Empathy Building
We live in a world that’s constantly telling us to focus on productivity, skills, and talent just to keep up. But in the middle of all that hustle, it’s so easy to forget how to treat each other with genuine kindness and a bit of heart. Hard skills? You can learn those anywhere online or offline. True empathy, on the other hand, is a rare gem today and something we all need a little more of. That’s why our COMPASS program opened with Empathy Building — it serves as the very foundation for all the skills to come.
On October 18, 2025, a group of awesome young people came together for COMPASS Episode 1: Empathy Building, led by resource person Ma Aye Mya Kyi! We kicked off the day with a cozy “Feeling Circle,” pairing up to share how we were feeling in a safe, welcoming space. After learning what empathy is all about through Sayama’s session, we got creative with a “Draw a Feeling” exercise and wrote uplifting notes to boost each other’s spirits. After a fun lunch and some icebreaker games, we paired up again to talk about real-life experiences and made DIY dream catchers as heartfelt gifts for our peers.
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”— Maya Angelou