“The final aim is to activate the users to notice and think about their experiences. While having the material kit to document their life, people become attentive of their experiences and routines. When people are asked to verbalize their experiences they become more aware of them.” (Tuuli Mattelmäki, lecturer at the University of Arts and Design Helsinki)

 

In order to encourage students to reflect upon the different steps of “beEmpathy”, they are asked to keep the “myJournal” during the workshop. Every day they should pay special attention to one of the steps and document their experiences with giving and receiving empathy. Furthermore, the journal aims to establish emotional awareness in their free time. The students should document their feelings and their behavioural responses. The journals should be introduced during the first day of working with “beEmpathy”. From time to time, students should be reminded of working with their journals. In the end of the workshop, a final reflection round should be conducted to talk about their experiences. “morningcircle5" can be used for that.

 

​

NOTE:

 

“The act of taking pictures and seeing the familiar environment through the camera lens stimulates the user to take a purposeful look and reflect on the assignments.” (Tuuli Mattelmäki)

 

Additionally to the journal, students can also be asked to take pictures of empathetic situations. By observing their environment through the lens of their (smartphone) cameras, they can sharpen their perceptions and discover new perspectives of empathy. Based on the idea of “The Empathy Spectrum”, the students can develop their own empathy spectrums. The pictures can be discussed together in class and will thereby turn into storytelling facilitators. “The Empathy Spectrum” posters can be used to pin down their positions. The “beEmpathy” framework can be used to discuss which of the four steps the pictures show.