Nov. 13 is World Kindness Day and Brock is celebrating across campus all day.
In 1997, according to the Hindustan Times, the World Kindness Movement held its first-ever conference in Tokyo. The day became an annual event in 1998, and in the years since, more countries have been recognizing it.
World Kindness Day is a time to reflect on how to practice regular acts of kindness, even when there’s nothing to gain from it. The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation provides some ways of “how we can actually make kindness the norm.” Examples include sending uplifting messages to your friends or family, trying to make someone smile and sharing compliments with a friend or co-worker.
At Brock, the Community Engagement & Volunteering organization, the Student Life organization and the Brock University Volunteer Association came together to host a plethora of activities run by volunteering kindness ambassadors.
Notes of kindness will be distributed at the library circulation desk, the BU4U Hub, the Walker Complex Welcome Desk and the Cage. Students who need a dose of positivity are welcome to stop by at any time throughout the day.
The Rankin Family Pavillion will see two activities to celebrate the festivities. From 11 a.m to 3 p.m, there will be a station where students can make cards for anyone they think deserves it, such as a friend, a professor or a Brock employee. Furthermore, from 11 a.m to 2 p.m, students can get the chance to win a campus store gift card at the Rankin Family Pavillion Welcome Desk, where free granola bars will also be distributed while supplies last.
From 11 a.m to 1:30 p.m, Brock’s very own Boomer the Badger will be on campus with free hugs for anyone who comes across him.
Elsewhere, at the station by the Computer Commons, sticky notes will be provided from 1 p.m to 4:30 p.m. Students are encouraged to write kind, positive messages on these sticky notes and spread them all over campus.
Students should keep an eye out for other activities on campus and remember to be kind to themselves and those around them. Brock Student Life asks that students who participate in these activities tag @Brockusls on social media and use the hashtag #badgersbekind to share it with them.
