AE Grant Showcase 2022: Culturally Responsive Empathy Programming in a Virtual Environment – Impact of LSZ School on Preschoolers’ Empathy for Wildlife

Minnesota Zoo presents on their project, “Piloting Culturally Responsive Empathy Programming for Diverse Audiences in a Virtual Environment,” and Lake Superior Zoo presents on their project “Researching the Impact of LSZ School on Preschoolers’ Empathy for Wildlife.” Minnesota Zoo’s (1:21-25:21) project confirmed the efficacy of live virtual engagement with animals in fostering empathy for wildlife, while ensuring their future work is inclusive and accessible. The project piloted and evaluated empathy-based virtual programs with schools with high cultural diversity to both measure the effectiveness of the programs themselves, and to explore the intersection of culture and indicators of empathy. Lake Superior Zoo’s project (25:50048:05) built upon a previous capacity building grant that worked to increase preschoolers’ empathy for wildlife. Using the data and outcomes from the previous project, they worked to continue building capacity for LSZ zoo for implementing empathy practices at the zoo and contributing to the growing knowledge base of empathy research in young children.