I’m absolutely thrilled that my poetry collection You Are Not Alone has been selected by Empathy Lab for inclusion in their 2024 Read for Empathy Collection and campaign.
The annual Read for Empathy Collection features 65 books for 3-16 year olds, chosen by a panel of judges for their empathy-building power. The books will be used by parents, carers, teachers and librarians nationwide to help boost young peoples’ empathy skills year-round and particularly in the run-up to Empathy Day.
Empathy Day is on Thursday 6th June this year and is open to all to get involved and inspired. You can register for free at www.empathylab.uk/empathy-day.
You Are Not Alone is written with teen and young adult readers in mind. It takes a deep-dive into young people’s mental health and wellbeing – from how it can feel to live with certain mental health conditions, to what it’s like dealing with the everyday pressures and challenges faced by young people today. The poems are variously thought-provoking, reassuring, heart-breaking, hopeful, galvanising, and even laugh-out-loud funny. They offer up lots of different voices and experiences, and also invite readers to consider how some aspects of our society might help or hinder our sense of wellbeing.
Empathy Lab’s judges said, “In this time of massive concerns about young people’s mental health and well-being, this poetry collection feels like an empathetic friend. It’s a book to dip into and realise, as the title suggests, that whatever the situation, words can comfort you and let you know that you are not alone.”
You can watch the trailer here –
Discover more about the book, read extracts, watch some short poetry films and download free teaching resources at www.troikabooks.com/you-are-not-alone
Find out all about the Read for Empathy Collection 2024, explore the full list of 65 empathy-boosting books and download free guides to the collection at www.empathylab.uk/RFE
Shauna Darling Robertson 