Estimated reading time: 5:30 minutes
The World Kindness Movement was conceived already 21 years ago in Asia, by a group of
 |
| Image: Brannon Naito. |
It sounds big, but the practice is actually quite simple and easy. The idea is to make kindness a majority stakeholder, so to speak, in human behavior. The more people behave kindly, the more others will strive towards kindness. This is not pop-psychology; human behavior is altered when enough members of a society change their actions and influence others. In history we can see how the swaying of different groups of humans have led to the advance sin freedoms and the human rights movements. And in studies, the Good Behavior Game shows that consistently
 |
| Image: Tom Parsons. |
And yet, because the World Kindness Movement understands that Rome was not built in a
This is why I am writing about it today, to give you plenty of time to think of ways in which you can participate and make the world a kinder place, starting with that day. All you have to do is engage in random acts of kindness towards others. No gesture is too big or too small, as long as your intention is that of good will.
Need some ideas? Alright, here are some small ideas:
- Hodor! On World Kindness Day you could make it a point to hold the door every time
you see someone coming or going.
Image: Eyetunes - Flickr - Saying hi to your neighbors, and smiling.
- Letting your seat to an elderly person, a mom with a child, or simply to someone else who looks tired or is carrying a lot of things.
- Picking up trash you see in the street and putting it in the trash cans/bins/recycling. This would actually inspire others.
- Is there an elderly person living near you that you see often? You could go and offer yourself for a day to help him/her around the house during the weekend.
- Inviting a neighbor or neighbors who live alone to all have dinner at your place.
- Making healthy snacks for everyone at the office.
- Do you know how to cook? You can offer to teach someone. You’ll be making a friend for life.
- Hugging someone.
- Sending the person in your office who helps everyone some flowers anonymously,
with a card thanking him/her.
Image: Rawpixel. - In north America the cold is coming. Summer is coming down South. Why not go through your clothes for this upcoming season and donate those you know you won’t use to your local shelter?
- Buying a suspended coffee at your coffee shop: this means to purchase a coffee but not take it, instead ask the cashier to allow someone who has no money to have it when they ask.
- Buying a meal for a homeless person.
- Raking your neighbor’s leaves alongside your own, or mowing their lawn.
- Tell your kids/friends about this article and plan something to do together. Here’s some help!
- Tell your children’s teachers about the day, so that they can organize something in
school.
Image: Wild Vibez. - Did you try to buy a suspended coffee at your regular shop but were told they don’t have that program? Convincing them to start one would be a kindness in itself!
- Starting a Free Library Box in your neighborhood/building.
- Do you live in a house or group of houses? You could start a compost project.
- Making small World Kindness Days posters with the date and some ideas, and taping them on the metro, bus, your neighborhood, building, school, campus, or office.
- Sending a care package to a friend/family member who moved abroad.
- Going to a used bookstore and buy a book for each of your friends/coworkers and gift them on that day. You’d be helping a local business, the environment, and giving thoughtful gifts!
- Do you have a friend’s/relative’s birthday coming up in November? Why not buy a gift in their name from the Pan American Development Foundation’s OppShop?
- Making a handmade card for someone you care for but have not seen in a long time; Writing a letter (yes, by hand). And then mailing them both together to him/her.
As you can see, the ideas are nothing original and you can come up with many nice ideas of your own to be kind to others. The point is to make a difference in the lives of others, doing something that they notice and that inspires them, and to feel that you are taking part in
 |
| Image: Tim Marshall. |
OAS FCU is participating in World Kindness Day, too, with a campaign named “A (heart symbol) with your name on it”. They are giving away six Opportunity Gifts from the PADF Gift Shop to six World Kindness Day participants. To participate in the drawing, all you have to do is visit the Credit Union’s Facebook page and like it. They will draw 6 names from the list of Likes on November 12 and announce the Winner on World Kindness Day. Read everything about it here.
To finish today, i would like to mention that all the images that appear credited to individual people on this article come from the website Unsplash, where photographers upload their images royalty-free from everyone's use. I wanted to point out their amazing labor of solidarity today as a thank you.
And that’s it for today. Be kind!
1 comment :
Thank you for posting information about the benefits of the Good Behavior Game (www.GoodBehaviorGame.org), which the students and school adults call the PAX Game. Students and their caregiving adults develop a vision of a most wonderful school in the world, by listing what the would want to see, hear, do and feel MORE of and LESS of. The MORE is defined as PAX, a Latin word they learn means peace, productivity, health, and happiness. The LESS is defined as Spleems (a made-up word) for unwanted behaviors or events.
Then, students and adults learn to use 10 different practical, proven tools throughout the day to reduce Spleems and strengthen PAX. These practical tools are scientifically called, evidence-based kernels that one can read about at the U.S. National Library of Medicine (www.pubmed.gov). What are these practical tools for the classroom? Cues for transitions, voice levels, Tootle Notes (the opposite of tattles), Granny’s Wacky Prizes (brief, intrinsic, non-material rewards for doing PAX), and more. These “kernels” are the active ingredients of the PAX Game.
Once the children and adults master the kernels, they are ready to play the PAX Game during any activity. The students are on rotating teams over time. Every team can win, with three or fewer “spleems” per game. The children predict what the spleems and PAX would be for the activity, and learn to self-monitor and group monitor and reflect on their success for improvement. Within weeks, problematic or unwanted behaviors drop 50%, the 75% after a month or two of playing the Game.
After using the PAX Good Behavior Game for 3-5 months, children’s mental, emotional, behavioral and psychiatric disorders using standardized indicators drop dramatically. Academic success increases. Referrals to the office drop significantly, and positive parent-child interactions at home increase as well. Teacher stress drops 50% or more. These immediate changes translate into lifetime reduction addictions, psychiatric disorders, criminal involvement, violent crime, suicide, use of welfare, and much more. The approximate cost is $25 to $35 per child’s lifetime, with a rate of return from 60-to-1 to 90-to-1, depending on variables included. Pubmed has many articles on these outcomes.
Post a Comment