June 19, 2015 Draft to review Connecting the dots between feelings of empathy and acts of compassion through the lens of a K-5 Community Heroes pilot program By Suzanne Lettrick, Ed.M., M.Ed.

Abstract to come The shifting tides of our society The Digital Era along with its beloved technologies have reshaped people, cultures, and environments. It has also been culprit to the cavernous gap between rich and poor (Economist, 2006) and a progenitor of great apathy (Zaki, 2010) among people who now work, engage, and live together yet alone (Turkel, 2011). Paul Piff, UC Irvine professor of psychology and social behavior summarized the debilitating effect the divide between haves and have nots has on the care we provide our fellow humans: With money comes a decreased level of compassion towards other people and an increased focus on yourself (Nickbilton, 2015). Sara H. Konrath, in a 2010 University of Michigan study, revealed how empathy levels have decreased over the last 30 years, with an even steeper drop since the turn of the last century. The study showed that this significant decline is partly due to humans increasing physical isolation from each other. There is some good news, however. The fact that empathy is declining means that theres more fluidity to it than previously thought, [Konrath] says. It means that empathy can change. It can go up (Zaki, 2010). And why wouldnt we want it to go up? Even basic prosocial behaviors demonstrated in early childhood seem to directly correlate to later successes (Caprara et al, 2000). When children learn how to calm themselves... use language to express their feelings and treat others with kindness, they are laying the foundation for future success and wellness (Kris, 2015). Given these societal changes and challenges, it is helpful to understand the architecture of empathy and compassion as well as environments and strategies that might promote these qualities. This study utilized Jennifer Goetzs (2004) synthesized definitions of empathy and compassion: Empathy is a mirroring or vicarious experience of anothers emotions, whether they be sorrow or joy. Compassion is the next step in that it stems from the suffering of another, but includes the need or desire to alleviate suffering (action). For the sake of this study, empathy will be considered a state of being that may or may not lead to compassion, the agent for prosocial behavior.

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GENERAL LITERATURE A preliminary model to understand the architecture of compassion was devised in 1987 by James B. Stiff (Michigan State University), et al just at the time, 30-years-ago, empathy levels started to plummet. The data revealed to Stiff and team, at that point, that prosocial behavior is primarily motivated by concern for others, that emotional reactions to the perceived distress of others are preceded by a concern for others. (Stiff et al, 1987). Hence:

*Concern for others ! Emotional reactions ! *Prosocial behaviors *concern for others is a general concern for the welfare of others without experiencing the corresponding emotions of others (Stiff, 6). * Prosocial behaviors are those intended to help other people. Prosocial behavior is characterized by a concern about the rights, feelings and welfare of other people. Behaviors that can be described as prosocial include feeling empathy and concern for others and behaving in ways to help or benefit other people (Cherry, 2015).

The assumption here is that basic positive and negative emotions, such as sadness, anger, fear, joy play an important role in triggering prosocial behaviors: without an emotional reaction a prosocial behavior might not occur. With this 1987 model, a prosocial act would most likely occur when an emotional reaction (in our case empathy) is experienced. This study will test these assumptions shedding more light on whether this compassion paradigm is a constant or whether --along with changes in society--our formulas for promoting empathy and compassion must also change. Leaders of programs intended to consistently draw out prosocial behaviors from their participants would benefit from knowing the physiological and social mechanisms at play when compassionate acts are catalyzed. Distinct neurological systems of empathy According to the literature, there are at least two distinct neurological wiring systems for empathy (Simone G. Shamay-Tsoory). One is based on emotion (emotional contagion) and the other based on cognition (perspective taking/ ToM). Emotional contagion occurs when one person experiences an emotional response parallel to, and as a result of, observing another persons actual or anticipated display of emotion (Stiff et al, 5-6). Perspective taking is the ability of an individual to adopt the viewpoint of another (Stiff et al, 5). The researchers examined brain lesions involving regions of the brain thought to be responsible for cognitive empathy *(Ventro medial prefrontal VM-- of areas 10 and 11) and emotional empathy *(Inferior frontal gyrus IFG--area 44) and discovered that there are indeed two separate or independent (yet in some cases/situations, overlapping) regions of the brain responsible for a persons empathetic response. This study assumes that the emotional empathetic response is a lower less advanced (developmentally) system since rats and birds are able to perceive anothers emotional state. The cognitive system is considered a more advanced system found also in chimpanzees, since higher order beings are able to engage in perspective taking. According to this study, emotional empathy develops in infants, while cognitive empathy comes along a bit later in life (in children and adolescents). Younger children, for example, would experience emotional contagion, but perhaps not cognitive empathy. Older children --after developmental milestones were reachedwould express both emotional contagion and cognitive forms of empathy. A THIRD NUEROLOGICAL SYSTEM OF EMPATHY : Putting self into anothers shoes

