Empatico is a free video-meeting technology platform that enables educators from around the globe to virtually connect their classrooms together. Our product and mission is centered around our Empathy Framework, which helps students to connect with themselves, each other and the world and empowers them to form meaningful connections that foster a more empathetic world. Our vision is to be the leading classroom connector worldwide.

Seeded by The KIND Foundation, Empatico connects youth from different backgrounds, at formative ages and beyond, to discover their similarities before society conditions them to focus only on their differences. The platform is flexible and can be used both synchronously and asynchronously to best suit an educator’s needs. Empatico is preparing students to navigate the complexities, challenges, and opportunities of life in our highly connected world, building a better future one classroom at a time.

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Our Approach

Empatico’s specially designed empathy-building curricula, centered around our Empathy Framework, helps to guide classrooms through fun, impactful activities that inspire and engage students of all ages. Our content and programs are designed based on the most current research on education, psychology, sociology, and conflict resolution. We partner with educators, researchers, and subject-matter experts to create experiences that will lead to a more empathetic future society.

To do this, we:

Provide a Free Online Platform:
Empatico’s browser-based platform consists of a matching algorithm, video, chat messaging, and file-sharing, and is compatible with in-person, remote, and hybrid learning environments. Educators can match based on location, similar interests in activities, classroom schedules, language (English or Spanish), and student ages.

Create a free account at empatico.org/login

Support Educators:
We train and provide resources for educators on developing their own empathy-related skills and fostering classroom norms around prosocial behaviors and inclusive mindsets. Ambassador educators serve as mentors and community role models for Empatico’s values, and we host a community of practice for educators to share and learn best practices among global peers.

To learn more about our ambassador program, email ambassadors@empatico.org

Offer Unique Programs and Activities:
Empatico’s research-based activities create opportunities for students to learn about and practice nine empathy-related skills and competencies, both in-class and with partner classrooms around the globe. We also offer customized programs for classrooms to connect around topics of shared interest and for educators to interact with one another in an exclusive, private network.

View Our Activities

Stay Up to Date with the Latest Research in Empathy:
Our activities are rooted in Empatico’s Empathy Framework, which is grounded in current research in education, psychology, sociology, conflict resolution, and communication.

View Our Empathy Framework

Build Partnerships:
We collaborate with businesses, foundations, non-governmental and school-based organizations to engage in partnerships that support shared goals and outcomes. We customize our programs based on shared or common goals with our partners in a variety of industries.

To learn more about how you can collaborate with Empatico, email partnerships@empatico.org

Privacy

We’re deeply committed to safety and protecting and securing educators’ and students’ privacy and data. Please review our full Privacy Policy and FAQs on educational privacy laws for more information. 

Our Team

Ryan Modjeski
As the Executive Director of Empatico, Ryan’s role is to guide his team to fulfill Empatico’s mission to help kids become more empathetic, compassionate, and tolerant than any other time in history. Ryan has been a technology-for-good advocate and leader for over 25 years. Most notably, Ryan built the top grossing literacy app, Reading Rainbow Skybrary and UNICEF Kid Power, a platform that has empowered kids to use their activity to help save the lives of over 100,000 severely malnourished children around the world. Ryan lives in Los Angeles with his wife and three school age children.

Travis Hardy
As the Senior Director of Programs at Empatico, Travis develops new programs and content to expand Empatico’s reach and increase its impact in partnership with educators, subject-matter experts, like-minded organizations and edtech companies, funders, schools, and other educational institutions. He joined Empatico after five years in the NYC Mayor’s Office for International Affairs, where he led a virtual exchange program connecting 9-13 year-old New Yorkers to their global peers. Travis holds a MA in International Education from New York University. He lives in Norwalk, Connecticut with his partner and cat, Cyclone.

Mike Estano
Mike is the Senior Director of Product at Empatico where he oversees the strategic planning and development of the Empatico platform. During his decade-long collaboration with Ryan, Mike worked as the UX lead/Creative Director, where he helped build the Reading Rainbow Skybrary App. As the Director of UX at UNICEF Kid Power, he created unique experiences centered around social impact for educators and students. Before transitioning into EdTech, Mike was an Industrial Designer working at the BOSE Corporation, ORION Research and other companies. He is also an artist and musician who enjoys fostering animals with his wife. 

