Random Acts of Kindness Day
Every 17th of February.
Encouraging everyday acts of kindness for kinder communities.
About the event
This day was set up in 1995 along with the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation in Denver, Colorado. According to the Foundation, the day ‘is rooted in the belief that all people can connect through kindness and that kindness can be taught’. It follows the framework of ‘Inspire, Empower, Act, Reflect and Share’.
The day is especially about the concept of ‘paying it forward’ e.g. doing little things to make others' everyday lives easier such as helping someone cross the road, helping a neighbour, or buying someone’s groceries. These small acts create a more caring atmosphere in our workplaces, our schools and our communities.
How to approach it
The theme of this day should be fairly straightforward to convey. Begin it with a chat about why kindness is important. Ask: how does kindness make you feel? What kind of kind things have others done for you? Next ask: what kind things have you done for others? Show through this discussion how kindness is easy to do but has an effect that far outweighs the effort. Next help your students to imagine a world in which more people decided to be kind to everyone around them. What would this kind world be like compared to a nastier, selfish world? Finish up by asking students to think about what small kind acts they could do today or in the future.
Conversation starter
We all know how to be kind to friends or family, but when was the last time you were kind to someone you didn't know? Spreading kindness everywhere is a great way to make the world a little happier, one bit at a time. What kind thing can you do for a stranger today?
