The ONE Skill That Transforms School Climate: Empathy Over Compliance

In today’s schools, academic achievement and behavioral rules are important, but they alone aren’t enough to build healthy, inclusive learning environments. One of the most powerful, yet often overlooked, skills that can transform school climate is empathy.

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. It allows students to go beyond compliance with rules and grow into compassionate individuals who notice when others struggle, speak up when someone is excluded, and take meaningful steps toward inclusion.

Why Empathy Matters in Schools

Research and educational practice increasingly underline the role of empathy in shaping positive relationships among students. When young people are supported to understand what others feel, they are better able to:

• Connect with peers who may be different from them,
• Respond sensitively to emotional struggles,
• Navigate conflict constructively, and
• Create communities where everyone feels safe and valued.

Empathy doesn’t mean always agreeing with someone else’s perspective. It means being willing to listen, understand, and act with care, often to reach good-for-all compromises.

(Source: Cambridge School of Bucharest, What is Empathy and Why is it Important in the Education of Our Children?)

Stories That Bring Empathy to Life

As part of the EMBRACE project, Module 4 “Spiritual Well-being” puts a special focus on empathy and inclusion through stories that resonate with young people’s lived experiences. 

In the latest video for high school students, we follow Ana and Alex, two teens navigating the emotional challenge of social exclusion at school. What they discover is simple, yet powerful:

👉 One act of empathy can transform silence into connection.

This story shows that empathy is a practical tool students can use in their daily interactions to support one another and build trust within their school community.

🎥 Watch the video here:
English: https://youtu.be/lEbFZ5LPUHU

Romanian: https://youtu.be/ieOE0VTkQO4

Small Choices Lead to Big Impact

Empathy is in the small moments: a gentle question in a quiet hallway, choosing to sit beside someone eating alone, or offering a kind word during a difficult moment. These simple choices:

• Build trust,
• Encourage inclusion, and
• Strengthen emotional well-being across the school.

When students feel seen and understood, they are more likely to participate fully in learning, support their peers, and contribute to a compassionate school culture.

Together for Compassionate Schools

Emotional literacy isn’t just about understanding emotions in oneself; it’s also about recognizing and responding to emotions in others. Empathy is one of the core skills that makes this possible.

The Power of Kindness and the Connections It Builds

Kindness sits at the center of healthy emotional development. Children learn how to read others, communicate clearly, and manage conflict through simple social exchanges. These skills grow when their environment rewards empathy and cooperation.

Module 4 of the EMBRACE project introduces kindness as a daily practice that strengthens relationships. A small gesture can lower tension and set a calmer tone in a group. Psychologists emphasize that empathy supports social functioning and shapes how young people interpret the behaviour of others. Higher empathy often aligns with fewer aggressive reactions, which supports safer and more predictable interactions among peers.

Kindness also influences well-being. Research on self-directed compassion programs shows reduced anxiety and improved mood among participants. When young people learn how to approach themselves with patience, their ability to handle pressure improves. This shift carries into classrooms, homes, and youth groups, where communication becomes more manageable, and conflict resolution becomes smoother (Source: National Library of Medicine).

Children observe emotional cues constantly. When they notice kindness in adults or peers, they map these examples onto their own behaviour. A friendly check-in, a shared task, or a patient explanation provides more than comfort. It builds habits that support resilience.

Small actions accumulate. They create an atmosphere where young people feel able to speak, ask for help, or step back from a stressful situation. These moments shape long-term relational patterns and give children practical tools for emotional stability.

Module 4 explores these ideas through short explanations and guided reflections. The video presents kindness as an accessible skill that any child can develop with support and repetition.

Watch our  Module 4 video on kindness: 

This Module 4 video – created for middle school (kids aged 10-14) – shows how one act of kindness can change someone’s day and help others feel included. 

English: https://youtu.be/2jSkvkva98M

Romanian: https://youtu.be/3ZSAD543O9o

How do you see kindness making a difference in your family, classroom, or youth group?

How to Create Joy: Research-Backed Tips for Parents and Guardians

Seven practical, evidence-based strategies that help children and teenagers feel safe, connected and joyful.

