“Empathy is about finding echoes of another
person in yourself.”
― Mohsin Hamid
This quote was the driving force behind
North Haven School’s year-long inquiry into empathy. All three grade 3/4
classes from North Haven attended SEEDschool in November and December, learning
the stories of other Calgarians and practicing stepping into their shoes.
The week started with an introduction to The Mustard Seed and the many ways
that we show empathy toward the people who use our services. In the afternoon,
we planted our very own mustard seed sprouts and talked about how we all need
help and encouragement to grow.
Throughout the week, we worked on an art
project to communicate scenes of empathy or to show how some people
experiencing homelessness may feel invisible at times. We collaborated in small
groups to take photos using their shadows or body language. The final result
was phenomenal! 
A high point for students & adults
alike was hearing from Keely, a resident of our 1010 Centre apartment building,
who has experienced homelessness first-hand. After getting to know Keely and
listening to her story, we had the opportunity to learn some new skills from her.
Keely facilitates the art club at The Mustard Seed and graciously offered to lead
an art project with all three classes of students. With her help, we each made
an artist trading card with a wonderful winter scene. We were surprised and
delighted to see how unique each art piece was! Hearing Keely’s story helped us
feel empathy for her, and we felt like we got to know her even better by
working together as a group to learn about her passions. 
Perhaps the highlight of the week was
journaling in the art gallery at Elements Calgary Mental Health Centre. Alicja,
the art instructor there, taught us all about how art can be helpful for
everyone, but especially for those struggling with mental illness. We saw
Keely’s art in the gallery and spent time thinking about how art can share a
story and help us to feel emotions alongside the artist.
After our visit at Elements, we ate our
lunches at The Kerby Centre and visited with seniors who find their community
there. We were so nervous at first, but that fear disappeared when we heard
people’s stories and found out all the interests we shared in common. “As we
spent time with [the seniors] I saw students show kindness by offering to carry
their lunch or throw away their garbage,” said one of the teachers. “I saw
students actively ask how people were doing and they told me how interesting it
was to hear peoples’ life stories.” Listening to people’s stories turned out to
be an excellent exercise in building empathy; we learned that we can only feel with a person when we listen first.
Over the course of the week, we explored
public and private spaces, unpacked and studied a food hamper, toured Inn From
the Cold, and even wrote notes of encouragement for the guests of The Mustard
Seed. It was an incredible week!
North Haven students and teachers followed
up their trip to SEEDschool with a giving project. Students learned to
finger-knit scarves and created notes to explain their intention for the
project. Just before Christmas, the teachers tied the scarves along the railing
of a particularly unwelcoming underpass downtown for anybody to take. A few
weeks later, the scarves were all gone! Empathy led these classes to a need for
action, and their action had a wonderful positive effect on our community of
Calgary. ~ Kelsey Brown, SEEDschool coordinator
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