Seventeenth International Conference on the Inclusive Museum

Abstract

Empathy and compassion are radical ideas today. While some might see weakness, we see opportunity, moral positives, and a novel inroad to transformative educational interventions. Such interventions are particularly impactful for youth. Among the many settings where empathy education can be impactful is in the areas of holocaust and genocide education through museums and tolerance venues. Research shows that empathy education can increase cultural understanding; improve academic performance and school engagement; reduce hate crimes/antisocial behaviour; and increase positive civic engagement. Activated empathy is also seen as promoting engaged actions to counter hate speech, intolerance, and violent extremism. Nonetheless, educational programs focusing on empathy are often lacking in museum and commemorative settings. This paper examines various models of empathy education available worldwide to determine the policy and practice lever(s) for holocaust/genocide education through this lens. Included are best practices for program content, delivery methods, and evaluation/assessment. From these, implications for research, programs, and policy are presented.