Joy in childhood often grows out of small, everyday interactions. Moments of play, connection, curiosity, gratitude and care. Research in child development shows that emotional wellbeing depends on consistent, nurturing relationships and predictable environments. This week, the EMBRACE Project focuses on how parents and guardians can intentionally create joyful conditions at home by supporting children’s emotional, social and physical needs.

The EMBRACE Public Awareness-Raising campaign highlights seven practical strategies backed by studies in psychology, developmental science and paediatrics:

1. Make time for play
   Unstructured, child-led play supports emotional regulation, creativity and cognitive flexibility. Even 20–30 minutes of daily playtime can strengthen the parent-child relationship and give children space to process emotions. 

Source: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The Power of Play: A Pediatric Role in Enhancing Development in Young Children.

2. Be present and responsive
   Attentive, back-and-forth communication (often described as “serve-and-return”) helps children feel seen and emotionally secure. This sense of attunement is a strong foundation for positive emotions and everyday joy. 

Source: U.S. Department of Education. Supporting Child and Student Social, Emotional, Behavioral, and Mental Health.

3. Model gratitude
   Simple gratitude practices such as sharing “one good thing” during meals or keeping a family gratitude jar increase optimism, life satisfaction and prosocial behaviour in children and adolescents. 

Source: Review: Gratitude Interventions and Resilience. Summary of evidence linking gratitude practices with well-being.

4. Keep family routines and shared meals
   Predictable rituals such as shared meals, reading together or regular check-ins give children stability and opportunities for meaningful conversation. Frequent family mealtimes are associated with improved emotional and behavioural outcomes. 

Source: Fiese, B. & Schwartz, M. (2008). Reclaiming the Family Table: Mealtimes and Child Health and Wellbeing. PubMed Central (PMC)

5. Support autonomy
   Offering age-appropriate choices, responsibilities and opportunities for decision-making supports intrinsic motivation and strengthens confidence. Autonomy-supportive parenting helps children develop a sense of agency and ownership over their actions. 

Source: Bülow, A., et al. (2022). Universal Ingredients of Parenting Across Cultures: Parental Warmth and Autonomy Support. Nature Human Behaviour.

6. Encourage kindness and community involvement
   Small acts of kindness, participation in school activities or helping others in the community contribute to a stronger sense of meaning and connection. Prosocial behaviour reliably increases positive emotions in young people. 

Source: Greater Good Science Center (GGSC). Grateful Schools, Happy Schools: Gratitude and Resilience in School Settings.

7. Prioritize sleep and nutrition
   Healthy sleep routines and balanced meals provide the foundation for emotional regulation, attention and energy. Consistent bedtimes and fruit- and vegetable-rich meals have measurable benefits for wellbeing.

Source: Study: the quality of sleep significantly affects emotional regulation in adolescents.

These seven strategies show how joy can be cultivated through simple daily actions that strengthen relationships and foster emotional security. As part of the PAC campaign, EMBRACE partners in Romania and Spain continue to promote accessible tools and guidance for families, educators and communities.

Read in Romanian

What Brings Real Joy? Exploring Emotions with the Plutchik Wheel

As part of the EMBRACE #KnowEmotions campaign, we are dedicating this week to the fundamental emotion of Joy. We explore emotions through the lens of psychologist Robert Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions, a comprehensive theory showing how eight basic emotions (including joy, trust, fear, and sadness) connect and transform into one another.

Joy is found in the small things. Moments of laughter, play, connection, and imagination that bring colour back into our days and help young people grow with confidence. Sometimes joy feels like a rebellion, a quiet act of hope in uncertain times.

Critically, Plutchik’s model highlights that Joy is the direct opposite of Sadness, making it a key element in building overall emotional balance and resilience. Finding happiness in small things is not about ignoring challenges, but about building strength through connection and creativity.

The EMBRACE Squad on Joy

In our new animated video, the EMBRACE characters take viewers on a journey to discover this essential part of emotional well-being:

• 💡 Sparky discovers joy through creativity and imagination.
• 🤝 Maya and Leo share laughter that strengthens their bonds.
• 🎶 Ana finds joy through music.

