Kind Campus

I've mentioned Ben's Bells before and how the kids and I have gone to their Phoenix studio to help create or paint ceramic beads for these bells that spread the message of kindness throughout the community. It's really an inspiring organization, and I've shared it with a few friends so far. But, with the support of Matthew's school's counselor, we're about to spread it to a lot more people.

Ben's Bells offers a kindness education program to schools and businesses free of charge. The idea is kindness is a skill that can be taught, learned, and is something we can all get better at showing and sharing. There are no formal lessons in which a parent volunteer needs to come in and teach the class (like Art Masterpiece or Junior Achievement); instead it infuses kindness skills into the daily routines of classrooms so that kindness seamlessly becomes a way of life.

Of course, this program does challenge teachers and staff to be intentionally kind to everyone at all times while encouraging their students to do the same. They lead by example. The program was initially rolled out as Kind Kids, but the name was changed the following year to Kind Campus. By focusing solely on children, they felt they were missing a tremendous opportunity to develop the kindness skills of adults. So everyone is included now, even parents as activities are periodically sent home with students so families can have meaningful discussions on kindness and work on their skills at home.

The program helps each of us develop five core competencies of social-emotional learning. These are: self awareness (knowing our own character, feelings, and desires); social awareness (understanding and responding to the needs of others); responsible decision making (making sound judgments on our behavior and how it affects others); self management (taking responsibility for our behavior and well-being); and relationship management (building and maintaining strong relationships based on trust). Before  you begin thinking this sounds "crunchy" or "granola" or like something a hippie would love, I'll point out that the program was developed through a partnership with scientists at the University of Arizona. Through cutting-edge scientific brain research, they've pinpointed effective techniques humans can use reduce stress, improve empathy, and promote a positive outlook.

I'm very excited for our counselor to introduce and share the details about the program with our teachers and staff when they return to work next week. She and I have been working on a presentation and are ironing out the details. I'm happy she's supporting Kind Campus and chose it as our school's character education program this school year because what we need right now is for more people to be kind.

I know you won't be around for the presentation, but if you want to gain a better understanding of the message and the mission of Ben's Bells, this video is a wonderful place to start.