"I HAVE THIS THEORY THAT IF ONE PERSON CAN GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO SHOW
COMPASSION, THEN IT WILL START A CHAIN REACTION OF THE SAME. PEOPLE WILL
NEVER KNOW HOW FAR A LITTLE KINDNESS CAN GO."
- Rachel Scott
COMPASSION, THEN IT WILL START A CHAIN REACTION OF THE SAME. PEOPLE WILL
NEVER KNOW HOW FAR A LITTLE KINDNESS CAN GO."
- Rachel Scott
Our mission
The mission of Provo Kindness is to cultivate a community of understanding, empathy, connection, and respect.
Whatever your personal definition about kindness, we are here to challenge your definition and expand it! Kindness is so much deeper than the actions we perform, as good as those may be. Kindness is about our inner attitudes. It’s about being genuine in seeing others as fellow human beings and treating them as such.
Kindness is like a big umbrella. Under that umbrella you’ll find:
Kindness is like a big umbrella. Under that umbrella you’ll find:
- Desire to understand
- Inclusion
- Welcoming
- Appreciation of differences/diversity
- Compassion
- Respect
- Empathy
- Connection
- Leaving your bubble (expanding your circles)
- Genuine concern for another
Our story
In 2014, a concerned parent approached the Provo City School District. She recognized that many students are either bullied or are left out each day at school. Even good kids who are “raised better” will act unkindly when they get in a group mentality, unless the culture helps them think differently. We can teach our children to lift one another. So together, the district and PTA brought in the Rachel’s Challenge program. After being inspired at an assembly, each school focused on creating a “chain reaction of kindness and compassion” for the rest of the school year. After noticing someone else doing something kind, students would write each kind act on a paper chain. The schools came together at the end of the year at a Kindness Rally to celebrate the thousands of kind acts that they did throughout the year.
Since then, each school in the district has developed a Kindness Club. Club members meet together regularly with three main focuses: 1) Help the whole school focus on being more kind, 2) Reach out in individual frequent acts of kindness, and 3) personal development. Our schools create an atmosphere of kindness where it is cool to be kind. It is cool to look for someone who is lonely and invite them into your group of friends.
In 2019, we recognized that it was time to take Provo Kindness to all of Provo. With support from the mayor, we formed a committee that includes a city council member, several members of the school district’s kindness committee, and a variety of citizens from around the city. We will accomplish our mission statement by creating community conversations about kindness and the many topics that fall under the kindness umbrella.
These conversations will happen online & in people’s homes as people see our social media posts, website, and information in city communications. We will also look for opportunities to hold in-person small group conversations. As our reach expands, we hope to be able to survey our community and find other ways to assess the needs in our community. We will then plan specific activities to improve kindness in those areas.
Since then, each school in the district has developed a Kindness Club. Club members meet together regularly with three main focuses: 1) Help the whole school focus on being more kind, 2) Reach out in individual frequent acts of kindness, and 3) personal development. Our schools create an atmosphere of kindness where it is cool to be kind. It is cool to look for someone who is lonely and invite them into your group of friends.
In 2019, we recognized that it was time to take Provo Kindness to all of Provo. With support from the mayor, we formed a committee that includes a city council member, several members of the school district’s kindness committee, and a variety of citizens from around the city. We will accomplish our mission statement by creating community conversations about kindness and the many topics that fall under the kindness umbrella.
These conversations will happen online & in people’s homes as people see our social media posts, website, and information in city communications. We will also look for opportunities to hold in-person small group conversations. As our reach expands, we hope to be able to survey our community and find other ways to assess the needs in our community. We will then plan specific activities to improve kindness in those areas.
Rachel's Challenge
The Rachel’s Challenge organization aims to prevent bullying by spreading kindness and positivity. The movement was inspired by the life of Rachel Scott, the first student killed at Columbine High School in 1999. In the fall of 2014, Provo City School District brought Rachel’s Challenge to every school in the district. Assemblies were held and students were given 5 challenges: Look for the best in others, Dream big, Choose positive influences, Speak with kindness, and Start your own chain reaction. These assemblies started the chain of kindness, and in the following months several schools began student-led clubs, planned service projects, and completed other activities geared towards promoting kindness. Now all schools in our district have a Kindness Club that continues to create an atmosphere of kindness for students.
The success of Provo Kindness in our schools inspired us to take the kindness mission to our entire Provo community. The chain reaction will continue as people of all ages remember that "you never know how far a little kindness can go."
For more information on Rachel's Challenge, visit their website.
The success of Provo Kindness in our schools inspired us to take the kindness mission to our entire Provo community. The chain reaction will continue as people of all ages remember that "you never know how far a little kindness can go."
For more information on Rachel's Challenge, visit their website.
Fredette Family Foundation
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The Fredette Family Foundation has been a Provo Kindness partner since our first year. We are grateful for the donations and resources they have provided to make some of the Kindness efforts in our school district possible. Please visit their website to learn more about their mission.
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Kindness Rally 2015
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Provo Kindness culminated it's first year in the schools with a Kindness Rally on April 27, 2015.
Students marched onto the track in a kindness chain parade as the emcee read specific acts of kindness from the chains. The chains just kept coming, and it was very impactful to see how these small acts can make a huge difference put together! Additionally, six students spoke about specific things they have done or witnessed that year that made a big difference. We also had a guest speaker who inspired the audience with specific techniques to outsmart a bully. |
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Partnerships
We are extremely grateful to have some amazing partnerships in our community that support us in our mission and work with us to help spread a positive influence into our community!
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