Shillong: Assam Rifles Public Schools and Project Empathy have joined hands to organise the inaugural ‘Empathy Art Festival’ at Assam Rifles Public School, Laitkor, Shillong.
The festival is designed to explore and express the essence of empathy for children through diverse creative expressions such as the written word in the form of postcards and poetry, visual art in the form of individual and graffiti art, and performance in the form of Nukkad Natak and poetry recitation in groups.
According to the organizers, the festival will recognize and feature the Most Heartfelt Message, the Young Voice of Empathy, the Spirit of Collaboration, and the Voice of Hope and Healing. Each participant will be acknowledged for their contributions.
During the festival, students of 42 Assam Rifles Schools will engage in various activities at each school during the two-day programme on April 24 and 25.
The delegates of seven schools from the seven sister states, each composed of eight students from classes VI-XII and two teachers, will become part of the festival at Assam Rifles Public School, Laitkor.
Empathy Art Festival is the first step towards integrating empathy education into the mainstream curriculum of all the ARPS schools.
The festival is a collaboration between Project Empathy, founded on the vision that empathy can be taught, experienced and practiced by anyone and anywhere, and Assam Rifles Public Schools.
The project is an innovative social experiment at developing respect for self and everyone around through inner awakening at a very early age.
Through this collaboration, the Assam Rifles Public Schools aim to promote emotional literacy and foster acts of kindness and understanding among students towards creating a compassionate and creative school environment where every child feels valued and respected on his/her own merits.
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Renowned personalities, officials, parents, school children and the general public are expected to visit the event venue to witness the celebration of empathy.
The festival is more than an art event— it is a celebration of kindness, inclusion, resilience and the everyday moments that foster connection.