Guiding Question:

• How might, not just a turtle, but a whole mural of colorful characters, co-designed by the students at a local kindergarten, uplift students and faculty and have a positive impact on wellbeing?  

Key Takeaways:

• Thinking local when it comes to our community partnerships
• Building relationships onsite with community partners rather than one-off opportunities or fundraisers
• Addressing authentic needs - In this case gathering ideas from the students at the local school on the theme for the mural

If you have enjoyed this podcast please take a moment to subscribe, and also we’d appreciate it if you could please leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform. The way the algorithm works, this helps our podcast reach more listeners. Thanks from IC for your support. 

• Inspire Citizens Student Leader Micro-Credential
• Learn more about how Inspire Citizens co-designs customized student leadership and changemakers programs
• Connect with more stories from the Inspire Citizens network in our vignettes
• Access free resources for global citizenship education
• Share on social media using #EmpathytoImpact

Episode Summary 

On this episode of Empathy to Impact, host Scott Jamieson meets up with Gene, Anya, Kyra, & PamPam, high school students and community artists from Shrewsbury International School in Bangkok, Thailand. We talk about a project that they chose to be involved in that connected to their changemaker superpowers and addressed an authentic needs of one of their local community partners, Mercy Center Kindergarten. Through this long-term partnership, they were able to collaboratively identify a challenge and work together to transform the school playground by taking a plain wall and painting it with a bright, vibrant mural. This mural continues to uplift the community and has had a positive impact on everyone who uses the playground. Join us to hear about how this project came together.

Discover a transformative podcast on education and learning from a student perspective and student voice, exploring media, media literacy, and media production to inspire citizens in schools through a media lab focused on 21st-century learning, empathy to impact, Global citizenship, collaboration, systems thinking, service learning, PBL, CAS, MYP, PYP, DP, Service as Action, futures thinking, project-based learning, sustainability, well-being, harmony with nature, community engagement, experiential learning, and the role of teachers and teaching in fostering well-being and a better future.

This episode addresses topics of mental health and suicide at a level that is age-appropriate for Year 6 (Gr 5)

Guiding Question:

• What changes when we take a  Heart-Mind-Action approach to learning for PYPx, creating opportunities for students to connect with an issue that they care about, design compelling inquiry questions that guide their research, and go beyond awareness to empower students to take action and have a positive impact in their community.

Key Takeaways:

• Talking about and engaging with mental health at an age-appropriate level for younger students
• When we engage with topics that we care about, the learning doesn’t stop at exhibition
• Student lead actions: Our students can have a positive impact on the mental health in our school community.

If you have enjoyed this podcast please take a moment to subscribe, and also we’d appreciate it if you could please leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform. The way the algorithm works, this helps our podcast reach more listeners. Thanks from IC for your support. 

• Inspire Citizens Student Leader Micro-Credential
• Learn more about how Inspire Citizens co-designs customized student leadership and changemakers programs
• Connect with more stories from the Inspire Citizens network in our vignettes
• Access free resources for global citizenship education
• Share on social media using #EmpathytoImpact

Episode Summary 

On this episode of Empathy to Impact, host Scott Jamieson meets up with a group of Year 6 students at Al-Rayan International School in Accra, Ghana. Sedra, Hiyan, Arham, Arnav and Qingke (Coco) take time at the very end of their school year to join me for a conversation and reflect on their experience at this year’s PYP exhibition. What sets these students apart is not just that they did such a fantastic job with their exhibition projects, but that they chose to explore the challenging topics of mental health, depression, and suicide. The amazing educators at the school have combined elements from Kath Murdoch’s inquiry cycle with the Empathy to Impart framework developed by Inspire Citizens to create their own Heart-Mind-Action approach that guides teaching and learning across the PYP and has become part of the DNA at their school. 

Discover a transformative podcast on education and learning from a student perspective and student voice, exploring media, media literacy, and media production to inspire citizens in schools through a media lab focused on 21st-century learning, empathy to impact, Global citizenship, collaboration, systems thinking, service learning, PBL, CAS, MYP, PYP, DP, Service as Action, futures thinking, project-based learning, sustainability, well-being, harmony with nature, community engagement, experiential learning, and the role of teachers and teaching in fostering well-being and a better future.

Please enjoy this encore episode from our #EmpathytoImpact archive. Stay tuned for new episodes coming in August 2026.

If you have enjoyed the podcast please take a moment to subscribe, and also please leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. The way the algorithm works, this helps our podcast reach more listeners. Thanks from IC for your support. 

