FOR SCHOOLS
Challenge Your School to be part of The Kindness Games
February-May 2024
For all general Kindland school information, continue reading below.
Welcome to Kindland
Dear Educators and School Staff,
Thank you for being an active participant in the kindness movement that is bringing together organizations, businesses, schools, and communities. Your efforts to link your school, staff, students, and families to this initiative through increased kindness will make a difference as we change our community, and its overall mindset, one act of kindness at a time.
We understand that most everyone is being pushed to their max - time, budgets, staffing, etc. That is why it is important for schools to know that your involvement can be as minimal or as extensive as you'd like. You can do things as simple as posting posters in your hallways, sharing word about Kindland in your school newsletters, and showing your support on social media by sharing the kind things your staff and students are doing using #Kindland. OR You can use the full Kindland curriculum as a culture-changer and utilize our full menu of lessons to spark kindness-centered discussions and projects. Please review the below suggested Kindland "roll out" for schools. We are happy to talk through and customize anything based on your plans. For any questions about Kindland, please contact Ben Krutko at benk@viafdn.org or 440-879-8095.
These days it is hard to find something to rally behind that EVERYONE can agree on. We believe that everyone knows that our world needs more KINDNESS, everyone is capable of doing it, and everyone appreciates it. Thank you for your kindness in bringing Kindland to the attention of your students, staff, families, and friends. TOGETHER, WE ARE KINDLAND.
Sincerely, -
Stuart Muszysnki
President & CEO
Values-in-Action Foundation
stuartm@viafdn.org
216-650-0463
What is Kindland?
Presented by Cleveland, Ohio-based, non-profit organization, Values-in-Action Foundation, the Kindland movement is bringing together communities, businesses, organizations, and schools by recognizing and sharing the acts of kindness around us in an effort to inspire a ground swell of positivity and goodness. Kindland relies on the power of the people to do, recognize, report, and share the acts of kindness happening everyday.
The goal is to create a community that can sustain a unified sense of kindness, compassion, empathy and understanding. These values are the foundation we need for our community to have the strength to find solutions to our most prominent issues including navigating through crises, poverty, social justice, racism, and political polarization.
About Values-in-Action Foundation
Started in 1994 as Project Love, Values-in-Action has been providing social-emotional and character education programs to schools in Northeast Ohio for 29 years. Now with school programming in all 50 states, its mission is to empower students and adults to build communities of kindness, caring and respect through programs that teach, promote, and provide skills and tools to enable individuals to make positive, values-based decisions every day.
Suggested Rollout Plan for Schools
IMPORTANT: Do you have to do everything below? No. This is just what we suggest if you want to go ALL IN! You can certainly pick and choose based on your school's comfort level.
1) Fill out the sign up form HERE to get started so that we can contact you and walk you through all of the below steps.
2) Introducing your staff to Kindland
Before you get asked by your co-workers, "What's all this Kindland stuff?", take the time to make sure your staff is aware of what Kindland is and why it's important. See all of the messaging opportunities listed below along with the Kindland "Vision" Video.
3) Select one person or a small group who will lead your Kindland efforts
4) Receive and Review all the Kindland Lessons
Once you submit the form in #1, you will be sent all of the Kindland lessons. You can review the lessons HERE.
5) Kindland Kickoff Activity
Lesson ONE: Be Kind Stick Together
This lesson is most exciting when presented in an assembly-style format, but it will work in individual classrooms as well. This will be the first time you introduce your students to Kindland, why your school feels it's important, and help them to understand the concept of kindness and sticking together. It is a 45 minute interactive presentation that culiminates with students pledging to Be Kind and Stick Together.
6) Present Kindland Lessons 2-6 to your students
After presenting Be Kind Stick Together, decide which lessons you want to present and what works best on your calendars. One lesson a week? One a month? One full week of kindness with a lesson each day? It's flexible. Review Lessons 2-6 and decide what works best for you and your educators.
7) Kindland Essay Entries (Grades 3-12)
Once your students have been introduced to Kindland, think about providing them with the below prompt to write an essay. Turn them all in or choose your favorites to submit into our Kindland essay contest. Essays can be submitted back to Ben Krutko via email at benk@viafdn.org. The contest is running now through May 2, 2024.
Writing prompt:
Express in writing, either as an essay, poem, or song/rap, what your vision of a community or school called Kindland would be. What can you do to make your community or school into a Kind-land?
