At Lake Hill Elementary School in Saanich, there’s a new kindness wall and it’s helping to spread joy through positive messages on post-it notes for Random Acts of Kindness Day.
“It makes people feel really, really happy,” says Grade 1 student Mariah Green.
“I like that it has a lot of kind messages and it makes everyone feel happy when they see it,” adds Grade 2 student Lily Potter.
It’s just one of the things the Saanich school is doing for Random Acts of Kindness Day.
“We’re going to be celebrating kindness all week and this wall is give what you can, take what you need,” explains Lake Hill principal Brett Johnson. “They can come to the wall and (peel off) a note — ‘ you are the best’ — and then they can take it with them and it’s just a way to help support each other.”
The Victoria Foundation has been organizing Random Acts of Kindness Day in Greater Victoria, which is on Feb. 17 this year, for the last seven years to help bring people together.
“It’s a day where we can focus on kindness and doing something for somebody else without expecting anything else in return,” says Melody Burns of The Victoria Foundation.
The random act of kindness can be anything, from buying someone a coffee to giving them a compliment or having kids draw pictures for a senior’s home.
It’s all about paying it forward and doing something to put a smile on someone’s face — something that’s more important than ever during the pandemic.
“When you’re focusing on kindness and joy, it tends to bring the community together and that’s something we really need right now,” Melody says.
At Lake Hill Elementary, the young students already have lots of good ideas on how they’ll help spread kindness.
“Helping people, like opening up the door for them, or making sure they’re okay,” suggests Grade 1 student Spencer Hacking.
“Help people get back up when they fall and play with people that don’t have friends,” Mariah Green adds.
Making sure people know they matter is a lesson in kindness educators hope will stick with these kids throughout their lives.
“It’s important that we start with kindness right from the time that the children are young,” Brett says. “I think the more emphasis we put on helping children come at issues from a place of kindness, helps them to grow that skill through their lives.”
So help spread kindness — not just on Random Acts of Kindness Day, but all year.
“Because it makes you happy and it makes everybody else feel happy,” Lily Potter says.
Need ideas on how you can make a difference on Random Acts of Kindness Day? Check these COVID-friendly ideas for kids and ideas for adults to spread kindness!
Be sure to help spread the word on social media, tagging the Victoria Foundation and using #RAKdayYYJ hashtag.
Tess van Straaten