Christine Aranyos Prouty
As the Director of Corporate Philanthropy & Business Development at Empatico, Christine strives to connect Empatico with like-minded organizations that share its vision and commitment to empathy and bridge-building. Christine believes that empathy is critical to the future of our society, and social-emotional learning is the cornerstone of youth development. She joined Empatico after four years with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Southwest Michigan, where she led growth in individual, corporate and government giving by spearheading a mission-centered approach to fundraising. She lives in Southwest Michigan with her husband, four children and dog, Weston.

Lauren Flemming
Lauren is the Educator Community Manager at Empatico where she works with educators to ensure that they feel seen, heard, and connected to their peers on the Empatico platform. Lauren is a former educator herself who has taught both domestically and internationally, has worked with a wide range of stakeholders from non-profits to institutes of higher education advocating for the unique needs of educators, and holds her MA in Social Sciences and Comparative Education from UCLA. Lauren lives in Los Angeles, CA and enjoys hiking, seeing live music, and napping with her dog, Homer. 

Shraya Sharma
As the Manager of Content, Shraya enjoys creating classroom and virtual exchange activities that spark fun, meaningful interactions between students, while building key competencies that make them more compassionate, empathetic, and curious individuals. To bring these activities to life, she particularly loves working with the amazing educators and partners who are part of Empatico’s community. Prior to joining Empatico, Shraya worked with students in different classroom settings, including schools for children with special needs and language centers for English language learners. She lives in New York City with her husband, dog, and too many houseplants.

Mareeka Dookie
As the Admin and Operations Assistant Manager at Empatico, Mareeka provides support, performance improvements, and implements the right processes and practices to all departments across the organization. A former elementary teacher, her most defining career moment was leaving the classroom to set up an office for UNICEF-Nederland on Sint Maarten to support disaster risk reduction education and resilience after a devastating hurricane. She now has over 10 years of experience, strengthening educational institutions and organisations in the private, governmental and non-profit sectors spanning across the Caribbean, Americas and Vietnam. In her free time, Mareeka loves outdoor adventures and creating art. 

Anna Brown
As Associate Manager of Product, Anna creates the UX and UI designs for the Empatico platform. Before pursuing a career in UX design, she earned a BA in international studies. After university, Anna also spent time working as an au pair for young children in Italy. This experience cemented in her the belief that speaking with locals is the most valuable way to gain a better understanding of a place. Influenced by a curiosity to learn about different cultures and human behavior, she informs her design work with a global perspective. Anna is passionate about creative pursuits and continuous learning and spends her free time making pottery, reading and studying languages.

Melina Dominguez
As the Associate of Partnerships, Melina supports Empatico’s partnership and fundraising efforts. Melina has always been passionate about education and driving change by fostering connections. While at Amherst College, she mentored low-income elementary school students through Girls Inc. and Reader-to-Reader. After graduation, she worked for uAspire, assisting college students with the financial aid process. Melina was a Fulbright Grantee in Spain from 2021 to 2022, where she taught 500 middle and high school students. She lives in New York City, where she grew up, and enjoys exploring the city’s food scene, discovering new podcasts, and spending time with her baby niece.

Kayonga Denis Muganza
Denis is the Associate, Digital Growth and Communications of Empatico. He grew up in Kigali, Rwanda, his hometown, before studying Music Industry & Business Communications in the US and Global Media Industries in the UK. Working in music and media in 3 countries taught Denis to spot and predict trends in digital media, leading to his passion for social media. He has also been a full-time teacher in New York City and Kigali, where he loved teaching kindergarten the most, an experience that has prepared him for the baby girl he and his wife expect in mid-2023.

Majo Gimenez Duarte
Majo (pronounced Muh-ho) is the Programs Coordinator at Empatico. She provides support to the educators on our platform and in our various programs. As a former teacher and international exchange coordinator, she’s always thinking about how to help Empatico educators and students have the best exchange experience. Studying English and Theology helped her gain an appreciation of how stories and values can be both unique windows into communities and universal threads bringing different cultures around the world closer together. Majo lives in Paraguay and loves making up silly songs and stories to entertain her baby, her cat, and her husband.