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In a 2009 study, researcher Katharine N. Thakkar, et al revealed that the ability to imagine ones self in the shoes of another relates to mental rotating, maneuvering self into the others literal space / shoes and that empathy might be, in part, spatially represented. In this system, imagination plays a role both in rotating to fit and in working to feel how another might be feeling: Empathy involves, in part, the ability to simulate the internal states of others (Thakkar, p. ___). This practice of imagining yourself in the shoes of another has a different neurological system than emotional contagion and cognitive empathy: Separate lines of neuroimaging research have noted involvement of the same brain area, the *parietal cortex, during tasks involving visuo-spatial processes and empathy, said Katharine Thakkar. Developing empathy Though multiple regions of the brain may be associated with the empathetic response, researchers debated whether or not one could voluntarily activate it. A 2014 study shed light on this question. Affiliative emotions (those connected to the development of social and emotional bonds with others (Merriam-Webster, 2015), such as guilt and tenderness/affection) depend on a frontopolar-septohypothalamic network that is selectively engaged by affiliative compared with non-affiliative emotions such as anger/indignation, or disgust. Affiliative emotions are a key ingredient for moral behavior and empathy (Moll et al, 2014). This interesting 2014 study shows that humans can voluntarily enhance (or control) brain signatures of tenderness/affection, unlocking new possibilities for promoting prosocial emotions and countering antisocial behavior (Moll, J., et al., 2014) Environments and strategies Given it is possible to activate ones affiliative or prosocial potential, it is then helpful to understand whether and which environments especially draw out these qualities. A few studies indicated the effectiveness of safe settings (Logan, 2008) and exposure to the human experience (Greene, 2014), though not necessarily in the real world. A 2008 study shows that a persons ecosystem may affect his or her ability to express affiliative emotions: the experience of family violence may inhibit children's ability to express affiliative emotions in an interpersonal context. (Logan, D.E., et al., 2008). The opposite then is assumed to also be true: safe environments allow individuals to express affiliative emotions in an interpersonal context. Other studies have shown that one does not have to be in real life settings to activate affiliative emotions. The trials and journeys of characters in literature (Keen, 2006), live theater (Greene et al, 2015), and films/videos (Gross et al, 1995) may also trigger our emphatic responses. These studies point to the fact that the generation of empathy within a human can and does occur by way of various and distinct neurological mechanisms as well as within diverse environments. Given the aforementioned documented drop in empathetic response in the 21st century, a good enough goal for a programs in this regard would be to increase basic feelings of empathy from one human toward another. However, just feeling empathy for another, the model created by Stiff and team in 1987, does not seem to guarantee that an individual will automatically engage in pro-social behaviors or acts of compassion today. Compassion education in the 21st century

Reviewing current research on educational programing intended to draw out prosocial behaviors in this 21st century ecosystem of self interest is key. One such study from 2014, reveals that explicit instruction can build social emotional skills and transform societal patterning. Kenneth Dodge, psychologist from Duke University, analyzed the results of a

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decades-long study on a program called FastTrack (k-age 25) which included classroom lessons, home visits, tutoring, and parent training to explicitly help children develop social-emotional skills to counter adult psychopathology and enhance child wellbeing (Dodge, K., et al., 2014). After the deliberate and structured process, 10% fewer children in the program experienced internalizing, externalizing, or substance abuse by age 25. Explicit early intervention methods proved to counteract entrenched demographic patterning.

Along with explicit instruction and the development of an intentional ecosystem for positive change, adult scaffolding and the practice of compassion has been shown effective in promoting pro-social behaviors. In her study, Marilyn Price-Mitchell Ph.D. (2010) found that adults scaffold inner strengths in young citizens and providing ways for children to practice compassion helps instill compassion (Price-Mitchell, 2010). MARIN COUNTY and the need for programs that instill compassion In 2010, Marin County, CA, was listed as the 18th wealthiest county in the U.S. (Levy, 2010). Statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau reveal the following about this affluent community: Income

The per capita income in Marin is $56,791 (2009-2013), which is more than double that in the USA

The median household income was $90,839 (2009-2013), which was just less than double that in the USA

Poverty 8.5% of people in Marin County live in poverty, compared with 14.5% in the USA

Ethnicity (top three only) 86.2% white, compared with 72.4% white in the USA 15.7% Hispanic or Latino (just under the USA rate of 16.3%) 6.0% Asian (5.3% in the US)

Education 54.6% bachelors degree or higher, compared with 28.8% in the USA The Marin County demographic is relatively wealthier, whiter, and better educated than demographics found in most other American counties. This lack of diversity and relative affluence has created unique issues regarding raising children in Marin. Madeline Levine, the Marin County-based clinical psychologist, lecturer on youth and adolescent issues, and author of The Price of Privilege knows first hand the issues affecting youth in affluent Marin County. She states, the outgrowth of materialism is the notion that there are winners and losers, the haves and the have-nots. Parents need to check in with themselves regularly and avoid endorsing values that pit children against each other or suggest that resources are so scarce that children must be in constant competition (Levine, 2008). COMMUNITY HEROES, GENERAL INFO Community Heroes Club, a subsidiary program through the non-profit organization Go Inspire Go people, is one program recently piloted in Marin County seeking to increase prosocial behaviors among local youth. The Community Heroes Club was developed in 2013 by Kala Shah Venugopal, a Marin mom of three boys under 10, since she was searching for concrete ways to teach her kids about gratitude, compassion and service (GIG website, 2015).

