• Empathy in Action: Lessons Inspired by 'The Life You Can Save’

    Discover the power of compassionate choices with The Life You Can Save lesson plans for teachers of years 5–10. Spanning Health and Physical Education, English, Business, and Economics, the resources explore Peter Singer's influential work in moral philosophy, challenging students to examine the causes and nature of global poverty and their role in addressing it.

The importance of building empathy and critical thinking

Throughout their lifetimes, young people will likely see and face challenges on personal, local and global scales. As educators, finding ways to develop empathy is a key to inspiring them to look for ways to help.

One way young people may choose to support organisations and causes is through charitable giving. Developing and applying critical thinking skills and understanding of the importance of giving to effective charities will ensure they make impactful giving decisions.

About the resources

These resources have been designed to support teachers in helping their students understand the impact of compassionate giving and the role of altruistic behaviour in enhancing community and personal wellbeing.

Focusing on cultivating empathy, they’ll inspire and empower young people to help others build better lives by emphasising respect and dignity and developing a deeper understanding and awareness of the economic and social dimensions of poverty, philanthropy and charitable organisations.

Units of work

  • Unit
  • ...

Evaluating Charitable Giving through Texts

  • Secondary
  • Year 10
  • English
  • Text Analysis
  • Social
  • Human Rights
  • Social Action
  • Social and Emotional Learning
  • Unit
  • ...

The Realities of Charitable Organisations and Aid

  • Secondary
  • Year 9 - 10
  • Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Business and Economics
  • Social
  • Social Action
  • Social and Emotional Learning
  • Unit
  • ...

The Influence of Human Nature on Respectful and Effective Giving

  • Secondary
  • Year 9 - 10
  • Health and Physical Education
  • Health
  • Social
  • Human Rights
  • Social Action
  • Social and Emotional Learning
  • Unit
  • ...

Understanding Poverty and the Impact of Compassionate Giving

  • Secondary
  • Year 7 - 8
  • Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Business and Economics
  • Social
  • Human Rights
  • Social Action
  • Social and Emotional Learning
  • Unit
  • ...

Enhancing Wellbeing with Respect and Dignity

  • Secondary
  • Year 7 - 8
  • Health and Physical Education
  • Health
  • Social
  • Human Rights
  • Social Action
  • Social and Emotional Learning
  • Unit
  • ...

Increasing Wellbeing through Compassionate Action

  • Primary
  • Year 5 - 6
  • Health and Physical Education
  • Health
  • Social
  • Human Rights
  • Social Action
  • Social and Emotional Learning

Get your FREE set of books

The Life You Can Save is offering educators FREE 56-book sets to boost student engagement around themes of global poverty, effective altruism and the impact of compassionate choices.

Pair the book with the Empathy in Action lesson plans to give your students the tools to explore, understand and impact the world around them.

There's a flat shipping rate of $45 per set, but teachers are encouraged to contact The Life You Can Save directly if this cost is a barrier.

Order your books

About The Life You Can Save

The Life You Can Save conducts research to identify nonprofits running highly impactful programs that address the multiple dimensions of poverty. They also help connect people who want to donate money and resources with these nonprofits to maximise the impact of their gifts. They aim to create a world where everyone has an opportunity to build a better life and where there’s no suffering or death due to extreme poverty.

Learn more