The Empathy Interview Workbook is a free, justice-centered tool created to support schools, districts, and municipalities in listening more deeply—and more equitably. Whether you’re redesigning a policy or exploring a long-standing challenge, this workbook guides teams through a structured process that lifts up lived experience as essential insight. The visual below shows how empathy interviews move community co-design from theory to practice:

An empathy interview is not a survey. It’s a conversation rooted in trust, cultural humility, and curiosity. It prioritizes lived experience as a form of expertise and is grounded in the belief that those furthest from opportunity hold the wisdom we need to build systems that work for everyone. Drawing from motivational interviewing and appreciative inquiry, empathy interviews help uncover not just what’s happening—but why.

This process includes a clear interview protocol, a structured method for analyzing themes, and recommended alignment with applicable school district or municipal policies and codes. The tool is part of LRFB’s Community Co-Design for Equity Framework and supports Phases 2 and 3 of the School Equity Audit Tool (SEAT).