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The organizations purpose is to [provide] inspiration and the tools to spark imagination and action. By sowing the seeds of compassion in elementary school, these students will grow into service veterans by middle and high school, conducting sophisticated and deeply impactful projects within the community. Sun Valley Elementary School pilot program CH began its pilot program at Sun Valley Elementary School on Happy Lane in San Rafael, SE Marin County. Sun Valley is a public, K-5 school with similar demographics as Marin: 70% white students, 18% Hispanic, 7% mixed ethnicities and 3% Asian. Nineteen percent (89.5) of the 471 students receive free or reduced-price lunch. For two years, the Community Heroes program has been actively testing Go Inspire Gos (their parent organizations) theory that Authentic storytelling + Leveraging Social Media = Social Change. Using Go Inspire Go's inspirational videos to anchor a curriculum around compassion, gratitude and service, Community Hero students are asked to: 1. Identify a problem in their community 2. Think about how they can help contribute toward solving the problem. (GIG website, 2015). The Community Heroes Club strategy in helping young people understand what it means to sow the seeds of compassion and how to be a Community Hero themselves lies in a multi-stage process, in this developing order with some overlap:

1. Exposing children to examples of real humans in need and how real community citizens (community heroes) worked to alleviate these issues via Go Inspire Go videos geared to educate and inspire kids about finding their power to act (GIG website)

2. Discussing areas of need within their own local, national and global communities with CH leader/s

3. Discussing and developing services projects as a CH group to help alleviate selected community issues

4. Asking CH students if they have their own community service ideas they would like to develop. CH accommodates a broad range of student-driven topics (GIG)

5. Helping CH students develop their individual community service ideas Description of weekly CH program The pilot Community Heroes Club at Sun Valley Elementary School works with self-selecting students between the ages of 5-10 who volunteer their time to learn and dialog about community issues as well as devise community service projects. A roll is kept based on students who have attended at least once in the past (TRUE, KALA?), but credit is not given for this club. Children are not required to attend all or any meetings. They also may leave the room at any point during the roughly 50-minute lunchtime program held in the school library once each week. As a result of this format, children flow in and out, but for the most part do stay for much of the Community Heroes session. Students who attend seem engaged and intrinsically motivated when present (as per researchers observations). Summary of average CH 50-min program protocol 1. Actively greet everyone at the door to help all feel welcome given this program is voluntary 2. Updates for their own and Kalas CH efforts (to help students know their weekly meetings

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dont just end there). 3. Open discussion: While kids are eating an open discussion about recent events in their own lives, which tie into the CH topic of the day. Kids have a chance to speak up and share. 4. Focus now on the topic of the day: (i.e., everyday, simple acts of kindness). One of two mediums for conveying the topic of the day will occur:

Video Students move into computer lab (next to library) to preview topic addressed in community service example video. Then they watch the video together. They have a discussion there post-video. Common questions post video: How did you feel? What was important? What can we do? Students are shown one community service video in 70% of the Ch sessions.

OR Activity Students stay in the library for activities (past example: read letter from a San

Quentin inmate and ask whether we can have compassion for him? And then we wrote letters to him (although these letters were not actually sent--was an exercise about compassion). Students are provided activities in approximately 30% of the sessions.

Outside of weekly meetings, the Community Hero students and leader/s engage in regular group community service projects including a Day of Giving, handing out flowers to school staff, making capes and bringing to sick kids at the hospital, and planting gardens in the community. THE STUDY GOALS This preliminary qualitative survey was conducted toward the end of the second year of the Community Heroes pilot program in order to gain initial insights on the following topics:

1. Impact: Does the Community Heroes program kindle acts of compassion in youth? What does this look like? Any discernable links between CH programming and students applying community hero strategies in their own world?

2. Compassion research compatibility: How does the current research on the architecture of human compassion corroborate Community Heroes strategies and outcomes?

3. Suggestions for improvement: How could the Community Heroes program (and similar community service organizations) improve its impact on developing and increasing prosocial acts among youth?

SAMPLE For this study, 26 children (24% of CH total population) between K-5th grade (see details below) were randomly selected and interviewed. The students chosen to interview were randomly selected in that they were in the library and near the researcher at the time of each of the seven consecutive Monday interview dates. Participants were not required to interview with researcher, so only those interested in being interviewed took part. One student didnt finish her interview on one day, so she finished her interview two weeks later. Number of years attending CH: 23% only one year (2014); 77% two years Break down of students per grades K: 1 student 3.8% 1st: 4 students 15.28% 2nd: 6 students 23.08%

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3rd: 5 students 19.23% 4th: 6 students 23.08% 5th: 4 students 15.38% Grades in order of most students to least interviewed 2nd and 4th tied (6 each) 3rd (5) 1st and 5th tied (4 each) K (1) Study participants boys v. girls Boys: 3 11.54% Girls: 23 88.46% Percentage of CH students in study 26 random students / 107 students total CH population = 24% Boys to girls in total CH population: boys = 13/ 107 = 12% girls = 94/107 = 88% Ratio of boys to girls in study is similar to ratio of boys to girls in entire CH pilot program PROCEDURES The format for this study included semi-formally interviewing three to four random Community Heroes participants within the programs lunchtime window of 50-minutes every Monday on the following dates: April 21, 28; May 5, 12, 19, 28 and June 2, 2014. See interview questions in the appendix. Students were randomly selected based on availability during the time frame and interest in being interviewed. Only one child out of 26 requested, declined to be interviewed. In order to interview as many Community Heroes participants in a given 50-minute window, the interviewer sought to ask as many of the eight interview questions as possible, taking approximately 12-17 minutes to interview each child. Children were not interviewed together, but one at a time. Other students were not allowed within earshot of interviewee during the interview to keep students from hearing each others answers. Interviews occurred in one secluded, though occasionally noisy, part of the library while Community Heroes activities were occurring in another section of the same library. Create the setting for interviews actually a post test to determine Interviews were recorded with permission and knowledge of students. Parents were also sent a letter mentioning this study and asking anyone not interested in having his or her son or daughter interviewed for this project to please let us know. All parents gave tacit permission in that no one requested their child NOT to be interviewed. The interviews were recorded using an iphone 5C. Interviews were then transcribed word for word by interns, and then reviewed for accuracy. Patterns in the transcriptions were coded to determine primary findings. Videos This study focused primarily on the videos students were shown in the course of their 1-2 years in the Community Hero program. These videos, most of which were produced by GoInspireGo,

