Empathy leader training

SNS Empathy Leaders are Israeli and Palestinian peacebuilders drawn from a wide range of respected Middle East organisations working in dialogue, coexistence, human rights, education, and community leadership. They act as speakers and role models for British young people in our Youth Education and Youth Leadership programmes.

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A group of people dressed in winter clothing listening to an older man speaking on a street with a graffiti-covered wall in the background.

Handwritten text saying 'What gives you hope?' in black ink on a beige background.

Our Empathy Leaders have lived experience of conflict, hatred, and division, and all are trained in empathy-based dialogue and constructive communiucation. They volunteer their time and their stories as speakers in our programmes for British youth, offering participants the opportunity to hear directly from Palestinians and Israelis who are working together for a shared future. Using exemplar storytelling, facilitated dialogue, conflict resolution, and practical peacebuilding insights, our Empathy Leaders help British audiences move beyond polarisation towards understanding, critical thinking, and hope. During their visits in Northern Ireland, they undertake facilitated dialogue and engagement with local voices over several days, exploring the legacy of the past and the practical lessons Northern Ireland offers for reconciliation, identity, remembrance, memory and coexistence—insights that can be meaningfully applied to education and community cohesion work in the UK today.

"It has improved my overall understanding of the conflict going on and made me appreciate that events that occur around the world don’t only consist of what the media shows us.”

Student from Chingford School - London