HundrED Profile: https://hundred.org/en/innovations/roots-of-empathy

Mary Gordon presented in Johannesburg, South Africa, on a panel for the MenCare Global Fatherhood Webinar Series – “Revolutionize the way boys are taught about care,” coordinated by Equimundo: Center for Masculinity and Social Justice, founded by Ashoka Fellow, Gary Barker.

The web series centered on the strategic recommendations from the State of the World’s Fathers 2023 Report. Each webinar throughout the year highlights one of the six recommendations from SOWF 2023, which align with the acronym CARING. The webinar series highlights examples and evidence of care systems from around the world that engage men in unpaid care work. Mary Gordon contributed the story of how Roots of Empathy socializes boys to feel and to care. See the discussion here.

Cheryl Luptak, from Change Openly, invited Governor General of Canada Innovation Award (GGCI) laureates to share their valuable perspectives regarding the GGIAs in order to assess the impact of the award and explore how to amplify their impact. Change Openly empowers change makers to make a bigger difference by helping ignite and nurture social good – bravely, fully and openly.

The Summit held in Vancouver, B.C., spanned the Arts, Humanities, Sciences, and Humanitarian and Social Justice Initiatives. Designed to build community that crosses continents, cultures, and fields, Mary Gordon spoke on the topic of Roots of Empathy: The Global Children’s Program, The Research and Impact on Education Policy. Mary shared the empathy theme with Dr. Tania Singer, of the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany. Other speakers included dear Roots of Empathy colleagues, Thupten Jinpa and Dr. Daniel Siegel.

Mary Gordon spoke in Toronto at the Collision conference, one of the world’s largest tech conferences, with 36,000 participants. Mary participated on the panel discussion:  ChatGPTeacher? The Future of Learning. (See a short clip).

Mary Gordon spoke at the Symposium on a topic of inclusion: Setting a Place at the Table for Everyone at our 10th Annual Research Symposium (see the presentation here). The symposium had over 1300 registrants (live and online combined) with 95 % of post-event survey respondents that they were pleased with the outstanding presentations.

Mary Gordon was interviewed by the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC) radio’s Fresh Air discussing the upcoming Roots of Empathy Research Symposium, “Empathy Towards a More Caring World”. Fresh Air, hosted by Ismaila Alfa, brings you a showcase of voices, stories, events and ideas that make Ontario lively and interesting.

Mary Gordon speaks with Everett Fitzhugh, a Roots of Empathy volunteer father and sportscaster for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League, making him a local hero. This followed an address to ROE volunteer parents/babies and Instructors in Seattle along with funders at their 16^th Annual Roots of Empathy Baby Celebration

Mary Gordon spoke at UK Canada Foundation at Canada House Trafalgar Square. Wanda Hamilton, CEO of the Canada-UK Foundation, was our host. Mary was a guest of Honourable Ralph Goodale, High Commissioner for Canada in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Roots of Empathy supporters and Board of Trustees met to discuss recent developments in the UK and future opportunities. Roots of Empathy is the biggest Canadian children’s charity (education) in the UK. Speakers included William Sword (Chair, Board of Trustees and Executive Committee of the Foundation), Mary Ito (ROE Canadian Board Member), Baroness Glenys Thornton (ROE UK Board Trustee), Morris Meehan (Public Health Agency, Northern Ireland), Graham Allan (Former MP and ROE UK Board Trustee), and Mary Gordon.

Mary Gordon spoke as part of a C20 panel (Civil 20, India 2023) virtual event called “Education and Digital Transformation: Education for Life, Global Citizenship”. Find highlights of Mary Gordon’s contributions from this panel discussion here. The objective of the discussion panel was to contribute to the preparation of a G20 policy document with recommendations for the theme – “Education for Life & Global Citizenship”