DigiEmpathy Hub
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The Empathy Hub

Learn. Apply. Connect.

Your platform for empathy education. DigiEmpathy Hub brings together everything a teacher needs to bring empathy into the classroom: a short video course to understand the concepts, ready-to-use activities to practise them with students, and a community of colleagues to share the journey with. All resources are free, open and designed for students aged 8–16.

Section 01

Learn

Build a solid understanding of empathy before you bring it into the classroom.

The Learn section is your starting point. It combines a structured video minicourse on the key concepts of empathy with practical tutorials on digital tools that make empathy activities more engaging for today's learners.

The minicourse consists of ten short video lessons (2–5 minutes each). The first part explores what empathy is and how it shows up in the classroom: the difference between cognitive and affective empathy, active listening, emotion validation, seeing each student as an individual beyond the group, and looking at the emotions behind a behaviour rather than the behaviour alone. The second part turns to the teacher's own practice: how to respond to students' mistakes in a way that models good conduct, how to separate behaviour from identity ("you acted wrongly" is not "you are bad"), how to help students reflect on their own feelings, how to empathise without losing professional distance, and how to recognise the signs that you yourself are not feeling well, because we cannot care for others if we neglect ourselves.

Every lesson follows the same clear structure: a definition, why it matters, what teachers can do in practice, and examples or reflection questions. A short quiz at the end of each lesson helps you check your understanding.

The Digital Tools tutorials show, step by step and on screen, how six popular tools (Animoto, Canva, Kahoot, Padlet, Pixton and Wordwall) can be used to create interactive empathy activities, with concrete ideas you can adapt for your own class.

Empathy Definition Active Listening Emotion Validation SEL Strategies Digital Tools Behavior vs Identity

Minicourse

10 short video lessons on empathy concepts, each with practical classroom guidance and a comprehension quiz.

Digital Tools

6 hands-on tutorials showing how popular digital tools can support empathy activities in your classroom.

Section 02

Apply

From understanding to practice: empathy activities you can use in your next lesson.

The Apply section turns the concepts from the minicourse into concrete classroom practice. It brings together interactive activities, each demonstrated on video by a teacher in front of a blackboard, so you can see exactly how the activity is introduced, guided and concluded.

Activities are organised by topic and adapted for two age groups, 8–12 and 13–16, so you can choose the version that fits your students' maturity and needs. Each activity page includes a quick overview (topic, age group, required materials or tools, and a short summary), a detailed description of how the activity works and why it strengthens empathy, and the video demonstration.

The topics cover the core skills of empathic behaviour: distinguishing what others think from what they feel, imagining how to act in different situations, reasoning through moral dilemmas, coping with intense emotions, resolving conflicts constructively, listening actively, recognising how stereotypes shape our view of others, and communicating with empathy in digital spaces. The activities require little preparation and can easily be adapted to different subjects, class sizes and school contexts.

Discriminate cognitive empathy

Learn to recognize and understand other people's thoughts and perspectives, and explore how cognitive empathy supports respectful communication and informed decision-making.

Ages 8–12 Ages 13–16

Foster empathy

Discover practical ways to develop empathy by recognizing emotions, appreciating different perspectives, and building positive relationships with others.

Ages 8–12 Ages 13–16

Moral dilemmas

Explore real-life moral dilemmas that encourage reflection, ethical reasoning, and empathy when making difficult decisions.

Ages 8–12 Ages 13–16

Coping strategies

Develop healthy coping strategies to manage emotions, build resilience, and respond positively to everyday challenges.

Ages 8–12 Ages 13–16

Handling conflict constructively

Learn practical approaches to resolving conflicts respectfully through communication, cooperation, and empathy.

Ages 8–12 Ages 13–16

How to apply active listening

Discover how active listening strengthens understanding, builds trust, and promotes meaningful communication with others.

Ages 8–12 Ages 13–16

How stereotypes affect empathy

Examine how stereotypes influence our perceptions of others and learn how empathy helps overcome prejudice and promote inclusion.

Ages 8–12 Ages 13–16

Empathy in digital communication

Explore how empathy can improve digital communication by promoting respectful, responsible, and meaningful interactions in online environments.

Ages 8–12 Ages 13–16

Section 03

Connect

You are not doing this alone: join teachers across Europe who teach empathy every day.

Empathy education grows stronger when teachers share what works. The Connect section is an open forum where educators can talk about their experience with the Hub's activities, ask colleagues for advice, propose new ideas and variations, and build professional connections with teachers from North Macedonia, Portugal, Greece, Türkiye and the Czech Republic.

