What is a Kindland Village? 

A Kindland Village is a transformative model born from the synergy of community schooling and the timeless belief that it takes a village to nurture a child. Picture a community that thrives on reciprocal support: schools benefiting the community, and the community enriching the schools, all grounded in the powerful core value of KINDNESS.

The genesis of The Kindland Village took place during the enlightening 2023 Kindland Summit at Cleveland State University. Esteemed leaders, including Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, converged for a day-long exploration into how kindness can be the catalyst for collaboration among communities, schools, governments, businesses, faith institutions, and media. All advocated an integrated and immersive approach, using kindness to improving communities. Envision The Kindland Village embracing entire neighborhoods, starting with Maple Heights and Lee-Harvard in Cleveland, ultimately extending to Akron, Columbus, and Appalachian Ohio. This revolutionary concept integrates all six vital partnership areas of Kindland – communities, schools, governments, businesses, faith institutions, and media – in a concerted effort to steep neighborhoods in acts of kindness, and their supporting documentation.

The Kindland Village is a living, breathing community initiative involving mentorship, job training, job placement, social services, food distribution, parenting outreach, after-school and recreational activities, media broadcasts, and community beautification. Community leaders become kindness coaches in schools, while students serve as kindness ambassadors in the community – a true village ecosystem.

Each neighborhood will have a focal point partner, whether it's a school, business, or church. The success of The Kindland Village will be measured through tangible metrics: enhanced attendance, increased kindness and recognition of educators, reduced suspensions, diminished in-school violence, lower community violence, overall wellness and expanded job opportunities.

Values-in-Action Foundation, in business for over 31 years, has training nearly 2.2 million students in over 9,000 schools across the U.S. Its Kindland movement unites schools, communities, families, and businesses in a wave of kindness acts and reporting.

Despite earnest efforts, societal behaviors are spiraling out of control. Homicides, hate crimes, racism, anti-Semitism, mass and school shootings, and widespread distrust among Americans have reached alarming levels. The question arises: is there a North Star we can all turn to? The resounding answer is KINDNESS.

Kindness has a proven track record of reducing violence, fostering engagement and communication, building communities, enhancing wellness, and improving human interaction. It's a contagious force that amplifies itself organically, benefiting both the giver and receiver. Educators can spearhead this shift, elevating kindness to the forefront and steering our society away from the perilous trends of violence, meanness, and incivility. Moreover, kindness is good for business – a recent study shows that people treated kindly at work pay it forward with 278% more generosity to coworkers.

The Kindland Village will present a working model for neighborhoods and communities to create a kindness ecosystem that has a tangible, transformative effect on culture, attitudes and human behavior.

To learn more about Kindland, visit BeKindland.org