College – Issue 33

Sowing the seeds of change

College Counsellor and Director of Positive Education and Wellbeing John Quinn chose gratitude and empathy as themes for his Immerse & Inspire sessions. “Everyone should be able to find something or someone to be grateful for and teaching the boys about gratitude gives them the opportunity to focus on and appreciate the good things in their lives. Empathy is about getting where other people are coming from and building relationships based on mutual respect and understanding.” John asked the boys to write a letter to someone they wanted to say thank you to, someone who has had a positive impact. This small but practical act was used to cement the idea of how important gratitude is – and hopefully made the recipients feel good as well.

It can be hard to instil a sense of empathy, but living with other boys in a boarding situation is a good way to start. “Empathy starts with relationships. By taking part in Immerse & Inspire the boys really get to know each other – and that creates a natural empathy. But it’s an on-going process and we need to support our young men as they mature and continue to learn.” Immerse & Inspire is a great way to sow the seeds of change, to get the boys thinking beyond themselves and to understand the importance of good character, good values and the need to make good choices. “Our brains are wired to look for threats, but practising an attitude of gratitude and developing empathy means we can learn to override that negative bias and enrich our lives and relationships. Both gratitude and empathy are extremely important to wellbeing.”

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College Issue 33 2017

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