Let’s celebrate World Kindness Day and start a wave of kindness across Dudley borough

The theme for this year’s Dudley CVS AGM and Awards 2021 was Kindness, celebrating the abundance of kindness in Dudley’s communities and recognising the achievements of individuals and groups of volunteers who stepped up to make a difference during an overwhelmingly challenging year. 

For the event, we had a special kindness film produced which is truly inspirational. If you would like to take a few minutes to watch the film, you will see just what kindness means to the people who were interviewed. 

 

Whilst doing some research, I came across a blog called https://inspirekindness.com and wanted to share a brilliant post called Kindness 101. This really resonated with me when I was looking to see what others were doing across the world around Kindness.  

Kindness 101:  

“Kindness can mean different things to different people. The meaning is in how YOU choose to show it. Be it through empathy, acceptance, kind gestures, thoughtfulness, the possibilities are entirely up to you. Kindness might look like being helpful or showing empathy. It may mean doing nice things without expecting nice things in return” 

World Kindness Day – 13th November 2021 

World Kindness Day is a global day that promotes the importance of being kind to each other, to yourself, and to the world. The purpose of this day, celebrated on November 13 of each year, is to help everyone understand that compassion for others is what binds us all together. There are some wonderful resources on the Random Acts of Kindness site, so why not have a browse. 

How kindness can build communities  

Kindness is what holds communities together and builds relationships between those who live in them, so we’ve launched a Kindness Campaign to encourage others to share their stories across Dudley borough.  The importance of kindness in communities was demonstrated by this year’s volunteer awardees, both individuals and groups, who give their time to change lives every day, simply by being kind. We can look at kindness as paying it forward, as there may be times when we need help too. To inspire you to see the impact of kindness on communities, why not watch the Dudley CVS Kindness Awards 2021 nomination films  

Kindness 101:

“Has someone ever done something kind to you and all you wanted to do after was pay it forward? That’s because kindness is a chain reaction. It’s a wave that keeps rolling, and all it needs is one person to start it. One small kind act can cause a ripple effect that impacts an entire community. If we are all focused on being kind, we are creating a movement of change. You know that famous “be the change you wish the see in the world” quote? That quote isn’t just about change, and it isn’t only about one person being able to change their world. It is bigger; it about a movement that can be started from one person acting with intention.”

How can you get involved?  

• Take the Winter challenge 

World Kindness Day is Saturday 13th November 2021, so what better day to launch this Kindness Challenge?  To kick start it here is a 25-day challenge of random acts of kindness, with simple things you can do to help others in your community. Are you ready to take the challenge? 

• Download and share our resources 

We have put together a few resources and intend to add more resources so that we can help you join our wave of kindness across the Dudley borough. You are most welcome to download these or, if you would prefer, you can collect these from our office at Albion Street.  

These include: 

• Kindness challenge calendar 
• Kindness poster
• Kindness cards – these are double-sided and include simple ideas for acts of kindness on one side and information about the ‘Ask me if I’m really okay’ campaign on the reverse [these can also be printed as a poster]

• Has someone ever done something kind for you and all you wanted to do after was pay it forward? That’s because kindness is a chain reaction.  

We would love you to share your stories using the hashtag #bekinddudley on Twitter or Facebook.  If you search for the hashtag, you will see some wonderful posts from those attending our awards, but we need your help to keep the kindness flowing.  Why not tell us if you’ve been the recipient of kindness or have done something kind?  We’d love you to share your photos and tell us all about it.   

• Share our stories and posts  

Please help us by sharing our stories and posts with friends, family, colleagues, in fact, anyone you think would like to join in this kindness campaign. Together we can spread kindness in communities. 

If you’d like more information on how to get involved you can contact me at eileenfielding@dudleycvs.org.uk