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the parent organization of Community Heroes, exhibited community heroes helping a person or people in need in their communities. Initially, investigator was going to give the participants a list of the videos they may have seen in the last couple of years to trigger their memory during the interview; instead students were asked to tell the researcher which videos they each remembered watching (up to three), since we wanted to understand which videos students could remember (if any) on their own and whether these video subject memories would be drawn upon in any way to help participants understand what a community hero is, what needs people exhibit, or if participants could or would apply the concepts of the videos into their own lives with service projects of their own. FINDINGS Videos remembered best 100% 26/26 of the students answered this question TWELVE videos remembered clearly

POVERTY: man lending his home to homeless family for a year (11 students remembered this video) (SERVICE STRATEGY: Give home.. something you own)

INTERNATIONAL/POVERTY: Teen girl goes to Africa to build oven for villagers (9) (STRATEGY: raise money and give time/ service / product)

KIDS/ILLNESS: NICO boy with cancer giving Halloween costumes to other kids (8) (STRATEGY: collect products and give away)

NATUAL DISASTER: Earthquake / Haiti and rescue (6) (STRATEGY: volunteer to collect medical supplies, help people on the ground)

Other Tie between: POVERTY cook (STRATEGY: use own money to pay for and make food) KIDS/DISADVANTAGE football game and autistic child (STRATEGY: be kind and supportive) KIDS / ILLNESS mom made capes to give to sick kids (STRATEGY: use own money to make capes/ product and give away)

HOW TO BE A HERO inspired year (GIG) (3 each) (Strategy: ?? ) KIDS/DISADVANTAGE Anti-bullying (2) (STRATEGY: create club) POVERTY Adopt a Family (1) (STRATEGY: donate time and resources) They are the stars (1) (STRATEGY: ??) ANIMALS Vegan boy (1) (STRATEGY: give up eating animals, become an advocate

What is a community hero? 100% 26/26 of the students answered this question Most (73%) said that a community hero is either someone who helps people who need help or helps people in the community. The next most common answers (8%) include:

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A community hero is someone who helps those in other communities too, including the world

A community hero is someone who doesnt just think about him or herself, but others as well. According to one fifth grader: they dont think the world revolves around them. They think it revolves around other people.

You can be a community hero even if you do a small thing. Other participant comments include how community heroes are self-motivated, inspirational, happy to do the work, effective, determined, and believe their presence and efforts matter. They said community heroes:

Do as much as they can (2nd grade) Do good stuff (2nd grade) Are inspiring and have a pass it on quality (2nd grade) Like to help (3rd grade) Just [do] great things (4th grade) Engage in random acts of kindness (4th grade) Help without having to be encouraged (4th grade) Make community a better place (4th grade) Really persevere in helping a certain cause. Maybe not all causes, but they find a cause

that's really meaningful to them and they really work hard to get that cause solved. (4th

grade) Help out no matter what (5th grade) See how they can make a difference (5th grade)

The Community Heroes program has been effective in helping young people define community hero. Most students provided an accurate answer without prompting from investigator. Only two students missed the mark somewhat: one second grader felt a Community Hero is a place that you help sick people [with] cancer and get money for (perhaps meaning the CH class itself), and a first grader felt it was the people in the videos that do something you can learn about. Could you identify the community hero and his or her act of compassion in videos? 69% 18/26 of the students answered this question. these people decided to start a club if you got a bad text on your phone then they would help you.. 2nd grade Well, there was this kid, but he was not like everybody else so he had a disability. He wanted to play football really bad on the team so the guys helped him. so he was in a wheelchair with a jersey on holding the football and everybody...all the boys surrounded him. They made sure that he made it. --first grade not everyone would just give up their house to some homeless people. You have to be like compassionate and able to like very giving. 3rd grade

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she had to raise a bunch of money, she had to go over there, she had to build it... 4th grade 90% of all students who were asked/answered this question (69%) accurately identified the heroes and the heroic acts in the videos remembered. ACTS of SERVICE that stood out from the videos participants remembered seeing Raising/ Giving money General helping others Sharing home with homeless family Giving food Making an oven to give food Collecting shoes to give away Collecting and giving costumes / capes to kids in hospital Starting a club (anti-bullying) Supporting others with a goal Giving flowers Could you identify a community issue or problem in the videos? 77% 20/26 of the students answered this question

The mom didnt have enough money and because they had a teenager they couldnt live in a place for homeless people. 3rd grade Kids who arent believing in themselves because they are really sick. --4th grade He was a professor. He had a good job and when you have things...and youre happy, you start to notice how other people are living and thats what he wanted to solve. --4th grade people were getting bullied, and he just didn't think that was okay. --4th grade We were hoping if they were having a bad day, [giving flowers] would brighten their day. If they were having a good day, it would make it even better. --5th grade They were trying to make someone else feel good, [someone] who doesnt really have that much time to shine. --5th grade The interesting pattern for this question is that there was a clear division between children who knew and/or could express their knowledge about the issue people faced in the videos and those who did not. Children in kindergarten and grade two had a difficult time either identifying or expressing in words the issue or problem in society the heroes in the videos were trying to tackle. No child in grade one answered the question, so this grade was omitted from this section. Older children in grades 3-5 had a better handle on accurately answering this question. The divide between having and not having an answer was most likely not due to misunderstanding the terms issue or problem, since all children knew to (and did) ask questions when they did not understand a question. The interviewer also noticed when a student seemed confused by a question due to lack of concept or vocabulary knowledge and would state the question another