• New from Inspire Citizens: Inspired Coaching & Inspired Experiences 
• Learn more about how Inspire Citizens co-designs whole-school service learning programs
• You can book a discovery call with Inspire Citizens at this link
• Share on social media using #EmpathytoImpact

Episode Summary 
Tim, a 10th grade student at ISBkk, recognized that the inequity he was witnessing in his home country of Thailand was largely due to inequity in the access that people have to quality education. He was inspired by a summer internship program that he attended and develop the project to collaborate with teachers at his school to provide training for aspiring educators entering the teaching profession in Thailand. Listen to learn about this amazing program and the reciprocal partnership that has developed between the Equitable Education Fund and ISBkk as a result of Tim’s work.

Discover a transformative podcast on education and learning from a student perspective and student voice, exploring media, media literacy, and media production to inspire citizens in schools through a media lab focused on 21st-century learning, empathy to impact, Global citizenship, collaboration, systems thinking, service learning, PBL, CAS, MYP, PYP, DP, Service as Action, futures thinking, project-based learning, sustainability, well-being, harmony with nature, community engagement, experiential learning, and the role of teachers and teaching in fostering well-being and a better future.

A throwback to the old intro… Happy Summer (northern hemisphere) from Inspire Citizens. We hope you enjoy this encore episode from our archives featuring some amazing student leaders at NIST. New episodes coming soon.

If you have enjoyed the podcast please take a moment to subscribe, and also please leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. The way the algorithm works, this helps our podcast reach more listeners. Thanks from IC for your support. 

• New from Inspire Citizens: Inspired Coaching & Inspired Experiences 
• Learn more about how Inspire Citizens co-designs whole-school service learning programs
• You can book a discovery call with Inspire Citizens at this link
• Share on social media using #EmpathytoImpact

Episode Summary
On this episode, I connect with service learning leaders Pooja, Maya, Minnie, & Poj. These young global citizens share an interest in service through the lens of unity, collaboration and humanitarianism. Listen to our conversation to hear about the multitude of options for students at NIST to engage in meaningful, impactful, and sustainable service through collaboration with diverse community partners in Thailand. We talk about the current projects and aspirations of the service clubs that they are personally involved with, as well as how they have developed as leaders through their work with their clubs and ServiceCo, a student-led organization within the school, who, among their many responsibilities, coordinate and offer leadership and oversight to the many initiatives happening across the school. How might we work together to create a culture of service within our own schools and empower students to take action for a more just equitable, joyful, and sustainable future?  Listen and be inspired.

Discover a transformative podcast on education and learning from a student perspective and student voice, exploring media, media literacy, and media production to inspire citizens in schools through a media lab focused on 21st-century learning, empathy to impact, Global citizenship, collaboration, systems thinking, service learning, PBL, CAS, MYP, PYP, DP, Service as Action, futures thinking, project-based learning, sustainability, well-being, harmony with nature, community engagement, experiential learning, and the role of teachers and teaching in fostering well-being and a better future.

Note: This episode is an encore performance from an episode originally published on May 7, 2024

If you have enjoyed the podcast please take a moment to subscribe, and also please leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. The way the algorithm works, this helps our podcast reach more listeners. Thanks from IC for your support. 

• Update: Aya’s paper got published! You can read it here. It is article number 4 in the 10th issue of the Intercultural Connector. Congratulations to Aya on this amazing accomplishment.
• New from Inspire Citizens: Inspired Coaching & Inspired Experiences 
• Learn more about how Inspire Citizens co-designs whole-school service learning programs
• Share on social media using #EmpathytoImpact

Episode Summary 

It was so amazing to meet Aya from the International School of Kigali in Rwanda and learn about her passion for mindful service and how it connects to intercultural competency. Her 4 pillars of mindful service would be a great starting point for any school designing a service learning program, or evaluating the impact of their partnerships. How might we engage as listeners, connect with communities from a place of equality, build relationships, establish trust and collaboratively design actions that have positive impact and develop reciprocal partnerships? Listen to find out.

Discover a transformative podcast on education and learning from a student perspective and student voice, exploring media, media literacy, and media production to inspire citizens in schools through a media lab focused on 21st-century learning, empathy to impact, Global citizenship, collaboration, systems thinking, service learning, PBL, CAS, MYP, PYP, DP, Service as Action, futures thinking, project-based learning, sustainability, well-being, harmony with nature, community engagement, experiential learning, and the role of teachers and teaching in fostering well-being and a better future.

Guiding Question:

• What if schools created a space for student changemakers to gather, learn, grow, collaborate, innovate, lead and celebrate their work building a bridge to a sustainable future? 

Key Takeaways:

• Planting seeds for changemaking in schools 
• Using the Sustainability Compass as a guide to different strands of being a changemaker 
• Creating a sense of unity and belonging for changemakers across Europe at the Düsseldorf conference 
• Building a team through trust, talents and skills

If you have enjoyed this podcast please take a moment to subscribe, and also we’d appreciate it if you could please leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform. The way the algorithm works, this helps our podcast reach more listeners. Thanks from IC for your support. 

