This is Compassion!
Students from BICS and IPS contributed 18 pieces to This is Compassion!
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Updated: October 29, 2009 5:28 PM
What happens when you ask teenagers to write a story, create a piece of art or take a photo on the topic of compassion?
Not much, some would say.
Those cynics assume that today’s kids are self-absorbed and have little regard for others.
But that is not the case. British Columbia’s students have a wealth of experiences and ideas on the topic and the newly released book, This is Compassion! – Young people’s stories, poems, art and photography, proves the point.
The stories and art touch on numerous subjects young people are passionate about such as the environment, pets, friends, family and social activism.
The authors and artists are 13 to 18 years old and come from a variety of cultural backgrounds.
They address issues like bullying, violence, grief, loneliness and what can be done to overcome them. Many of them have reached the conclusion that caring for others has a little-known benefit – it makes you feel good.
This is the message that runs through the collection of stories that is suitable for kids as well as adults.
Among the stories, artwork and photography featured in This is Compassion! are 18 pieces created by local kids. Students from BICS and IPS have contributed insightful stories and drawings.
The book has been inspired by the dialogue between the Dalai Lama and high school students on Nurturing Compassion in Vancouver in 2004 and was produced by the Stories of Compassion Project.
The project received over 300 entries from 38 public and independent schools in British Columbia and faced the challenge of selecting the strongest entries for the compilation. This is Compassion! is available at Phoenix on Bowen.
