Free online learning

Join our free, expert-led webinars designed to help you confidently build empathy through reading in any home, school, library or community setting. Each short session blends the latest psychology and neuroscience with practical, tried and tested tools you can use straight away. 

" Inspiring! It left me feeling uplifted and full of positive ideas"

Participant 2025 

Upcoming events

Sessions are run on Zoom and are free to attend, simply register to receive your joining link.  
All registrants get access to the recording and resources afterwards, but we encourage you to join live to ask questions and take part in interactive elements.  
Your Zoom link will arrive around two days before the event.

Make the most out of the

Read for Empathy Collection

12 Feb, 4pm – 5.30pm, free, online

Join EmpathyLab founder Sarah Mears and featured authors for an inspiring introduction to the muchanticipated 2026 Read for Empathy Collection. Now in its 10th year, this landmark collection showcases 65 outstanding empathybuilding books published over the past year—spanning ages 3–16+ and including picture books, early readers, novels, poetry, non-fiction and graphic novels. Diverse, representative and reflective of contemporary life, these titles offer rich opportunities to grow young people’s understanding of themselves and others. 

Discover how to use the Collection at home, in school, in libraries or in any setting where stories could shape social and emotional learning. Perfect for teachers, librarians, youth practitioners, parents, grandparents and caregivers. 

In this session you will:

  • Explore the Collection’s 65 books and their diverse, contemporary themes
  • Learn practical ways to use stories to understand perspectives, navigate feelings and share emotions
  • Hear new research on how an empathyfocused approach to reading boosts engagement and reading ability

Get ready for the

Empathy Day Festival

19 March, 4pm – 5.30pm, free, online

Every June, the Empathy Day Festival brings stories to life – boosting real-world empathy, improving young people’s wellbeing, building relationships, and supporting social and emotional learning.   

But did you also know that an empathyfocused approach strengthens reading engagement and ability too? It’s a win / win in the National Year of Reading!  

The Festival offers schools, libraries, early years settings, community groups and families a full week of free, fun and inspiring activities designed to build empathy through stories. Expect the Empathy Challenge, daily digital content, live author events, ideas and support to help you bring your community together. Let’s go all in for connection. 

In this session you will:

  • Meet the worldclass authors and illustrators in our Festival lineup 
  • Explore resources to help you plan and activate empathybuilding in your setting
  • Build confidence to adapt the Festival to your needs for maximum impact
  • Hear from participants and discover fresh ways to jump into someone else’s story 
  • Discover recent research findings on the intertwined nature of reading engagement, ability and empathy development  

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