Amazing
Can a Game of Jenga Bridge the Empathy Gap? 🎲
Building Bridges, One Jenga Block at a Time 🤝
Look around your office, your campus, or even your apartment building. There are people you see every day, yet you may never speak to them. They are the ‘invisible’ workforce that keeps our worlds running smoothly: the security guard at the front desk, the maintenance crew, the cleaners who ensure we have a tidy space to work and live. 🤔
Our team recently realised we knew almost nothing about the cleaning staff who maintain our school’s hostel. An “empathy gap” existed—not out of malice, but out of the simple, unthinking routines of daily life. We became curious: what would it take to bridge that gap? 🧐
Our Idea: More Than Just a Game 💡
We decided to design an experience, not just a conversation. The plan was simple: invite a group of students and cleaners to play a game of Jenga together.
But there was a twist. Each Jenga block had a sticker with a question on it. We created a strategic mix of prompts to guide the conversation naturally:
🗣️ 70% Personal Questions: Simple, rapport-building questions like, “Where is your hometown?”
✨ 15% Wild Cards: Fun, open-ended questions like, “Ask someone to tell you about a moment that changed their life.”
❤️ 15% Empathy Questions: Deeper prompts like, “What is something you wish others would understand about your role?”
The goal was to use the familiar, low-pressure fun of a game to create a safe space for authentic interaction.
What We Discovered 🤯
The result was more powerful than we could have imagined. At first, the cleaners were understandably reserved, but as the Jenga tower grew (and occasionally tumbled), the walls came down. 🤗
We moved beyond small talk and learned about their rich life experiences—about past jobs overseas, the families they support, and the hobbies (like basketball 🏀) they no longer have time for. We learned that they make a conscious effort to clean when students are in class to avoid disturbing us, a choice that contributes to their invisibility.
The most poignant moment came when they answered an empathy question. They shared their wish that students and staff would understand that as they get older, achieving a “gold standard” of cleanliness can be physically difficult, but it is “definitely not due to a lack of trying.” 🙏
Perhaps most surprisingly, we discovered their empathy for us. They spoke of noticing a student’s expression to see if they were open to a greeting, holding back so as not to intrude on their personal space. It was a humbling realisation that the empathy gap we saw was not a one-way street. 😮
The Takeaway: Empathy is a Skill, Not Just a Feeling 💪
This project taught us a vital lesson: a lack of interaction isn’t always a sign of a lack of empathy. Often, it’s the result of social barriers and the “bystander effect”—that common feeling where everyone assumes someone else will act.
By creating a structured reason to engage, our simple game broke that cycle. It proved that empathy is a deliberate skill that can be cultivated. It’s about designing opportunities for connection, challenging our own perceptions, and taking a moment to see the whole person, not just the role they play.
So, the next time you walk past one of the ‘invisible’ people in your life, perhaps you can be the one to bridge the gap. You might be surprised by the stories you hear. ✨
Empathy has no script.
[············ ]