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Bringing Compassion

to Schools

By Jimi Slattery

Jimi Slattery is the
Executive Director of the
Dalai Lama Centre for
Compassion (DLCC) at
Oxford, bringing an ethics
education grounded in
compassion and related
values into UK schools.

Prior to joining the DLCC, Jimi was Head of
Widening Access and Participation at the University His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
of Oxford. In this role he was responsible for the
University’s outreach work with young people Ziyi: Can you tell us a bit more about your
across the UK. background?

Whilst working for Oxford, Jimi has overseen and Jimi: Before joining the Dalai Lama Centre for
undertaken widening participation projects in a Compassion (DLCC), I was the Head of Widening Access
number of areas including; engaging with primary and Participation at the University of Oxford for about
schools, mentoring, coaching, mental health, digital ten years. I was involved in various things including
education and enabling young people to develop admissions, equity, and diversity within student body.
I was interested in understanding why students from
skills through research.
socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds were
Jimi also has experience in the commercial, public
not achieving academically. For a long time, I focused
and charity sector for a number of training and on work around academic attainment, for example why
education related organisations in the UK and certain children were not achieving levels that were
worldwide. Jimi has designed and managed expected and what was holding them back.
educational programmes in several countries
including Sri Lanka, Guyana, China and Thailand. I have taught mindfulness in children for about ten
He has also worked in vocational education years. In fact, my life intersected with Buddhism, in
promoting the value of practical qualifications to particular, meditation when I was 18 years old. I lived
employers and young people. in a Buddhist monastery in Sri Lanka for over a year, as
part of the overseas volunteering scheme. My day-to-day
Ziyi Wong, a graduate student at Oxford University, job was teaching in a very small mountain village school.
met up with Jimi on October 7, 2021 and asked him The school, like many parts of the subcontinent was run
about his interest in Buddhism, his vision for DLCC by priests. They put a roof over my head and fed me, and
I repaid them by working at the school. They also very
and the importance of compassion in today’s world.
kindly taught me Dharma and meditation.