Whether you have just tried your first activity or have been teaching social-emotional skills for years, your experience is valuable to others. Share what happened in your classroom, what you would change, and what your students taught you, and help the community keep this resource alive and growing beyond the life of the project.

Joining is free; a simple account lets you post and reply in the forum, while all learning resources remain open without registration.

Open the teacher forum Create a free account

Discuss Activities

Share your experience applying empathy activities in the classroom.

Ask Questions

Get advice from colleagues who have tried the same activities.

Exchange Ideas

Propose new activity ideas or variations that worked for your class.

International Network

Connect with teachers from North Macedonia, Portugal, Greece, Türkiye, and Czech Republic.

Measure progress

Empathy Progress Tracker

See how your students' empathy grows, phase by phase.

The Progress Tracker is a companion tool for teachers who use the DigiEmpathy activities. For every student in a class, the teacher records short classroom observations: thirteen behaviours rated from 1 (never) to 5 (always), such as showing concern when someone is upset, listening when someone shares their feelings or respecting others' opinions, plus two open questions.

Observations are made at the start, in an initial phase, and again after each of up to five phases in which the class works with chosen strategies and practices. The tracker turns them into charts for every class, so teachers can see which behaviours are changing and decide which strategies and practices work best for their students.

Open the Progress Tracker
  1. 1

    Observe

    Rate each student on thirteen everyday empathy behaviours, from 1 (never) to 5 (always), and answer two open questions.

  2. 2

    Apply a strategy

    Work with the class through a phase, choosing a strategy and a practice from the DigiEmpathy activities.

  3. 3

    Observe again

    Repeat the observation after each phase, up to five phases.

  4. 4

    Compare

    Charts show how answers move from the initial phase to the latest one, behaviour by behaviour.

Results so far

Anonymous averages across all participating classes · updated 18 October 2026.

Key findings

  • Across 16 classes in 10 schools, the average observed empathy score rose from 3.1 in the Initial phase to 4.3 in Phase 6, a change of +1.25 on a scale from 1 (never) to 5 (always).
  • All 13 observed behaviours improved. The largest change was in “The student understands what empathy is” (+1.38).
  • The practice linked to the largest gains so far is role-playing for empathy development (+0.80 on average, in 4 classes).

3.1

Average score, Initial phase

4.3

Average score, Phase 6

+1.25

Change on the 1–5 scale

341

Students observed

2,909 observations by teachers in 16 classes and 10 schools.

Average score by phase

All thirteen behaviours · 1 = never, 5 = always · n = students observed

1 2 3 4 5 Initial n = 314 Phase 1 n = 254 Phase 2 n = 216 Phase 3 n = 149 Phase 4 n = 211 Phase 5 n = 190 Phase 6 n = 174 Initial: 3.06 · 314 students 3.1 Phase 1: 3.56 · 254 students 3.6 Phase 2: 4.03 · 216 students 4.0 Phase 3: 3.99 · 149 students 4.0 Phase 4: 4.02 · 211 students 4.0 Phase 5: 4.07 · 190 students 4.1 Phase 6: 4.31 · 174 students 4.3

Which practices helped most

Average change in a student's score compared with the phase before, for phases that used each practice

Practice and strategyChangeClasses
Role-playing for empathy development
Encouraging peer mentorship and buddy systems		 +0.80 4
"walk in their shoes" projects
Creating inclusive and diverse learning environment		 +0.76 2
Teach active listening skills
Implementing social and emotional learning (SEL) programs		 +0.61 3
Model empathy in daily interactions
Implementing social and emotional learning (SEL) programs		 +0.38 5
Expressing gratitude program
Implementing social and emotional learning (SEL) programs		 +0.06 2
Empathy circles
Creating inclusive and diverse learning environment		 +0.01 2

Each practice was used by only a few classes, so read these as early indications rather than proof.