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way until the child understood what was being asked. It might be likely that developmental aspects (i.e., age markers when one can grasp more complex concepts such as societal issues) in general might have played a role in whether a participant knew or could express information about the issue being addressed in a particular video. If you look at the data as a whole, it seems CH is doing a pretty good job of helping children identify and understand issues people face in the videos. Total number of times all participants (K-5) knew the community issue in the video: 74% Total number of times all participants (K-5) did not know the community issue in the video: 26% The data became more revealing when analyzed by grade groupings. Older children (gr. 3-5) were able to accurately identify, understand and express community issues in each video more than younger children (K-gr. 2): Total number of times participants (gr. K-2) knew the community issue in the video: 40% Total number of times participants (gr. K-2) did not know the community issue in the video: 60% Total number of times participants (gr. 3-5) knew the community issue in the video: 88% Total number of times participants (gr. 3-5) did not know the community issue in the video: 12% This discrepancy could also be due to developmental milestones participants reach between grades 2 and 3, as this was the juncture where students were more apt at identifying, understanding and expressing issues revealed in the videos.

Did you put yourself in the shoes of anyone in the videos? 73% 19/26 of the students answered this question Two factors were analyzed in this section:

1. Which people in the videos, if any, did students find they naturally put themselves into the shoes of (hero, person being helped, both or none)?

2. Whether participants used first person or third person or both messages to talk about their understanding of how others in the video might be feeling

A. SELF IN ANOTHERS SHOES Put self in shoes of person being helped in videos 61% or 22/36 responses Put self in shoes of the hero in videos 25% or 9/36 responses Did not put self into anyones shoes in given video 14% or 5/36 responses % of students = never put themselves in the shoes of another in video: 11% or 2/19 % of students = put self into shoes of hero and person being helped in same video: 11% or 2/19 (3rd and 4thgrade) % of students = put self into shoes of a person and no person in different videos 11% or 2/19 % of students = put self into shoes of hero and other in different videos 26% (grades 2-4) or 5/19 % of students = always put self into shoes of another in videos 90% or 17/19

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Most students who answered this question sought to put him or herself (90%) into the shoes of generally one and sometimes more than one (11%) person in each video to try to understand how each person felt in that setting. A couple of participants talked about why they use the strategy of putting self into anothers shoes. A 4th grader said, I was trying to figure out what she (the homeless mom) was feeling or why this was so important because I didnt really understand why she would be feeling this way. Then I understood, because it would feel really bad. A first grade participant mentioned that putting herself into the shoes of others clarifies initial confusion that sometimes she initially feels regarding anothers actions or emotions. She said she puts herself into the shoes of different people: sometimes my teacher, sometimes my mom, sometimes my dad. I do it to my neighbors and even the neighbors that I really dont like. She said shes trying to figure out whats bothering them, or why they wont really come near other people, because sometimes they look a little sad. When looking at total participant responses (K-5), the trend was for participants to put themselves into the shoes of those needing assistance, rather than into the shoes of the heroes in these videos. This is an interesting finding, since given the fact that most of these participants are from relatively affluent families, they seem to gravitate to trying on the shoes of those people who might be least like them demographically. To figure things out could be the reason why more children than not put themselves into anothers shoes in the first place, and why participants more often than not put themselves into the shoes of those needing assistance to better understand how it would feel to be in need. There was another trend separating younger and older children. Older children (grades 3-5, with the one kindergartener being an anomaly) were more likely (73%) to put themselves in the shoes of those receiving help in the videos. Younger children (grades K-2) more often than not (56%) put themselves into the shoes of the heroes in the videos. Study participants seemed to exhibit three primary methods for gaining awareness into how a person in the video might be feeling in his or her situation. These intrinsic strategies seem to be mechanisms through which one human can gain some understanding about anothers situation in situ and gauge his or her emotional condition in that setting.

1. Imagining self in anothers shoes: first person 67% in 20/30 responses Participants tried on how the other person might be feeling in the moment via this strategy. I messages were predominant in students answers in this category, as though he or she became a person or people in that moment in the video. Comments in this category include: It felt good that I could help (second grade) I would probably be very gracious and I would work harder (4th grade) I would think that my life would be really tough and just scoring a goal and making

it would just feel really good (5th grade) None of these participants actually were experiencing in the real world what they were expressing; they were imagining what it would feel like to be in another persons shoes in the videos. They used expressions of emotion to convey their perceived understanding: felt good, and feel really good. When the one kindergartner was asked if he put himself into the shoes of anyone in the video exhibiting an American girl in Africa building an oven for villagers, for example, he said he put himself into the shoes

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of the villagers. He said, I thought about if you did that to me. He then said it would feel good. He said he would like to eat cake from the oven. A third-grade boy also put himself into the shoes of the people receiving the oven. Without being prompted to talk about bread, he imagined eating bread from it: I like the doughiness and the inside, he said. Participants who utilized the strategy of putting themselves into the shoes of another to gain an empathic understanding for how another would feel provided their relation to the other in I messages indicating a potential sense of embodiment into the others literal shoes.

This strategy fits with one of the three systems of empathy discussed in the literature review: imagining oneself in the shoes of another. Participants seeming to engage this strategy also made use of imagining not only of being in the shoes of the other person (mental rotating, maneuvering self into the others literal space / shoes, Thakkar, 2009). but also having parts of that persons life in their own life (regardless of whether these components were a part of the participants real life or not). For example, a fourth grader, though an only child, was able to imagine what it would feel like to have a younger sibling who was being bullied: If I had a younger brother or sister and I saw someone bullying (him/her) I would feel really strongly that I need to change that. She was able to put herself into the shoes of another person to imagine being in a life that was not parallel to her own experience.

