Empathy is the ability to step into another’s shoes, to look at life from another’s perspective. By transforming our sympathy into empathy, we may begin to see as others do. This is easy with friends, but to empathise with a stranger is much harder. But, as the unknown becomes known, we may see that we are all the same. This insight empathy brings makes it a tool for change, having the power to transform ourselves and maybe even some of the biggest issues facing our society.

At The Intersection, we strive for an empathetic world. Our two decades of work in Melbourne have brought us into contact with the stranger (homeless/addicted/marginalised) and inspired us to imagine what life is like for them. These acts of empathy have helped us to see ourselves in them and discover our shared humanity. We invite you to step into another’s shoes with us and see life from their perspective. This session draws on The Intersection’s ongoing empathic work to challenge and inspire students to not only have empathy themselves but use it as a tool to inspire change in the world.

This session runs as a 90 min workshop and costs $395 (plus GST) when hosted at our CBD venue. It can also be offered onsite at your school or another venue for $395 (plus GST) plus travel costs — with a discounted per-session price available for 2 or more bookings on the same day. It is also available online. It is highly recommended that groups also participate in our “A Most Liveable City” walk, and compliments our Laneway Cricket & "you+me+us" workshop. Please contact us if you would like to discuss this further.

For enquiries & bookings information email bookings@theintersection.org.au or make a booking request.

Can be provided at a level suitable for Grade 5/6 students

We sort ourselves into like groups, allowing us a sense of belonging and connection with like-minded people. But this can also create a division of 'us and them' and a mentality of, you're either with us or against us. At The Intersection we believe that right now we need to not live in a divided world and that we need to embrace difference and diversity for our own growth, health and healing.

In this workshop, we will begin to re-humanise the other, through a series of interactive activities, media and discussions. Discovering that people are hard to hate close up and that strangers really are fiction.

This workshop runs for 2 hours, costs $425 plus GST, and is only on offer to those students who have participated in a "A Most Liveable City?" walk and compliments our "Empathy" workshop.  

For enquiries & bookings information email bookings@theintersection.org.au or make a booking request

Enjoy a game of backyard cricket in the city’s backyard — a laneway.

Through the intersection of a game of cricket and a laneway, you will be asked to meet the other. Invite a stranger to join and see what happens when different people come together to play sport. Barriers, assumptions and stereotypes get removed and broken down. No more are we a homeless person, business person or school student, we are just people; neighbours sharing a game of cricket.

This game is umpired by one of our oldest friends who has struggled with many of the issues discussed in our A Most Liveable City walk.

This session runs for 90 minutes or 2 hours, costs $445 plus GST, and is only on offer to those students who have participated in a “A Most Liveable City” walk. It also compliments our "Empathy" workshop.

For enquiries & bookings information email bookings@theintersection.org.au or make a booking request.

At The Intersection, we recognise that curiosity is key to empathy. To understand the different ways that people see that world requires more than just imagination, it requires exploration and inquiry into real people’s experiences.

We have developed a unique new session called Meet The Neighbour — students can meet one of 10 people who have experienced disadvantage or discrimination in Melbourne, in a 20 minute collaborative conversation.

Meet The Neighbour creates safe spaces for dialog where topics can be discussed openly. We take you on an active journey of empathy building, dissolving the stereotypes that divide us and discovering that, underneath, we are all the same. This opportunity to connect with and learn from people in all walks of life reveals to us the transformative power of empathy and connection as tools for personal and social change.

For enquiries & bookings information email bookings@theintersection.org.au or make a booking request.

This session invites you ‘walk in the shoes of another’. A self guided experience of chose your own adventure. Follow the map and interactive audio around the city to hear a different story of people living and working in Melbourne.

For enquiries & bookings information email bookings@theintersection.org.au or make a booking request.

This session invites you to consider how different people experience something as simple as buying lunch. What can we learn by stepping into someone elses shoes for a lunch time? Do different forms of currency have the same power? Is Australia’s Cashless Debit Card (or Healthy Welfare Card) a sign of equality or disconnection? Get out and around the city and experience it in a way that is new and opens your eyes to experiences beyond your own in this empathy experiment.

For enquiries & bookings information email bookings@theintersection.org.au or make a booking request.