BrainPOP News and Updates
Solidarity for the AAPI Community and Cultivating Empathy in Young Learners
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, an alarming rise in hate crimes has plagued Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders across the United States. President Biden issued a statement condemning racism, xenophobia, and intolerance toward Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and provided some guidelines for combating it. That’s a start.
As racial tensions in America have risen over the years, our team at BrainPOP has prioritized creating and updating content to offer diverse and inclusive perspectives while also contextualizing underlying historical issues. And we’ll continue to do this work—but in times like these, it’s good to focus on the basics.
For younger children, awareness of Emotions and Empathy can help expand their perspectives. Understanding Rights and Responsibilities can help them grasp the concept of community. For older children, an understanding of Bullying and Conflict Resolution can help them put these ideas into practice.
Kids have an inherent understanding of right and wrong. They know what’s fair and what’s unfair. They have within them beginnings of justice and compassion. To nurture these ideas in children, we need to prepare them to enter a larger world where difference isn’t scary and where treating others with decency elevates us all.
Like Tim says in BrainPOP’s Coronavirus movie: “The coronavirus doesn’t care where you’re from or what your background is. So don’t let anyone turn this into an excuse to target someone based on how they look. Working together is how we’ll beat this thing, so let’s stand up for our neighbors.”
Mike Watanabe
Chief Creative Officer
(and voice of Tim)
BrainPOP
