Why This Field Trip Matters
Interacting with individuals experiencing homelessness builds empathy, which is an integral part of social-emotional learning.
Empathy - the ability to understand and share the feelings and emotions of another person and respond with compassion and care - can be taught. 98% of us living on planet Earth have the ability to empathize.
Ways in which the Students in the City field trip fosters empathy:
Real life experience is a great teacher. Students who come into the city to distribute gift bags are put into another’s shoes when they interact with homeless individuals, and they most often realize that the people who they thought were homeless are not actually the people who are homeless. Hearing real life stories from folks on the streets immediately humanizes them. This experience helps to create empathy for all humans.
Interacting with people who are different than we are helps to break biases. We tend to be more empathic toward people who look like us. Students who come into the city will most likely encounter more people who are different than they are than are similar, which will help expand those students’ circle of concern and help to instill more open-mindedness and compassion toward others.
Hearing from folks experiencing homelessness hones listening skills. Listening hard (listening with presence and tuning in to a person’s unique feelings and needs) is a difficult skill to master. Being on the streets helps develop this skill.
Additionally Students who participate in this field trip will learn about homelessness both regionally and nationally because Project Ellie founder Patti Morin will lead them in discussions and direct them in ways to interact with individuals experiencing homelessness.
"The biggest deficit that we have in our society and in the world right now is an empathy deficit. We are in great need of people being able to stand in somebody else’s shoes and see the world through their eyes.”
Former President Obama