I recently completed a year at Yale University as a PhD researcher as a part of the Yale Fox International Fellowship; a long-running program aimed at supporting research that promotes ‘peace and prosperity in the world’. It was one of the best experiences of my life - challenging, stimulating, inspiring, and feeling connected with likeminded people.

On 15th May 2023 I was invited to attend International Day of Families at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. I was tasked with sharing some thoughts on intergenerational solidarity and empathy.

This is an exert from a presentation I made at the Yale University Fox International Fellowship Biannual conference in May 2023. It follows research on the topics of culture and empathy, which flows into this concept of solidarity in terms of group level connection and understanding - framed through the lens of community revival in rural Japan.

The maintenance of harmonious societies relies in part on the degree to which people develop positive connection and understanding with others – such as social solidarity and empathy. Meanwhile, contributing to civil communities that reject othering, a potentially disastrous form of dehumanisation. Yet, connection and understanding remains largely elusive, particularly between people from differing social and cultural orientations. To delve into this issue, an experiential community-based program facilitated cross-cultural interactions between college students from Australia and members of a tribal community in rural Maharashtra, India.

In late October I had a wonderful opportunity to attend and present at the ‘Designing for Empathy’ conference at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. It was a relatively intimate gathering of people deeply involved in the concept ‘empathy’ from all sorts of diverse backgrounds. This encouraged me to present authentically, key aspects of my journey. It sparked the idea of ‘between worlds ‘ as the most appropriate way to summarise my life and work. 

Last week I stepped back from leading the UTS Business Mentors program, after almost 8 years. While I can't help to feel sadness, it's time for me to begin scripting a new chapter of PhD research in the US at Yale, and later in Japan and India. As cliché as it sounds, it has been an incredible journey…

I will be presenting at the Oxford Empathy Programme “Empathy in Healthcare Colloquium” held online 11-12 November 2021. I argue the need to better understand people's real-world relational experiences, which might inform a more culturally-responsive approach to empathy.

It was incredibly humbling to receive an award for education leadership at UTS Business School, in connect with several years of work towards the interdisciplinary subject, Integrating Business Perspectives. This has involved an evolution towards incorporating significant elements of ‘empathy’ and human-centrededness, which is unique in Australian universities.

During the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, young adults were often characterised as selfish, uncaring, and not following COVID prevention advice. As the pandemic progressed and made me think: How are young adults experiencing the pandemic? I thought it important to understand the real nature of people’s experiences beyond seemingly lazy and out-dated stereotypes. Watch the video here…

The ‘Solidarity Project’ was a five-month initiative to activate international support for communities in rural India struggling with coronavirus health and economic crises in late 2020. It included the provision of essential food and sanitation items, personalised information relating to COVID-19 prevention and emotional support from Australian supporters, many former students who previous collaborated with the community in India.

Over the last two years Drishtee Immersion has partnered with the community of Sonoshi to investigate access to water, exploring community needs, identifying root cause issues in support of positive actions forward. These efforts culminated in the launch of the ‘Sonoshi Paani Filter’ system, a significant step towards securing the community’s water future. This article showcases the unique empathy-based approach undertaken as the foundation for equitable community engagement, self-determination and new self-efficacy for overcoming the complex issue.  

Last month Laura and I attended the European Association for International Education (EAIE) conference in Geneva, to share experimental findings on empathy for enhanced internationalised education. Reflecting the amazing array of empathy experiences over the years, as already alluded to, the team and I created a model to demonstrate our transformational empathy journeys.

Since 2011 I have sought to deepen my understanding of the concept ‘empathy’. Recently, I returned from twelve months in India, where I sought out anyone with a new perspective that i might learn from. What exactly is empathy? How does it work? Who is actively applying it? What are the implications? Leading me to consider the future and the role empathy could play.