• Check out the conference website 
• Inspire Citizens Student Leader Micro-Credential
• Learn more about how Inspire Citizens co-designs customized student leadership and changemakers programs
• Connect with more stories from the Inspire Citizens network in our vignettes
• Access free resources for global citizenship education
• Share on social media using #EmpathytoImpact

Episode Summary 

On this episode of Empathy to Impact, host Scott Jamieson meets up with grade 11 students Melania, Julia, and Grabriela from the International School of Düsseldorf. These 3 changemakers spearheaded the team at their school as they organized this year’s student-led changemaker conference, Bridge to Impact. This is the 5th iteration of this European regional conference with previous hosts, Budapest, Munich, and the founding conferences in Frankfurt. This conference is designed to bring young changemakers together, support them to build skills, and create opportunities for action and collaboration. Be sure to check out next year’s conference in Lithuania. Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at this year’s conference from the perspective of the student leaders who put it all together.

Discover a transformative podcast on education and learning from a student perspective and student voice, exploring media, media literacy, and media production to inspire citizens in schools through a media lab focused on 21st-century learning, empathy to impact, Global citizenship, collaboration, systems thinking, service learning, PBL, CAS, MYP, PYP, DP, Service as Action, futures thinking, project-based learning, sustainability, well-being, harmony with nature, community engagement, experiential learning, and the role of teachers and teaching in fostering well-being and a better future.

Guiding Question:

• How might hosting a regional student leadership conference create opportunities for growth and collaboration for student leaders at your school?

Key Takeaways:

• Setting students up for leadership success
• Creating opportunities for students to get a glimpse into the real world through their leadership experiences
• Opportunities to inspire that go beyond just growth as a leader

If you have enjoyed this podcast please take a moment to subscribe, and also we’d appreciate it if you could please us a review on your favorite podcast platform. The way the algorithm works, this helps our podcast reach more listeners. Thanks from IC for your support. 

• Inspire Citizens Student Leader Micro-Credential 
• Learn more about how Inspire Citizens co-designs customized student leadership and changemakers programs
• Connect with more stories from the Inspire Citizens network in our vignettes
• Access free resources for global citizenship education
• Share on social media using #EmpathytoImpact

Episode Summary 

On this episode of Empathy to Impact, host Scott Jamieson meets up with students Sylia, Shireen, Yasmine, Sarah, and Mohamed, high school student leaders from GWA in Morocco. These students were the hosts of the first regional Inspired Student Leadership Conference in Casablanca, Morocco. 75 students from 5 schools in Morocco came together to collaborate, develop new skills and grow as leaders in January 2026. The conference was designed to support student leaders to lead with purpose and impact. Join us to hear more about the conference experience directly from the students.

Discover a transformative podcast on education and learning from a student perspective and student voice, exploring media, media literacy, and media production to inspire citizens in schools through a media lab focused on 21st-century learning, empathy to impact, Global citizenship, collaboration, systems thinking, service learning, PBL, CAS, MYP, PYP, DP, Service as Action, futures thinking, project-based learning, sustainability, well-being, harmony with nature, community engagement, experiential learning, and the role of teachers and teaching in fostering well-being and a better future.

Guiding Question:

• How might we create opportunities for students to develop their leadership skills while cultivating a sense of belonging for new students and new families in our school communities?

Key Takeaways:

• Identifying skills and attributes essential for student leaders
• Developing student driven processes and procedures in our leadership programs
• How leadership opportunities help students to exemplify learner profile attributes. 
• The importance of a growth mindset in leadership 

If you have enjoyed this podcast please take a moment to subscribe, and also we’d appreciate it if you could please us a review on your favorite podcast platform. The way the algorithm works, this helps our podcast reach more listeners. Thanks from IC for your support. 

• Inspire Citizens Student Leader Micro-Credential 
• Learn more about how Inspire Citizens co-designs customized student leadership and changemakers programs
• Connect with more stories from the Inspire Citizens network in our vignettes
• Access free resources for global citizenship education
• Share on social media using #EmpathytoImpact

Episode Summary 

On this episode of Empathy to Impact, host Scott Jamieson meets up with Student Ambassador Leaders from West Island School in Hong Kong. Students Alessandra, Aria, Brandon, Jasmine, Teah, and Claire share their personal leadership stories and why being a leader is important to them. We discuss their roles and responsibilities as student leaders, what skills and attributes are important for leaders, and how their work helps to create a sense of belonging for new students and families who come to their school. These students also talk about how their work as leaders creates opportunities to exemplify learner profile attributes, and to cultivate a growth mindset. If you are thinking about how best to support and empower student leaders at your school, you are in the right place. 