Together, they show that joy is a vital part of growing up and building resilience.

“Find joy in the ordinary and see how it transforms the extraordinary.”

Resources & Mission

By promoting emotional literacy, participatory learning, and resilience, the EMBRACE CERV PROJECT supports children, families, and educators in nurturing healthy emotional development.

Watch the new animation here: 

EN: https://youtu.be/EYXWHojiUks

RO: https://youtu.be/6epJBTUnOyc 

Learn more about the Plutchik Wheel: Feelings Have Layers: Exploring the Plutchik Wheel of Emotions

Listening Strengthens Inner Wellbeing: What Module 4 Teaches Us About Supporting Young People

Listening is one of the simplest and most powerful ways to support children’s inner wellbeing. It costs nothing, requires no special tools, and yet has an extraordinary impact on how young people understand themselves, navigate emotions, and build a sense of meaning.

Module 4 of the EMBRACE Project focuses exactly on that: spiritual and inner wellbeing. It introduces practical ways for children and teenagers to feel grounded, balanced, and connected with themselves and with others.

Why Listening Matters

The European Commission recently highlighted this topic in its World Children’s Day message, reminding us that listening to children is essential. When adults take children’s views seriously, we gain genuine insight into their needs, challenges, hopes, and everyday experiences.

This principle also drives the EU Children’s Participation Platform, part of the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child. It ensures that young people have a meaningful voice in shaping decisions that affect their lives.

EMBRACE follows the same approach.
Each module (including Module 4) is shaped by feedback from kids who learn from the modules, and the input we gained from the Children’s forum, where young people were asked directly about their challenges and expectations. Their input informs every educational tool developed in the project.

What Module 4 Offers

Module 4 explores inner and spiritual well-being in a down-to-earth, accessible way. It focuses on:

• Emotional balance
• Understanding personal values
• Finding moments of calm and reflection
• Simple grounding techniques
• Building meaning and inner stability

For every module, we develop material for three age groups: elementary, middle, and high school.

One example is the Module 4 video on values for elementary school kids (aged 6-10),  which introduces everyday practices that help young people reflect on what guides their choices and relationships.

📺 Watch the video in English or Romanian: 

EN: https://youtu.be/1FN72URdmsw

RO: https://youtu.be/6VTbTAwsrv4 

Inner Wellbeing Starts with Everyday Practices

Parents, teachers, psychologists, and youth workers often ask what helps children feel steady and secure. Module 4 summarises insights collected during consultations and project work:

• quiet time and slow routines
• validating children’s feelings
• regular check-ins during the day
• rituals that bring predictability
• journaling, drawing, or creative play
• mindful breathing or grounding exercises

This list is not final; every child is different. But one theme appears across countries and age groups: children feel calmer when they feel heard.

A Shared Message Across Europe

The alignment between the European Commission’s message and the EMBRACE methodology is not accidental. Both underline that children’s well-being depends on trust and meaningful communication. Whether at home, in school, or in policy frameworks, listening is the foundation of support.

What Helps the Children You Know?

One simple question remains at the heart of this topic:
Which practices help the children and young people around you feel calm and grounded?
Parents, educators, counsellors, and youth workers all bring valuable experience, and sharing it helps strengthen wellbeing at the community level.

Learn more about the EMBRACE project and explore our modules!

Social Media and My Wellbeing 📱🌱

Have you ever thought about how social media affects the way young people feel and connect with the world? 

As part of the EMBRACE Future Public Awareness Campaign #KnowEmotions, we explore how young people experience the digital world and how emotions are shaped online.

Children and teenagers today grow up surrounded by digital realities that deeply shape their well-being. Social media can be a place of creativity and friendship, but it can also bring challenges that affect emotional stability and relationships.

Our new animation video takes us on a journey through Alex’s journey with social media.

Like many teens, Alex faces the challenges of social media. Step by step, he learns how to use it wisely, expressing himself creatively while protecting his well-being.

🎬Animation Video: 

🇬🇧https://youtu.be/Ze2gp7kjSak

🇷🇴 https://youtu.be/rFDCA0AXyAk 

The workshop “Social Media and My Wellbeing” during the Children’s Forum 2025, explored how young people experience the online world, how emotions are shaped in digital spaces, and what tools they need to stay safe and emotionally strong.