2. Cognitive empathy/ perspective taking of the cognitive system: third person 33% in

10/30 responses Utilizing this strategy, participants were able to separate their own and anothers distress (Shamay-Tsoory, 2010) and remained a separate identity in relation to the other person in order to develop a conclusion about that other persons state. Prior knowledge or emotional experience was not required, however. Though participants were explicitly asked if they put themselves into the shoes of another person in the video (method #1), a few provided answers in the third person perspective, suggesting that they were not immersing themselves into the shoes of the other, but that they were exploring the others status from what might be the others perspective while remaining in his or her (the viewers) own body or removed perspective. Third person comments in this category include: During one point she was crying and she was really happy that they liked it (1st

grade) They felt really happy (2nd grade) I think she felt that she raised a really big hero I think it made her feel very

special inside (3rd grade) He kind of felt like he could do something (4th grade) The kids would really appreciate it (5th grade) These participant responses reveal that instead of becoming the person or putting themselves fully into the shoes of the person in the video, they were viewing the others situation from a third person (distinct from them) perspective. One participant revealed that she could see the facial expressions of a mother receiving help (she was crying) and used this information to understand how the mother might be feeling. Though not fully embodying the other persons shoes, perspective taking was a method that seemed to allow these participants some entrance into how the other might be feeling. This strategy fits with the cognitive form of empathy, another of the three physiological

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systems of empathy discussed in the literature review. The cognitive form of empathy (Shamay-Tsoory, 2010) involves the theory of mind mechanism which is part of the core architecture of the human brain, and is specialized for learning about mental states that are separate from our own (Leslie, 2004).

The majority of participants who exhibited this third person perspective also, and sometimes in the same sentence, would express their understanding in the first person. This might corroborate the research (Shamay-Tsoory, 2010) showing how these mechanisms, though distinct neurologically, could also overlap. The theory that cognitive empathy develops after emotional empathy might explain why some participants utilized both first person and third person perspectives. These first person/ third person participants might be exhibiting the developmental markers of having reached the cognitive development stage of their empathetic development. There was no obvious dividing line when participants starting utilizing third person more than 1st person. For example, 66% of second graders employed third person (the potentially developmentally higher approach), with 40% of 3rd and 5th graders employing it. First person use was also random across grades with 1st grade (33%) being the lowest and K (100%), 2nd grade (80%) and 4th grade (66%) being the highest users of first person.

3. Exposure or prior experience 17% in 5/30 responses

Participants also utilized previous and concrete experiences in their own world when grappling with what someone else (a stranger, even) might be going through in his or her world. Participants who employed this strategy brought his or her prior experience of a third party (separate from person observed in video or from self) into the figuring out process. For example, a second grader said she was able to understand how the people who helped the sick boy (Batman) in one video might have felt, since she did something similar for her grandfather when he was sick. She explained: The people who helped him feel happy, because my grandpa had cancer and I helped him. Interviewer: Was that [experience] helpful for you given youve already been through something like that with your grandfather? Did it help the video make more sense? Yes. This participant immediately connected people .. feel happy to her experience with her grandfather: because I helped him. Her effort helping another third party person (grandfather), allowed her to somewhat understand how the people in the video might be feeling when helping someone else with cancer. A first grader brought her experience with her sick aunt to light when watching this same video. Theres a kid that never had cancer before and he did something good for kids with cancer, but then he got cancer; he got the same thing [as] the kids. And in her very next sentence, she said: Sometimes Im sad because my aunt has cancer and she only has a year left to live. Participants didnt give much segue in either case between the experience of a person in the video and their own experiences. The strategy of bringing in a prior (and in these cases, emotionally charged) real world experience seems to help these participants relate in some way to the experiences of people in the video. This process might be akin to the third mechanism of empathy discussed in the literature: emotional contagion. Prior understanding of how something felt from an earlier and similar real world experience seemed to trigger a sudden reminder of that feeling when watching a person in the video deal with a similar situation.

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Did any of the CH videos (or otherwise) inspire you to do something in your community? What are your ideas? 92% 24/26 students answered this question I got them to come here [Community Heroes]. I sort of told them this is a really great place and I told them that you could save peoples lives. --first grade doing nice things makes me remember that I should be happy, because I did something else to make other people happy. --first grade So I just kind of felt like Community Heroes did make me realize there are problems out there, [and] you just kind of have to decide on which one you really think is most important. fourth grade I think it just made me want to do more for the community before I didnt want to do as much. -fourth grader before I started community heroes I did a lemonade stand; and I didnt really know what to do with that, but once I got into community heroes I had an idea of what to do. fourth grade before Community Heroes I used to just think of one thing which was homelessness, but now I realize that there are so many other things. fourth grade It inspired me even though Im a kid, I can still make a huge, huge difference. Just because Im a kid doesnt mean I cant do stuff. --fifth grade 96% of participants who answered this question have thought of or have been thinking of independent ways to serve their communities. This study focuses on strategies participants said they would utilize when building their own service projects. It also addresses the issues they wanted to tackle. Participants proposed STRATEGIES for helping others Raise money : 33% of the responses

General mention 55% of these answers Lemonade stand Bake sale Walk dog

Student ideas regarding what to do with the raised money: Give camp kids supplies with money raised Give toys to sick kids Give to homeless shelter or make a shelter Give to Community Heroes