Discover a transformative podcast on education and learning from a student perspective and student voice, exploring media, media literacy, and media production to inspire citizens in schools through a media lab focused on 21st-century learning, empathy to impact, Global citizenship, collaboration, systems thinking, service learning, PBL, CAS, MYP, PYP, DP, Service as Action, futures thinking, project-based learning, sustainability, well-being, harmony with nature, community engagement, experiential learning, and the role of teachers and teaching in fostering well-being and a better future.

Guiding Question:

• Why is it important for students go begin projects involving service learning and community engagement with relationship building?

Key Takeaways:

• Building relationships with a local school and working with them to address vision challenges of students to reduce barriers to learning and improve as student outcomes.
• Community partnerships - In this case, collaborating with a local optometrist. 
• Engaging in social entrepreneurship to generate funds for the project. 
• Resilience, perseverance, and staying positive as important at attributes of changemakers. 
• Living your school values through service learning.

If you have enjoyed this podcast please take a moment to subscribe, and also we’d appreciate it if you could please us a review on your favorite podcast platform. The way the algorithm works, this helps our podcast reach more listeners. Thanks from IC for your support. 

• Learn more about how Inspire Citizens co-designs customized student leadership and changemakers programs
• Connect with more stories from the Inspire Citizens network in our vignettes
• Measuring the IMPACT of Service Learning projects and initiatives 
• Access free resources for global citizenship education
• Share on social media using #EmpathytoImpact

Episode Summary 

On this episode of Empathy to Impact, host Scott Jamieson visits Colegio George Washington in Cartagena, Colombia to speak with 9th grade students Miranda and Fiorella about their 8th grade service-learning project, which identified widespread vision problems in the nearby, vulnerable community of Manzanillo Del Mar. After researching visual health, partnering with an optometrist for screenings, and fundraising through a student-run waffle sale and contributions, the class provided personalized glasses to children in need, formed meaningful cross-community friendships (most notably with a girl named Aslyn), and learned practical skills—problem solving, persistence, empathy, and cooperation—that prepared them for more complex high-school projects while reinforcing their school values and the lasting impact of community-centered learning.

Discover a transformative podcast on education and learning from a student perspective and student voice, exploring media, media literacy, and media production to inspire citizens in schools through a media lab focused on 21st-century learning, empathy to impact, Global citizenship, collaboration, systems thinking, service learning, PBL, CAS, MYP, PYP, DP, Service as Action, futures thinking, project-based learning, sustainability, well-being, harmony with nature, community engagement, experiential learning, and the role of teachers and teaching in fostering well-being and a better future.

Guiding Question:

• How might schools empower students by giving them more agency in their learning and evolving curricula to better reflect their needs and interests? 

Key Takeaways:

• Strengthening collaboration through building more effective teams 
• The future of education is not one size fits all
• Leaning in to AI - AI is a good collaborator, but is not a good leader. And it’s not cheating.

If you have enjoyed this podcast please take a moment to subscribe, and also we’d appreciate it if you could leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform. The way the algorithm works, this helps our podcast reach more listeners. Thanks from IC for your support. 

• Learn more about how Inspire Citizens co-designs customized student leadership and changemakers programs
• Join the community at What School Could Be
• Check out Role Color Finder
• Connect with more stories from the Inspire Citizens network in our vignettes
• Measuring the IMPACT of Service Learning projects and initiatives 
• Access free resources for global citizenship education
• Share on social media using #EmpathytoImpact

Episode Summary 

On this episode, I talk to Sanjay, a high school freshman and CEO of Role Color Finder. Join us as we as we discuss how this tool can help us to learn about our strengths as leaders and build stronger collaborations within our teams. Sanjay also shares his thoughts on the future of education and how AI might support schools to move away from a one size fits all approach to a more personalized model of learning that will lead to greater student agency and engagement in schools. If you are thinking about identifying strengths, AI’s role in education, student engagement and wellbeing and managing unsustainable workloads for students and educators, or maybe something out-of-the-box like having angel investors to support young, aspiring entrepreneurs in schools, this podcast for you.

Discover a transformative podcast on education and learning from a student perspective and student voice, exploring media, media literacy, and media production to inspire citizens in schools through a media lab focused on 21st-century learning, empathy to impact, Global citizenship, collaboration, systems thinking, service learning, PBL, CAS, MYP, PYP, DP, Service as Action, futures thinking, project-based learning, sustainability, well-being, harmony with nature, community engagement, experiential learning, and the role of teachers and teaching in fostering well-being and a better future.