Overview: Empathy is not just a feeling; it’s a skill that can be taught, practised, and embedded across school life. In this thought-provoking keynote, Ed Kirwan, Founder and CEO of Empathy Studios & Empathy Week, invites educators to explore how empathy can be used as a practical, research-backed approach (with the University of Cambridge) to strengthen belonging, psychological safety, and support best safeguarding practice in schools. Using a film-based approach, Ed will reveal how empathy is the foundational skill for all other 21st-century human skills, such as leadership, creativity, communication, and resilience.
Previously a teacher in London, Ed is CEO of
Empathy Studios, an education and creative organisation using the power of film to develop the skill of empathy in all. A director, filmmaker and an educator for 10+ years, Ed also started
Empathy Week, the world’s largest empathy festival for schools. It is free for any school, anywhere and has reached 2.5 million students across 56 countries since its launch in 2020.
When not banging on about empathy, Ed is playing basketball (just about), obsessing over cameras and probably planning a trip somewhere.
