Thematic Session 7

For more than 25 years, I practiced “love in action” as a nonprofit photographer and fundraiser - supporting children’s education, creating animal sanctuaries, and fostering hope in vulnerable communities.
Then, in rural Ethiopia, I received the devastating news that my son Blaise had died by suicide.
As I waited to begin the long journey back to the United States, a kind man named Assefa sat beside me, holding my hand for ten hours. That simple gesture did not erase my grief, but it revealed something profound: even the smallest acts of care can ripple outward with immeasurable strength.   
Since then, I have carried this deeper understanding into all my work, from creating peace gardens in places scarred by conflict to nurturing global projects of compassion.
The human touch, I have learned, is not only physical - it is the empathy, presence, and love we extend to one another.
This talk reflects on how the human touch - whether through a life’s mission or a moment’s kindness - can heal, connect, and transform.   

In the age of artificial intelligence, children are surrounded by fast answers. Yet emotional growth still needs time, presence, imagination and shared meaning. This talk explores how tales and storytelling can create a deeply human space in which children begin to understand feelings, relationships and their own lived experiences. Drawing on the Metamorphoses Folktale Method and the T.A.L.E. programme, it shows how stories, embodied practices, creative reflection and shared dialogue can support social-emotional development. The talk includes a short tale about storytelling itself and introduces findings from a published mixed-methods study with 197 children aged 7-9. The results suggest that stories may become small, memorable resources that children can carry into everyday emotional situations. At a time when many answers can be generated instantly, stories remind us that meaning cannot simply be delivered. It has to be lived, shared and slowly integrated.