Empathy in Action : Lessons from a SALT Session with Nandwal's Youth

[Shahrukh Atpade]

I met some children from Nandwal village today. They were in the ninth grade. I was supposed to conduct a SALT activity with them. Initially, I introduced myself to them. The children were not significantly younger than me. To ensure there were no difficulties in our discussion, I told them not to address me as "Sir" but to call me "Dada" instead. They agreed to this with a smile.

I asked both of them to recall good things in their lives that made them feel proud. They started sharing without much delay. Their stories had similarities. They both loved seeing the smiles on their parents' faces. After doing something good, they always told their parents about it, which made them very happy. During this discussion, they told me that they felt very bad seeing older children committing suicide. They believed that such children should consider their parents. We, on the other hand, try to talk openly with our parents about everything on our minds, and they listen to us. However, there must be many children whose parents do not listen to them because they are too busy.

I was a bit surprised to hear this. Although these children are only 15 years old, they are thinking deeply. They assured me that we will discuss these issues together with all the children. We will arrange a meeting for them. I was very pleased that by conducting SALT with these two children, there was such a significant change that they began to understand the feelings of children their age. I felt very proud to have conducted SALT with these children. They have a lot of potential; we just need to use SALT to help them realize it.