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Create programs for kids 19% Basic: Be nice 11% Be a leader for CH 10% Create career and give portion of in-kind 10%

Design clothes and give percentage of clothes to poor Open restaurant and give percentage of food to poor

Other : 22% Plant trees after natural disaster Give people medicine and food Start a Community Heroes program Learn about immigrants and help them Adopt a family

Participants proposed COMMUNITY ISSUES to address Poor people 44% Kids in general 19%

General mention 40% Help orphans Help them appreciate what they have Help them shine

International 19% (India, Canada, Africa, immigrants) Environment/animals 13% Sick people 10% An interesting demographic some students mentioned Community Heroes has inspired them to assist is themselves. Ten percent of students mentioned CH has helped them specifically improve as people: Help self 10%

Became more accepting of other peoples ways (become less controlling) (1st gr.) Mindset: Knowledge that kids can do something too (5th gr.)

Current state of Individually proposed projects Participants expressed various ranges of thought theyve put into their community service ideas mentioned above. It should be stated here that the current Community Heroes program does not currently require or expect students to come up with their own community service projects. They may all volunteer during the group service projects developed primarily by the leader (TRUE KALA??), but even with group projects, students may or may not choose to take part. Participants each (except for one who had no idea) either a concrete idea or a general idea of a helpful project they wanted to develop in their community. The way this study defines concrete or general is as follows: Concrete ideas: participant knows a specific strategy AND demographic theyd like to serve General ideas: participant either only knew one component : strategy OR demographic OR didnt know either Those who had relatively concrete project ideas: 66%

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Those who had only general project ideas: 33% No particular pattern arose between grade levels regarding those having concrete or general ideas. It was randomly dispersed. Almost every grade level had at least one participant with a general rather than a concrete idea, and concrete ideas were 100% more common. Percentage of students who had started developing these specific individual project ideas at time of interviews 0% DISCUSSION The 1987 compassion paradigm developed by J. Stiff et al at the start of the great empathy decline three decades ago seems to need a revisit and a revision in light of the unprecedented socio-economic transformations our society has and still is evolving through. This newer, more practical model does not simplify or assume (as Stiff et al might have done) that one will naturally feel emotional reactions for others or that these emotional reactions will intrinsically dovetail into acts of compassion. The new model assumes that in order for emotional reactions (empathy) to turn into acts of compassion across the average demographic of youth, especially in such affluent and disconnected (Levine, 2008) communities as Marin County, more explicit and robust forms of scaffolding, dialogue, and practice are required. Time to reflect, explore and devise are also important. 2015 revision of the 1987 MODEL (recommended for grades K-5) concern for others ! emotional reactions! scaffolding ! explicit instruction !practice with group and !prosocial behavior

without !time to reflect, explore, devise

This isnt to say that no individuals in the 21st century will follow the more basic 1987 trajectory. Some certainly will. Review of Community Hero Goals Does the Community Heroes program kindle intrinsic acts of compassion in youth? According to this studys data, yes, the CH program does kindle service ideas within the majority of it participants, but a next level of adult scaffolding seems important in order to help students develop their own effective service projects. Videos watched and doing own project? Yes Types of issues students want to handle in their own community seem to be directly correlated with the top three video topics students learned about through the Go Inspire Go videos (and similar): poverty, issues regarding children, and international

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Any patterns / connection to the three neurological ways of empathizing (in this study) to doing own project? For future analysis Since no student had yet developed his or her own project at the time of these interviews, this question will need to be answered in the future. Any patterns between being able to identify hero/issue and doing own project? The GIG video--gave examples about how to be a Community Hero, so I was like, Oh I don't normally do that. I've done that a couple of times, but I don't normally do that, so maybe I could start doing that. Gr. 5 Since no student had yet developed his or her own project at the time of these interviews, this question will need to be answered in the future.

How does current research on human compassion corroborate Community Heroes program paradigm? Distinct neurological systems of empathy Cognitive empathy: third person Seen exhibited in participants when responding to video scenarios Previous exposure He/she messages Role of putting ones self into the others shoes : first person Seen exhibited in participants when responding to video scenarios Expressed in I messages (first person) Emotions are being engaged to sense how others are feeling Role of imagination here: Some participants (3rd grade boys, especially) seemed more creatively engaged than others when imagining how others might be feeling in the videos Emotional contagion : third party experiences Seen exhibited in participants when responding to video scenarios Most often seen when participants randomly brought up their emotionally charged memories of relatives who suffered from cancer after contemplating community heroes helping cancer victims in the videos. Voluntary activation of affiliative emotions Seen exhibited in participants Videos and other activities seemed to activate students affiliative (compassion) and nonaffilitative (i.e., happiness, sadness) emotions. Participants expressed their feelings verbally. Exposure and experience to develop foundation and provide ideas and strategies Many students community service ideas were based on issues and strategies they were previously exposed to in Community Heroes.

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Issues: poverty, childrens issues, and international concerns Strategies: raise money, volunteer time, Service experiences with the group in real world settings as well as the CH leader role modeling forms of leadership (this is what it looks like to create a project/program modeling) Explicit instruction, adult scaffolding, and compassion practice The videos along with the pre- and post-video dialogues with the leader, group compassion practice during Day of Giving, and other class activities were explicit ways that did seem to result in the development of a compassionate ecosystem (Community Heroes program ecosystem) where young people recognize what it means to be a community hero, have pretty good understanding of social issues needing attention, and see themselves as able (though just kids) to help. Students were thinking about developing their own service projects at the time of these interviews, but adult scaffolding (to learn how to develop their projects) were still important. Community Heroes group projects were very much aligned with the scaffolded and practice-based methods recommended. LIMITATIONS of this study

Small relatively homogenized sample No control or pre- / post- test Students answers and organic patterns within the Community Heroes program set the

course of direction when choosing literature to review initially, instead of using the traditional method of developing a study around the literature.

