The Great Kindness Challenge
From Simple Acts of Kindness to Collective Gestures of Humanitarianism: Uniting Children In Classrooms and Across the Globe
In our current political and social climate — where social media opens new avenues for hostility, where violence and security in schools are more pressing than ever — it’s absolutely vital that we take the time to recognize, evaluate, and address our students’ social-emotional health and their interpersonal relationships. Educators are responsible for so much: meeting standards, working towards curriculum content mastery, ensuring college and career readiness — the list goes on. But all of that academic preparation is truly meaningless unless we can teach our young people to not only cooperate and collaborate with others for the sake of productivity, but also to have a deep, experience-based immersion in the practice of empathy, compassion, perspective-taking, and kindness. While the rise of social media and the prevalence of the internet might mean, in some cases, different opportunities for hostility among students, it will also mean that as they grow up and become professionals, our students will be living, thinking, and creating in an internationally communicative and globally conscious world. By providing students with the tools, perspectives, and ideological frameworks to engage in truly empathetic and passionate daily practices, we are empowering them to establish influential and meaningful relationships throughout the rest of their lives.
Academically, a collective sense of social-emotional well-being is significant. School climate (the quality and character of school life related to norms, values, social interactions, and organizational structures) plays a role in students’ academic performance. At the National School Climate Center, researchers have found a strong correlation between school climate and academics, and an even higher correlation between school climate and graduation rates. Extensive research shows that school climate has a profound effect on students’ emotional and physical health, as well as decreased school absenteeism in middle and high school. Kindness, empathy, and respect go beyond the ideological: they promote real, measureable, data-backed positive outcomes for young learners. School climate itself can be measured: The National School Climate Center Comprehensive School Climate Inventory (CSCI) provides an in-depth profile of your school community’s strengths and needs. With this tool, you can assess student, parent, and educators’ perceptions in order to gather details needed to make informed decisions for improvement.
There’s also something you can do right now to begin your school’s journey with social-emotional well-being and a positive school climate: sign up for The Great Kindness Challenge. A free, powerful, week-long program, the Great Kindness Challenge is a PreK-12 initiative that positively transforms school culture through kindness. When a school signs up, they are provided with tools that enable them to dedicate one week to kindness. Armed with a motivating and exciting “checklist” of random acts of kindness, students and educators can participate in the movement by checking off as many items on that list as they can in the span of a week, and transforming their school climate to a safe space for all students. The program works: In a survey of the 2015 Great Kindness Challenge, 97% surveyed saw an improvement in school climate and an 89% increase in staff morale. The GKC also minimizes behavioral referrals, unites community, and makes kindness a habit. In January of 2016, over 5 million students came together and inspired over 250 million acts of kindness.
Now, the organization is taking the movement even further: in 2016, they launched the Kind Coins for Kenya Initiative, in which children helped to build the Kids for Peace School of Kenya: a beautiful new school in a Kenyan village funded entirely by the American children who participated in the challenge. 30 volunteers — both adults and children— traveled to Kenya to build the school, deliver educational supplies, and to unite young learners across countries and cultures, drawn together by a passion for education and kindness.
Your school can sign up to take the pledge and register to participate in the next Great Kindness Challenge for free resources and the chance to change lives. The process is simple, and only takes three easy steps:
- Register your school and receive the free GKC checklist and toolkit.
- Print checklists for all students & plan complimentary activities.
- On January 25–29, get happy and create a culture of kindness in your school.
If you’re really excited about spreading kindness in schools, you can become a part of the Great Kindness Challenge Ambassador Program. Ambassadors actively promote and encourage schools to register for the GKC, and are given support in the form of a toolkit with ready-to-use materials. You might be wondering how to incorporate kindness in your school or classroom year-round outside of the GKC in January. The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation has lessons, activities, and free resources for educators to incorporate in their classroom year-round. For even more ideas, visit our Pinterest board, Kindness in the Classroom.
On Wednesday, November 16th, we partnered with The Great Kindness Challenge and LAUSD to host a free webinar detailing the many ways to create a culture of kindness in your school.
Join the conversation and follow The Great Kindness Challenge’s newest initiatives! →
About the webinar leaders, Kids for Peace Co-Founder, Jill McManigal, and School Counselor, Karina Vega:
Jill McManigal is the Co-founder and Executive Director of Kids for Peace, home to The Great Kindness Challenge. She is a former school teacher, character education specialist, children’s playwright and avid volunteer at her children’s school.
Karina Y. Vega is a K-12 counselor with the Office of Child Welfare & Attendance with Coachella Valley Unified. Karina is a former elementary school teacher and counselor, a mother or three and a kindness advocate. Karina has implemented a district-wide Great Kindness Challenge with 21 K-12 schools. Karina’s mission is to model, teach and acknowledge the behavior we want to instill in children.
BONUS! New resources from the Great Kindness Challenge team below!
