Roots of Empathy in Canada, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand shares in the sadness of the passing of Her Majesty The Queen, Elizabeth II. We honour the Queen’s lifetime service for the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.
As a young Princess in 1940, she said, “When peace comes, remember it will be for us, the children of today, to make the world of tomorrow a better and happier place.”
That still resonates as we face so many challenges in our world today.
At Roots of Empathy, our mission is “to build more caring, peaceful and civil societies through the development of empathy in children and adults”. We are particularly grateful for the Queen’s previous patronage of our Roots of Empathy partner, Action for Children. Since the start of our organization, we have been proud to be in 37,768 classrooms in Canada, and 2,959 classrooms in the UK, to help promote the importance of caring for one another and empathy in young children.
It was such a great honour for Roots of Empathy to receive the awards given on behalf of the Queen, such as the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal; the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal; the Governor General of Canada Innovation Award; the Order of Canada; the Order of Ontario; and the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador.
“We may hold different points of view,” Her Majesty noted in a 1974 speech. “But it is in times of stress and difficulty that we most need to remember that we have much more in common than there is dividing us.” True words about the importance of empathy and understanding that need to be reflected today to improve mental health and our relationships with others.
Her Majesty will be truly missed for her exceptional service and her commitment to others. In her lifetime, Her Majesty helped the mission of over 600 charities, and that work in the service of so many continues to inspire today.
We send our deep condolences to the Royal Family, as we share their loss. And we would like to thank Her Majesty for everything that she has done over 70 years as our Queen in her service of others.