This isn’t just about raising awareness, it’s about giving children the space to share and build skills that will help them navigate social platforms in a healthier way. Together with parents, educators, and policymakers, we are working to make emotional literacy and mental health a shared priority.

Together, we are building brighter futures for children.

Children’s mental health is everyone’s responsibility – let’s work together to nurture their happiness!

🌙 Discovering Inner Values: Introducing Module 4 of EMBRACE

Young people grow not only through academic learning, but also through understanding their emotions, values, and connections with others. Decades of research in positive psychology confirm that these socio-emotional competencies are critical predictors of long-term success and well-being, often more so than IQ alone. Module 4 of EMBRACE places this inner development at the center.

This module focuses on spiritual well-being in a secular, psychological sense. It is a dedicated space where young people can explore what truly matters to them, how they relate to others, and how they can build meaningful, healthy relationships.

At its core, Module 4 introduces practical techniques grounded in scientific understanding:

• Inner values: Understanding what guides decisions, behavior, and identity. Psychologically, aligning behavior with core values (value congruence) is directly linked to higher self-efficacy (belief in one’s own ability) and reduced anxiety.
• Emotional literacy: Naming emotions and learning to communicate them. When a young person can clearly say, “I feel frustration and disappointment” instead of just “I’m angry,” they are using a technique called affect labeling. fMRI studies have shown that this simple act engages the prefrontal cortex (the brain’s executive control center) to decrease the intensity of strong feelings.
• Compassion, generosity, gratitude: Building a mindset that supports empathy and inclusion. Think of this as emotional strength training. These are cornerstones of positive psychology; the deliberate practice of gratitude has been proven to literally rewire the brain, increasing gray matter density and naturally boosting feel-good neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin. 
• Honesty and forgiveness: Important tools for personal and relational growth. From a psychological perspective, forgiveness is a form of emotional regulation that reduces chronic stress. It’s a conscious choice that lowers cortisol (the stress hormone) levels and improves cardiovascular health.
• Social inclusion: Recognizing and celebrating differences, helping students form broader group identities that foster tolerance and reduce ‘us vs. them’ biases.
• Healthy relationships: Understanding boundaries, respect, and support, equipping students with the tools to build secure, reciprocal bonds with peers, siblings, and parents.
• Emotional regulation: Practical techniques for balance in daily life. We teach students specific, practical strategies, such as cognitive reappraisal (reframing a stressful thought from “This is a disaster” to “This is a challenge I can handle”) and mindfulness exercises. Research confirms these are powerful tools for strengthening resilience.

Through guided reflection, short discussions, creative tasks, and group activities, students are encouraged to think more deeply about themselves and the world around them.

The module helps them recognise strengths they may not see, express emotions they often keep inside, and build the confidence to act in alignment with their values. By nurturing emotional and spiritual well-being, Module 4 supports young people in becoming more grounded, empathetic, and connected, both to themselves and to others, preparing them not just for a career but for a thriving life.

Source:

• Lieberman, M. D., Eisenberger, N. I., Crockett, M. J., Tom, S. M., Pfeifer, J. H., & Way, B. M. (2007). Putting feelings into words: Affect labeling disrupts amygdala activity in response to affective stimuli. Psychological Science, 18(5), 421‑428. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01916.x? 

Hölzel, B. K., Carmody, J., Vangel, M., Congleton, C., Yerramsetti, S. M., Gard, T., & Lazar, S. W. (2011). Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 191(1), 36‑43. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21071182/

From Idea to Action – Building Real Solutions 💡✨ – Empowering Young Voices at the Children’s Forum 2025

Have you ever wondered what happens when children and teenagers are given the tools to turn their ideas into real change?

At the Children’s Forum 2025, the workshop “From Idea to Action – Building Real Solutions” empowered young people to move beyond conversation and create tangible solutions for their schools and communities. 

