Sparking Empathy in Youth | Alison Brand & Marissa Getts | TEDxBYU

Have you ever seen a child, oblivious to social rules, reach out to someone you have learned to ignore? Has a child done something kind, but with a level of thoughtfulness you didn’t think they were capable of? Youth are rock star empathizers! However, alarming studies show that this innate empathy is disappearing, and it appears that adults are to blame. Alison Brand and Marissa Getts explain how you can empower youth to discover and act on their natural empathy.
Alison's passion lies at the intersection of design, business, and social impact. She will graduate from BYU this April with a BFA in Industrial Design, a minor in Business Management, and as a recipient of the Ballard Scholar of Social Innovation Award. As a 2015 Crocker Innovation Fellow, Alison collaborated on an interdisciplinary, entrepreneurial project focused on solving an age-old social problem: stinky diapers. In Fall 2016, she interned with Ashoka Youth Venture and documented the journey of young changemakers around the world. Alison's latest project is a startup built on the concept of "micro-volunteering"-volunteer activities that take less than 30 minutes, can be engaged in remotely, and achieve positive social impact.
Marissa is a native Montanan studying Sociology with minors in Middle East Studies and International Development. She lived in Zambia and Malawi as an LDS missionary, then as a research evaluation intern for a business/agricultural school. She was co-president of Students for International Development, one of the largest and most active clubs at BYU. Last semester, she interned for Ashoka Youth Venture doing research to understand the journey of young changemakers. Currently, she is a teaching assistant for Do Good Better, the Ballard Center's core class. She is also editor-in-chief of Ballard Brief, a Ballard Center initiative to help would-be change makers have access to accurate information about social problems and solutions. Ultimately, she wants to pursue a career in social innovation.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@pamelahjohnson8713]

I completely agree with this initiative 🌼 empathy is the catalyst for love to build bridges between countries, people & families. ❤ you girls are freakin ROCKSTARS!!!!

[@gabrielpoulson1802]

Great job! I loved listening to this.