38 THE QUEENS COURIER • BACK TO SCHOOL • AUGUST 23, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
back to school
Experts say it’s never too early to teach
compassion and empathy to children
Th e news is fi lled with articles about the
opinions and attitudes of the millennial
generation and now, Generation Z. But
what about the youngest generation -
youths 4-9 years old? Th ese children are
growing up in a time of unprecedented
access to information, when civility,
kindness and compassion have taken
a back seat to bullying and violence.
Experts say it is more important now
than ever for parents to seek learning
moments in which children can experience
compassion and empathy.
Th e Jensen Project is a program
designed to foster compassion, inspiration
and courage in young people as a
path to avoiding the bullying and sexual
harassment prevalent on college campuses.
Th e program examines the attitudes
and opinions of young people with
the goal of inspiring a gentler, kinder,
more empathetic dimension in their
lives.
Janet Jensen, founder of Th e Jensen
Project, says, “Children are at their most
vulnerable when they are forming their
social skills. Th ey are a refl ection of what
they see and hear around them. Parents,
educators and media infl uencers need to
take extra care to teach compassion and
courage at an early age.”
Recent research conducted by
YouthBeat and commissioned by Th e
Jensen Project, asked youths ages 4-9 if
they thought the world would be a better
place when they grow up. Forty-one
percent said yes, while 38 percent felt the
world would be the same or worse.
In an alarming statement about what
stresses them the most, death and bullying
each rose to the top third of concerns
aft er family and school issues.
Experts agree bullying is becoming a
critical issue at a younger age and must
be addressed proactively if future generations
will be able to reduce the incidents
of harassment and sexual abuse in colleges
and beyond.
Jensen off ers the following recommendations
for parents to raise children with
compassion:
• Children learn by example, so let
them join you in volunteer projects
or encourage them to get involved in
age-appropriate volunteering.
• Actively engage them in conversation
about behavior that is troubling to you,
whether it be playground taunting or
headlines in the news. Ask them why
that behavior is hurtful.
• Inspire children to select friends of
all races, creeds and economic status
- not just friends who look like them.
Exposure to cross-cultural families and
friends teaches tolerance and understanding.
• It’s been said before, but is worth
emphasizing, that monitoring a child’s
exposure to video games, live streaming
and television time is one way to
reduce exposure to bullying and violent
behavior in entertainment.
Newscasts are fi lled with broadcasts of
murders, robberies, fi res, war, and political
corruption. Small children are taking
this in and processing it, along with their
visions of superheroes. Today’s youth
are the long-term future of our country,
Jensen says. Watching how the world
infl uences their thinking at a young age
is truly an investment in the future of
the country.
“Adults must become agents for positive
daily behaviors that can lead to longterm
change,” Jensen says. “Th e Jensen
Project is committed to providing the
inspirational resources to help make this
happen.”
For more information about Th e
Jensen Project, go to www.thejensenproject.
com.
Courtesy BPT
Children should learn empathy and compassion at an early age according to The Jensen Project.
/www.thejensenproj-ect.com
/www.thejensenproj-ect.com
/www.thejensenproj-ect.com