Children and teenagers aren’t just participants – they create solutions that shape schools, families, and communities. With creativity, courage, and collaboration, they show how emotional well-being can grow. In this video, Leo shares his ideas with his friends, and together, they turn them into real solutions.

By transforming ideas into action, this forum workshop highlighted the importance of participation, creativity, and resilience in supporting mental health and building environments where children can thrive.

🎬 Watch the full animation video here: 

EN: https://youtu.be/bAksfluocBE

RO: https://youtu.be/f1Y8OBHrd3M 

All EMBRACE Future partners (Fundatia Serviciilor Sociale Bethany (FSSB), Fundatia de Sprijin Comunitar (FSC), Asociatia “Bună Ziua, Copii din România”` (BZRO), Federatia Organizatiilor Neguvernamentale pentru Copil (FONPC), and Evolutionary Archetypes Consulting SL (EAC))  were present at the forum to share their expertise and brought local experiences into the conversation, ensuring that young people’s perspectives remain at the heart of the process.

Designing Safer, More Supportive Schools – Insights from the EMBRACE Future Forum

At the EMBRACE Future PROJECT Forum in Bucharest, children and teenagers were invited to speak openly about the pressures and emotional challenges they face in school. The result was a powerful reminder of how much insight young people have when we give them a safe platform to share their experiences.

The Emotional Landscape: What Young People Shared

Students described challenges that echo national research in Romania:

– loneliness

– fear of failure

– difficulty building trust with teachers

– pressure from exams

– feeling misunderstood

– cyberbullying and offline bullying

Data from the INI Institute (2024) shows that nearly one-third of Romanian students report experiencing physical or psychological abuse, and cyberbullying is rising, contributing to higher rates of anxiety and depression.

Student-Designed Solutions

Rather than focusing only on challenges, young people proposed clear, realistic ideas:

• A weekly day for emotional reset, collaboration, and rest
• A student advisor to enable direct communication with the Ministry of Education
• Better access to psychologists and counselors through school–NGO partnerships
• Peer-counseling programs and dedicated calm rooms for emotional support

These proposals align with research in education and developmental psychology, which highlights that student involvement in decision-making can improve well-being, motivation, and school climate.

How EMBRACE Responds

EMBRACE Future integrates these insights into its educational materials and emotional literacy resources, aiming to strengthen empathy, emotional awareness, and community support in schools across Europe.

Listening Is the First Step

Young people are active contributors with valuable ideas that the school system can make use of.

They’re not waiting for change.

They’re imagining it and communicating.

Our responsibility is to listen and act.

Source: INI Institute. (2024, April 18). Mapping Youth Mental Health Landscapes

💭 What Are Children Most Afraid Of?

⇒ At the recent EMBRACE Future Forum in Bucharest, children and teenagers opened up about their greatest fears.

Their voices revealed ten common fears:

1. Not having anyone to talk to when they feel unwell
2. Not being heard or understood by others
3. Feeling inadequate or not good enough
4. Difficulty building positive relationships with teachers
5. Failing exams
6. Experiencing bullying without support from peers
7. Being isolated or rejected for sharing their feelings
8. Not being accepted by friends or judged for who they are
9. Difficulty coping with change or new challenges
10. Feeling that their emotions are not valid or important

These fears are not signs of weakness, they just show us what children need most, and that is understanding, safety, and connection.

Our EMBRACE characters portrayed lead the way and show us how it’s done:

🦉 Wise Owl helps Sparky overcome his fear of jumping over the river.

📚 Alex+ and Alex study to overcome the fear of failing in their next test.

💬 Maya+ listens to Maya, who is scared that her feelings aren’t valid.

🌱 So what can we do in real life?

During the Forum, young people proposed creative, actionable ideas to address these challenges:
→ A weekly day for relaxation and team-building activities
→ A student advisor at the Ministry of Education to ensure young voices reach decision-makers
→ More school psychologists and counselors through school–NGO collaborations
→ Peer counseling programs and dedicated mental health spaces in schools

Global research shows that stronger school-community collaboration and improved access to counseling services can significantly enhance students’ mental health and academic success (Source).

Each proposal brings us closer to schools that nurture care, empathy, and trust.

Learn more: embrace-future.eu