Global Events & Local Service: How to Cultivate Compassion in Children From international conflicts to food insecurity right here in Cleveland, there are issues which deserve our understanding and compassion all across the globe. But as we strive to raise compassionate children, how do we prioritize our focus between global issues and those in our own backyard? Thankfully, it is not a matter of either or. The answer lies in a blend between awareness and action, where we expose children to age-appropriate global events while also engaging them in relevant local service opportunities. Broadening Horizons through Global Education: Providing children with exposure to global issues is a crucial step towards nurturing compassion. For example, it’s natural for LCA students to take their access to a strong education for granted. But once they learn that 69% of children in low-income countries will not learn even the most basic, primary skills in school1, they begin to understand the problems faced by their peers elsewhere in the world. Understanding the struggles faced by others fosters empathy, teaching children that the world extends far beyond their immediate surroundings. Across the World and Our Own Backyard: Difficult topics like food insecurity often drum-up thoughts of children in third-world or developing countries. And they should; 1 out of 5 children in Sub-Saharan Africa are undernourished, and 1 out of 6 kids in Southeast Asia suffer from food insecurity.2 But it’s far more surprising to realize that 1 out of 4 senior citizens in Northeast Ohio are at risk of going hungry.3 Statistics like these remind us that from Africa to Asia to Cleveland, all of humankind faces similar struggles. From Learning to Doing: Learning about issues across the world and at home is a great starting point, but compassion isn't just about knowing; it's about doing. By combining global awareness with opportunities for local service, students ground their understanding of compassion in tangible actions. Continuing with the example of hunger, volunteering somewhere like the Cleveland Food Bank provides students and families with an opportunity to make connections between classroom lessons and the needs of their local community. In Conclusion: Just as the Book of James says that “Faith without works is dead,” knowledge of world events means very little if we aren’t willing to act. That’s why combining a global education with local service opportunities continues to be such a transformative path to growth. As parents and educators, let us guide our children on this dual path, ensuring they grow into compassionate
1
https://report.educationcommission.org/report/
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https://ourworldindata.org/hunger-and-undernourishment?insight=poverty-is-defined-and-measured-in-diff erent-ways#key-insights 3 https://www.greaterclevelandfoodbank.org/our-impact/facts-stats