Behaviour by behaviour

Average score in the Initial phase and in Phase 6, largest change first

Initial phase Phase 6

The student understands what empathy is

Initial phase: 3.08 Phase 6: 4.46 +1.4

The student can describe a situation in which he/she showed empathy towards someone

Initial phase: 3.07 Phase 6: 4.39 +1.3

The student shares things with others to help them feel better

Initial phase: 3.01 Phase 6: 4.30 +1.3

The student considers others’ perspectives before judging

Initial phase: 3.01 Phase 6: 4.30 +1.3

The student expresses happiness when something good happens to others

Initial phase: 3.05 Phase 6: 4.33 +1.3

The student respects others’ opinions, even in disagreement

Initial phase: 3.06 Phase 6: 4.33 +1.3

The student asks what’s wrong when someone seems sad, angry or upset

Initial phase: 3.04 Phase 6: 4.31 +1.3

The student notices when someone is feeling left out

Initial phase: 3.02 Phase 6: 4.26 +1.2

The student shows concern when someone gets hurt or is feeling upset

Initial phase: 3.05 Phase 6: 4.26 +1.2

The student can describe a situation in which someone showed empathy toward him/her

Initial phase: 3.12 Phase 6: 4.33 +1.2

The student listens attentively when someone shares their feelings

Initial phase: 3.06 Phase 6: 4.27 +1.2

The student apologizes when they hurt someone’s feelings

Initial phase: 3.15 Phase 6: 4.31 +1.2

The student acknowledges and comment on kind actions by others

Initial phase: 3.10 Phase 6: 4.24 +1.1

Scale from 1 (never) on the left to 5 (always) on the right. The number shows the change.

Show all averages as a table
BehaviourInitialPhase 1Phase 2Phase 3Phase 4Phase 5Phase 6
The student shows concern when someone gets hurt or is feeling upset3.053.433.923.954.034.084.26
The student listens attentively when someone shares their feelings3.063.574.073.944.014.074.27
The student notices when someone is feeling left out3.023.564.003.963.954.044.26
The student apologizes when they hurt someone’s feelings3.153.594.094.053.994.054.31
The student asks what’s wrong when someone seems sad, angry or upset3.043.563.993.943.954.074.31
The student shares things with others to help them feel better3.013.533.973.954.004.064.30
The student expresses happiness when something good happens to others3.053.614.044.003.984.094.33
The student acknowledges and comment on kind actions by others3.103.584.033.963.994.024.24
The student respects others’ opinions, even in disagreement.3.063.523.963.943.944.024.33
The student considers others’ perspectives before judging.3.013.433.983.943.974.044.30
The student understands what empathy is.3.083.674.164.084.144.184.46
The student can describe a situation in which he/she showed empathy towards someone.3.073.664.084.044.124.084.39
The student can describe a situation in which someone showed empathy toward him/her?3.123.604.104.134.144.104.33
All behaviours3.063.564.033.994.024.074.31
Students observed314254216149211190174
How these results are calculated

Teachers rate each student on thirteen behaviours, from 1 (never) to 5 (always), first in an initial phase and then after each phase in which the class worked with a chosen strategy and practice. The averages above combine every rated answer for each phase across all participating classes. The practice results compare each student's average with their own result in the phase before. No student, class or school names leave the tracker; the figures are refreshed about once an hour.

Made by students

Student Voices

These social media projects were created by students from schools across N. Macedonia, Portugal, Greece, Türkiye and the Czech Republic who took part in the DigiEmpathy activities. After exploring empathy in the classroom through strategies supported by digital tools, they took the next step: showing what empathy means to them, and sharing it with the world.

The result is 15 posters, short films, animations, illustrated stories and podcasts, each with its own idea and voice. A box that turns exclusion into friendship, a library full of stories, a group chat that stands up for a friend. Made by young people and for young people, these projects carry one simple message to their peers and the wider public: empathy is something we can all choose, every day.

Watch, share, and let them inspire your students to create their own.

Seven Steps to Digital Empathy Poster

Seven Steps to Digital Empathy

🇨🇿 Czech Republic
Střední zdravotnická škola a Vyšší odborná škola zdravotnická, Plzeň, Karlovarská 99

Empathy for People with Alzheimer's Poster

Empathy for People with Alzheimer's

🇨🇿 Czech Republic
Střední zdravotnická škola a Vyšší odborná škola zdravotnická, Plzeň, Karlovarská 99

Empathy Begins Before the Classroom Video

Empathy Begins Before the Classroom

🇨🇿 Czech Republic
Střední zdravotnická škola a Vyšší odborná škola zdravotnická, Plzeň, Karlovarská 99