Many sample participants did not answer all question RECOMMENDATIONS for FUTURE STUDY topics

Use pre/post test (children and parents) What conditions were present for participants to put themselves into the shoes of some

in the video/s and not others? Affect on non affiliative emotions (anger, sadness, disgust) on ability to act with

compassion the role of mindfulness on empathy the role (and level) of imaginative play in the home on empathy and community service

output The role of explicit perspective taking activities on empathy development The effect of accurately naming your own emotions on empathy development

Current STRENGTHS of Community Heroes program based on research and this study

EXPOSURE to o Rich information regarding community issues already being addressed AND

ones that might need attention o Stories of people in need and examples of people (heroes) who find a way to

help those in need o Strategies for helping others

" I never really thought that capes could make someone feel stronger. I never thought thatnever. That never would have crossed my mind. Interviewer: So now what do you think about [super hero] capes? SG: I think strong. --5th grade

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ROLE MODELing (Kala, Toan, Community heroes in the videos) o curiosity o interest in service o collaboration o everyone can help mindset o positive energy o idea generation o moving in the process o working in the unknown o generosity of heart o comfortable in his or her own skin with an altruistic reason for being there

PRACTICE SERVING with group o Day of giving o Adopt a Family o Giving flowers to teachers o Making capes for sick children

FREEDOM o Room for students to be where they are in the process (developmental stages,

multi-age challenges, interests, external commitments, family obligations) DIALOGUES about issues, heroes, people in need, strategies, service ideas

o Children seem to be able to identify and understand community issues by watching videos together and dialoguing (before and after activities/videos) about community issues

SELF-SELECTING NATURE of program (honors the learner-centered, intrinsic nature of the child)

TIME to reflect on own emotions, desires, and needs in order to better able put self in shoes of others

STUDENT OWNERSHIP Students are not micromanaged in CH. Student leaders are provided the space to naturally emerge.

DOCUMENTATARY nature of the program (Videos record experiences of learning / giving)

RECOMMENDATIONS for CH based on this study (and review of lit) New strategies to consider:

Practice and assistance devising own student projects in the community o Though most students had concrete or general ideas for their own service

projects none of their new and independent ideas (at the time of the interviews) were yet developed

Spend more time dialoging with and providing activities for young (K-2) students regarding issues in the community (i.e., homelessness, equality, healthcare, gender/race, water) to help them develop a greater understanding and background knowledge about these more complex and oftentimes abstract issues

Explicitly discuss and help students accurately name their own emotions Create activities that will increase emotional contagion (journaling to unlock feelings and

reasons for feeling) and cognitive empathy (perspective taking activities) Increase time spent in imaginative play and perspective-taking play with others

(recommendation for home and schools)

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Consciously seek to engage all forms of empathy (cognitive, emotional contagion, and self in others shoes)

More of what is already being done:

More exposure to those in need in Marin, nation More exposure to varied strategies students could employ in order to become

community heroes Provide explicit activities to help students understand, grapple with and explore

perspectives and emotions different from their own in a given setting Confirm actual understanding of issue and actual need before creating service projects Document student work via photography and vidoes and have them dialogue about the

learning taking place in these photos and videos (Making Thinking Visible) APPENDIX

Primary Interview questions 1. How long have you been coming to community heroes? 2. How did you get involved? Why do you come? 3. What is a community hero? First time hearing this phrase (not before CH program)? 4. Which community hero videos do you remember seeing? (Looked for three, ideally)? What stood out for you in these videos? 5. What was the community problem that someone was trying to help solve in each video? 6. Who was the community hero in this video and what did he/ she do to make him or her a hero? Did it work? Was it a creative idea that was new to you? 7. Did you put yourself in the shoes of anyone in the video? Feel what it might have been like to be them? If so, who? And how might it feel? 8. Did any of the videos (or anything else in CH) inspire you in any way to be a community hero or do something in your community? What are your ideas? 9. Anything else you want to say about CH?

Three distinct EMPATHY regions in the brain mentioned in above literature review

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*Ventro medial prefrontal section for cognition emotion (perspective taking/ ToM)

http://events.tru.ca/sites/default/files/images/events/ventromedial%20prefrontal%20cortex.gif

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*Inferior frontal gyrus: emotional empathy (emotions of others can be perceived/sensed/ third party)

http://static.memrise.com/img/400sqf/from/uploads/course_photos/Inferior_frontal_gyrus_animation-14_dragged.jpg

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*parietal cortex: visuo-spatial processes (motor) and empathy (putting self in anothers shoes)

https://sccpsy101.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/parietal_lobe.jpg

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Web. 16 June 2015. THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE FOR THEIR ASSISTANCE WITH THIS STUDY GIG/ Community Heroes founders Toan Lam Kala Shah Transcribers Lucy Pecora Yahaira Cespedes Nicolas Jones Aarti Gudka Suzanne Lettrick Melissa _______ Formatting and literature review research (introduction) Gabriel Renneisen Staff of Sun Valley Elementary School

Need names Librarian: Principal: Assistant teachers: The 26 Community Heroes participants Parents

Need names