EmpathyLabUK

Join #EmpathyActionMonth this November
Help young people turn empathy into action, at home, in school, in their community.
🌍 Author videos, LIVE events & so much more
Register today!

⏰ Final call!
Early Bird tickets for Raising Generation Empathy end 24 October

Join our panel of expert speakers to: 

- Uncover new UK research
- Share strategies to build empathy through stories
- Shape an agenda for change

🎟️ Link in bio to book

Join author & illustrator Jion Sheibani at the Raising Generation Empathy Conference


- Uncover new UK research

- Share strategies to build empathy through stories

- Shape an agenda for change

⏰ Last chance for early bird tickets!

🎟️ Reserve your place, link in bio!

Join Michael Rosen at Raising Generation Empathy Conference!


Michael & other inspiring speakers will:

Share new UK research on reading & empathy

Explore empathy-building through stories
Help shape the future of empathy education


🎟️ Limited early bird tickets! BOOK NOW

Celebrate #BookshopDay TODAY by visiting your local bookshop to discover your next favourite read. Or why not celebrate from home with a new book (or two 😉) from the Read for Empathy collection store to support indie bookshops and our work uk.bookshop.org/shop/empathy...? #ChooseBookshops

This World Mental Health Day, some of the EmpathyLab team have found a moment to take time to read or share a story to relax. Why not join us, boost your mood and enjoy the empathy-boosting effect of a great book. In just 10 minutes. Here are some of our favourites to choose from  #Take10ToRead

8 authors. 4 themes. 1 powerful month of action 💫
Join us this November for #EmpathyActionMonth and discover the storytellers turning empathy into action.

Register early to unlock your FREE resources!

Register today to unlock your early access to Empathy Action Month.
With NEW resources, author events, videos, creative prompts, booklists & so much more!

Keep your eyes peeled this week for our author announcement and weekly themes to follow.

#EmpathyActionMonth2025

Happy #NationalPoetryDay! 🎉 This year’s theme is play and poetry is the perfect playground.

Playing with language & characters lets us step into others’ shoes and see their world. That’s how empathy grows.

Which poem will you explore first?

A wonderful @hapercollinsch launch at The Globe Theatre for Michael Morpurgo’s brilliant new More Tales from Shakespeare with an impassioned call for more children to discover the wonder of Shakespeare and the need for brilliant, beautifully produced books for children.

Delighted to hear @rachelreevesmp commit to a library in every primary school in England by the end of this parliament
Huge congrats to @literacy_trust, @penguinukbooks & all behind #LibrariesForPrimaries. What a win for children’s access to diverse books! 🎉

IImagine a world led with empathy. Leaders who prioritise connection and understanding. In today’s polarised world, that vision feels more urgent than ever.
Join us at Raising Generation Empathy, for fresh perspectives, ground-breaking research and help shape an agenda for change

🔎 If you are concerned about the huge pressure children and young people face and want to hear cutting edge research into how reading can develop children’s empathy skills, take a look at our Raising Generation Empathy Conference on 27 November.

Book your ticket today!

Join us in Cheltenham on 13 October for this one-day conference packed with inspiration, creativity and practical tools to help foster a reading culture that’s fit for the future.
Booking at www.cheltenhamfestivals.org

Countdown to Michael Rosen Day 2025!
From giggles to goosebumps, his stories spark joy, creativity & empathy.
This Nov, he joins us at the Raising Generation Empathy Conference on how stories power empathy through reading.

The festival reached 802,711 across the UK & beyond. Huge thanks to everyone involved!
Now we’re building momentum for the National Year of Reading 2026. Join us to help grow an empathy-educated generation.

We were thrilled to join the Youth Libraries Group Conference earlier this month.


Our co-founder Sarah Mears spoke alongside author Rashmi Sirdeshpande and Empathy Collection judge Sarah Smith. Together, they shared how reading can be a powerful tool for building empathy and understanding.

We want every young person to benefit from a powerful reading-based empathy education. It's accessible for everyone and can make tangible change in schools and communities. Join us on 27 November to find out more

Do Something That Matters this November.
Join Empathy Action Month, to inspire real change for your wellbeing, your friends & family, community or the planet. Fantastic FREE new resources & author events to join from the classroom. Register now for early access from 10 October.

We’re bringing stakeholders together to explore how reading-based empathy education can better support young people’s wellbeing and reading enjoyment. Hear from experts in psychology, education & literature, and add your voice to drive real change. How would you answer?

📣 Fresh solutions for youth wellbeing & reading for pleasure.
New Raising Generation Empathy speakers:
Jonathan Baggaley, PSHE Association
Jane Oakhill, University of Sussex
Ed Jewell, Libraries Connected

September is #WorldKidLitMonth - the month to read children’s literature from other countries. Where will you fly by book?

📣 Fresh solutions for youth wellbeing & reading for pleasure.
New Raising Generation Empathy speakers:
Jon Biddle, Moorlands CofE Primary Academy
A.M Dassu, Author
Jion Sheibani, Author & illustrator

📣 Fresh solutions for youth wellbeing & reading for pleasure.
New Raising Generation Empathy speakers:
Patrice Lawrence, MBE, author
Aimée Felone, co-founder, Knights Of
Prof Anthony Kessel, NHS Clinical Director & children’s author

📚 Your next favourite character is waiting...and they might just change how you see the world

These empathy-boosting from the Read for Empathy Collection are available to buy through the link in our bio or via bookshop.org

It’s time for fresh solutions to crises in young people’s wellbeing & reading for pleasure.
Michael Rosen, author, former Children’s Laureate
Robin Banerjee, University of Sussex, Professor of Developmental Psychology
Teresa Cremin, Open University, Professor of Education

🌞📚 Nothing beats a sunny day and reading a good book!

You can check out the full Read for Empathy Collection through the link in our bio or via bookshop.org

Yes! We agree! And not only is empathy our superpower, it’s also a skill we can develop at any age.
Find out more about how empathy can be learnt through our short online trainings and online resources, or attend our Raising Generation Empathy conference this November

With concerns around young people’s wellbeing & a significant decline in reading for pleasure, we urgently need evidence-based, cross-sector responses. Raising Generation Empathy is a landmark conference uniting disciplines, focused on embedding empathy education.

Link in bio

📚 With the summer holidays in full swing we have a fantastic collection of empathy boosting books you can dive into!
⭐️You can shop our full Read for Empathy collection through the link in our bio, or visit bookshop.org