Small Words, Big Difference Video

Small Words, Big Difference

🇲🇰 N. Macedonia
Kiril Pejcinovic Primary School, Skopje

Flip the Box: The Other Side of Every Choice Video

Flip the Box: The Other Side of Every Choice

🇲🇰 N. Macedonia
Partenija Zografski Primary School, Skopje

A Message a Day Video

A Message a Day

🇲🇰 N. Macedonia
Vera Ciriviri Trena Primary School, Skopje

Stories That Bring Us Closer Video

Stories That Bring Us Closer

🇵🇹 Portugal
Agrupamento de Escolas Soares

Kindness Is the First Step to Healing Video

Kindness Is the First Step to Healing

🇵🇹 Portugal
Agrupamento de Escolas de Briteiros

If You Were Me for a Day Illustrated story

If You Were Me for a Day

🇹🇷 Türkiye
Kızılcahamam Anatolian High School

What Is Empathy? Ten Answers AI-assisted video

What Is Empathy? Ten Answers

🇹🇷 Türkiye
Kızılcahamam Anatolian High School

You Are Not Alone AI-assisted video

You Are Not Alone

🇹🇷 Türkiye
Hatice Kemal Kayalıoğlu Science High School

Choose Empathy, Don't Ignore Animated video

Choose Empathy, Don't Ignore

🇹🇷 Türkiye
Hatice Kemal Kayalıoğlu Science High School

Empathy Starts in Our Community Video

Empathy Starts in Our Community

🇬🇷 Greece
44th Primary School of Heraklion

See. Listen. Understand. Help. Video

See. Listen. Understand. Help.

🇬🇷 Greece
1st Primary School of Archanes

Publications

DigiEmpathy Library

The DigiEmpathy Library brings together the publications developed during the project, created jointly by educators and experts from five countries and shaped by what we learned together in real classrooms. Both are available in six languages and free to download.

Empathy Empowerment Guide

Strategies and Best Practices for Educators

A comprehensive guide to building empathy at the level of the whole school. It presents ten strategies, from social and emotional learning programmes, peer mentoring and inclusive learning environments to storytelling, service learning and family involvement. It also explores how technology can strengthen empathy through digital games, virtual pen pals, VR/AR experiences and online collaboration, and how schools can monitor and support the process over time.

Download (PDF)

English · soon Македонски · soon Ελληνικά · soon Português · soon Türkçe · soon Čeština · soon

Empathy Skill-Building Toolkit

Comprehensive Guides and Activities for Educators

A hands-on companion for everyday practice. Across five chapters, it covers self-awareness and emotional identification, empathetic leadership, empathic communication and active listening, coping strategies and conflict management, and biases and diversity. Each topic combines clear explanations with practical exercises that teachers can use with their students and for their own professional growth.

Download (PDF)

English · soon Македонски · soon Ελληνικά · soon Português · soon Türkçe · soon Čeština · soon

Questions

Frequently asked questions

What is DigiEmpathy Hub?

DigiEmpathy Hub is a free online platform that helps teachers understand empathy and teach it to students aged 8–16. It offers a video minicourse, classroom activities recorded in real classrooms, and tutorials on digital tools. It was created by the Erasmus+ KA220 project “Empathy in the Digital Age”, co-funded by the European Union.

Who is DigiEmpathy Hub for?

It is made for primary and secondary school teachers, school counsellors and teacher trainers who want practical ways to build empathy in the classroom. The classroom activities are designed for two student age groups: 8–12 and 13–16.

Is DigiEmpathy Hub free to use?

Yes. Every lesson, activity video and tutorial is free to watch, and no account or registration is needed.

What can teachers find in the Learn section?

The Learn section has a ten-lesson video minicourse on empathy concepts, such as active listening, emotion validation and separating behaviour from identity, and six short tutorials on using Animoto, Canva, Kahoot, Padlet, Pixton and Wordwall for empathy activities.

What can teachers find in the Apply section?

The Apply section is a collection of classroom activity videos organised by topic, including cognitive and affective empathy, moral dilemmas, coping with intense emotions, handling conflict, active listening, stereotypes and empathy in digital communication. Most topics have one video for ages 8–12 and one for ages 13–16.

Who created the lessons and activities?

The content was developed jointly by the project partnership: organisations and schools from N. Macedonia, Greece, Portugal, Türkiye and the Czech Republic, working together under the Erasmus+ KA220 project ‘Empathy in the Digital Age’.

What language are the videos in?

The minicourse and the digital tools tutorials are narrated in English. The classroom activity videos were recorded in Turkish and Portuguese classrooms and have English subtitles. Lesson pages include a written summary, key takeaways and a transcript in English.

Looking for everything in one list? See all lessons and activities.