Prizes:
One $1,000 award to winner of grades 3-4
One $1,000 award to winner of grades 5-6
One $1,000 award to winner of grades 7-8
Two $1,000 awards to winners of grades 9-12
Questions? Contact Ben Krutko
Ben will be happy to help answer any questions.
Contact Ben at benk@viafdn.org or 440-879-8095
ONGOING Kindland Messaging: For Staff, Students, and Families
NOTE: Steps 1-7 above outline our suggested ways to introduce Kindland and the kindness lessons to your staff and students. Below are added opportunities you can use (separate from the lessons) to spread the Kindland message and share the acts of kindness happening in your school:
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Share the Kindland "Vision" Video
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Take the Kindland pledge at www.BeKindland.com. It’s an easy way for anyone to show their commitment to kindness. Share the link and encourage others to take the pledge. Share the link with your students, staff, and families so that all can commit to the Kindland pledge. Send out an email blast, include it in a newsletter, put it on your school Facebook page, etc. (All Kindland logos are included below for your use.)
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Follow Kindland on social media Document and share all of your school's Kindland activities with us on social media. Tag @BeKindland and include #Kindland
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Post signage in your halls, windows, or in your school lawn to show that you are a part of the movement. Brynn will help you get everything you'd like - see his contact info above.
Share Acts of Kindness
Kindland relies on the power of the people to do, recognize, report, and share the acts of kindness happening everyday. There are two ways to share acts of kindness with Kindland:
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Use the Just Be Kind App Utilize the free Just Be Kind app to quickly and easily report act of kindness you see, do, or hear about. New app available in the App and Google Play stores for IOS and Android users.
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Report acts of kindness on your social media. Don't forget to tag @BeKindland and include #Kindland
Signage, Materials & Apparel
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As mentioned above, in order to get you started off on the right foot, Kindland will provide you with the below items. Please contact amanda@viafdn.org to discuss quantities.
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Yard Signs
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Posters
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Bracelets
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Stickers / Magnet
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Order Kindland Merchandise Visit our STORE. Custom merchandise is available to order - add your school mascot or logo to show your support! Contact Ben at benk@viafdn.org to talk about a special order.
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If you have something in mind that we don't already have, let us know, and we'll see what we can do. :)
Start Your Own Kindness Project
Don't just report acts of kindness, start your own project!
Businesses, employees, communities, schools, and neighborhoods can work together on any project that makes a difference to others. Start a food drive, have a bake sale, collectively donate to someone in need. Do something particularly important to you and your network. Make sure you report it by posting it along with #KINDLAND and promote that you're doing it because you're a part of Kindland.
Kindland Logos
Save the below images to your device so you can easily include them in your social media posts and any promotion.
Dropbox Link for Download
a month
Media
If anyone needs further information aboud Kindland, consider sharing the following resources:
Video References
News Coverage
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News 5 Cleveland - CMSD students join campaign aiming to spread kindness across Cleveland
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Fox 8 News: Voices of Unity - Cleveland is Kindland - December 22, 2020
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News 5 Cleveland - Campaign to turn Cleveland into 'Kindland' ramps up following 2020 election - November 6, 2020
Article References
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Letter to Editor: What Happens when you mix kindness and cynical SOBs - Cleveland.com - July 29, 2023
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Cleveland.com - December 25, 2021
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Cleveland.com Op-Ed: Cleveland can lead the nation by creating ‘Kindland’: John Dorhauer and Michael Parks
- Cleveland Jewish News - November 13, 2020
- Cleveland.com - September 4, 2020
- Cleveland.com Op-Ed - May 27, 2020
Press Release
Why Kindness?
Recent history has shown us that just as easily as our country can come together in a time of crisis, it can be torn apart by meanness, intolerance, and hatred. Kindland focues on how kindness can continue to be the inspiring link and the bridge that brings our region together as we work to find solutions and common ground.
Kindness has the ability to make us feel good, and a community that leads with kindness will be able to achieve more because it is good for life and good for business. The effects of kindness have been proven to have an impact on personal, medical, and workplace issues and an overall impact on a person’s quality of life.
Benefits of Kindness - Published by Values-in-Action
Report from US Surgeon General
The Butterfly Effect of Kindness
What are "Acts of Kindness"?
Acts of kindness can be big or small. Smiling at a stranger, helping a neighbor, calling a family member you haven't talked to in awhile, volunteering for a local organization helping those in need, buying someone a coffee, picking up an extra shift for a friend who needs time off, donating to a special cause. The list goes on. Anything that can positively change someone's day is an act of kindness.