Introduction

This page features a variety of classes and courses offered by the Charter for Compassion in addition to ad hoc projects and urgent calls to action by the Charter for Compassion and its allies.

The Charter for Compassion Education Institute

Compassionate Houston, founded in 2011, was inspired by the Charter for Compassion. Its principles of treating others with respect, encouraging appreciation of cultural and religious diversity, and cultivating an informed empathy for the suffering of all human beings were our aspirational foundation.

We are delighted to share a variety of classes and courses by The Charter for Compassion Education Institute (CEI) with you.

The purpose of the CEI is to provide relevant and timely learning experiences for anyone interested in growing compassion in their lives and their community, locally and globally. With the Charter for Compassion at the heart of all we do, we invite you to join us in making compassion the driving force as we work to alleviate the suffering of our fellow beings and help create a peaceful global community. 

All links to individual courses and activities are embedded in their title.

To round up the many offerings, we are sharing selected featured global events and activities by the Charter for Compassion and hope you will find a program you are excited about.

12 Steps to a Compassionate Life by Karen Armstrong - book club

From Publishers Weekly: “…this book is deeply grounded in what Armstrong knows, and presents, well: the core teachings of all religions that can make us better, more compassionate humans. The former nun pulls ideas and references from religions Eastern and Western with…respect for all sources.”

A thorough guideline for any community book club interested in embarking on this journey of 12 Steps to a Compassionate Life. Download the free Reader's Guide for "Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life" by Karen Armstrong. Reach out to us here if you like the idea of starting a summer book club in the Greater Houston area (or beyond if we go virtual).

Global Read Series

The Charter’s Global Read program selects books that bring awareness to the theme of compassion. Each month, you will have the opportunity to hear directly from the book's author in a live webinar format and are given the chance to interact with the author and ask questions and/or comment on their book.

Please tell your friends about Global Read - and consider forming your own small group for dialogue (Compassionate Houston is evaluating such an option following the monthly program). Then be sure to register and join the live event.

when his own son—in the throes of a manic episode—broke into a neighbor's house that he learned what happens to mentally ill people who break a law.

This is the Earley family's compelling story, a troubling look at bureaucratic apathy and the countless thousands who suffer confinement instead of care, brutal conditions instead of treatment, in the “revolving doors” between hospital and jail. With mass deinstitutionalization, large numbers of state mental patients are homeless or in jail-an experience little better than the horrors of a century ago. Earley takes us directly into that experience—and into that of a father and award-winning journalist trying to fight for a better way.

Learn more and register here.

Featured Courses

CEI’s featured courses aim to assist individuals, teams, and organizations around the world in understanding the mind and heart of a compassionate community and explore processes that create paths to design sustainable action plans to meet local, national and international challenges. Come back monthly to view updates or follow the link to learn more about the Charter Education Institute. As new courses become available in 2024, you will find them here.

The Letter: A Message for Our Earth

Tuesday, April 16 @ 10:00 AM

Global Screening of The Letter: A Message for Our Earth - watch this documentary based on Pope Francis’ encyclical letter. Four voices that have gone unheard in global conversations have been invited to an unprecedented dialogue with the Pope. Hailing from Senegal, the Amazon, India, and Hawaii, these voices bring perspective and solutions from the poor, the indigenous, the youth, and wildlife into a conversation with Pope Francis himself. This documentary follows their journey to Rome and the extraordinary experiences that took place there and is packed with powerfully moving personal stories alongside the latest information about the planetary crisis and the toll it’s taking on nature and people. Learn more and register here.

Compassionate Spiritual Ecology 2024

monday, APril 29

This four-week, instructor-guided course is online, allowing you to do the lessons at your convenience. In addition, there will be two optional one-hour Zoom sessions. Course materials will be available for six months after the course. Facilitated by Dr. Jennifer Wilhoit.

Live Zoom Practice Session Dates: 
Tuesday, May 7th 10:00 AM
Tuesday, May 14th 10:00 AM

This course offers students an overview of the body of work comprising the discipline of spiritual ecology. The field is interdisciplinary, encompassing thinkers and practitioners from conservation, ecology, and religion; students will be introduced to these founders and become familiar with their work. Students will also learn about the variety of writers, thinkers, and practitioners beyond the formal discipline and how their work contributes to a broader understanding of Spiritual Ecology. The instructor’s longtime work and writing in the field of Spiritual Ecology will also be explored.

At the core of spiritual ecology are values that point to compassion for others—in the nonhuman world as well as in human communities. Beyond an introduction to the basic tenets and values of spiritual ecology, this course will guide, support, and encourage students to explore some of the myriad practical applications of a compassionate spiritual ecology. Students will have hands-on opportunities to apply and discuss the values and practices that comprise compassionate action. They will be guided and encouraged to have dialogue between the nonhuman world and the human one.

Through readings, videos, discussions, journaling, reflection, opportunities to do practices out in the natural world and more, students will be exposed to the vast body of work that constitutes spiritual ecology. Creative and nature-based activities, action plans, opportunities for reflection, Q&A, live Zoom gatherings, and a host of other methodologies will be used to engage students in the material. The course will explore how passionate care for the Earth is not separable from loving care for other humans. How to translate spiritual ecological practices into human compassion practices will be embedded throughout this course. Finally, students will be guided through the process of creating intentions for compassionate action plans that they can implement beyond the scope of the course.

Learn more about the course outline and register here.

Signature and On-Demand Courses

CEI’s signature courses are designed to explore the complexities of compassion from various perspectives. On-Demand courses offer you the flexibility to study any time and anywhere at your own speed. All signature courses are currently offered on-demand.

The Essence of Compassion

The Essence of Compassion is intended to take you on a historical and cultural journey of the development of thinking about and acting on compassion.

La Esencia de la Compasión

La Esencia de la Compasión es un curso diseñado para llevarte en un viaje histórico y cultural a través del desarrollo del pensamiento y la acción compasiva.

The Science of Compassion

Take a close look at the motivators of compassion, its physiological and psychological effects when it is utilized. 

Charter for Compassion: Compassion in Action

How did the Charter begin under theologian, Karen Armstrong's vision, and what work has evolved throughout the years? Become involved in working towards a more equitable, and peaceful world.