our minds matter

  • Discuss and recognize the impact that small interactions can have on the larger outlook of someone’s day 
  • Take action by participating in acts of kindness around your community 

  • Pass out paper and writing utensils, and give folks 5 minutes to independently write down their response to the prompt:
    • “Describe a time when someone showed you kindness. How did this make you feel?”
  • Give folks the opportunity to share what they wrote with a partner or two for 5 minutes
  • As a large group, go through the discussion questions listed in the following section
  • Following your discussion, have each person select a number 1-10. Assign each person their random act of kindness, corresponding with the numbers acts below: 
    1. Let someone go ahead of you in line. We all have somewhere to be, if you’re not in a hurry let someone go ahead of you!
    2. Talk to someone in your family about how they’re doing. Ask if they’re feeling well, happy, upset, worried, tired, etc. Look them in the eye while you really listen to them to show that you care.
    3. Do a job/chore that someone else would otherwise have to do (e.g. pick up litter, unload the dishwasher)
    4. Ask someone who is sitting alone, or someone who is new to your school to sit with you at lunch
    5. Find goodness in others that you have a difficult relationship with.
    6. Give a personal note(s) to someone important to you.
    7. Say hello to strangers or peers you are not already friends with
    8. Give props to someone who is trying to be helpful especially when the person is offering to be a part of the solution to a problem.
    9. Let someone know you recognize their sensitivity, kindness, compassion, etc. with others.
    10. Be patient with people when you need something, especially when there is a long line of people waiting. Tell that person you appreciate how hard they are working to help everyone around them.

*Alternatively, you can also write these down in strips of paper and place all strips (folded) into a hat. Invite members to pick one out of the hat. 

  • Have members write down their challenge on their piece of paper or add it as a reminder or timer on their phone with the intention of them completing their act of kindness prior to your next meeting.
  • In your next meeting, make sure to take 5-10 mins out to check in on their experience after completing the kindness challenge.

  • What does kindness mean to you? What does it look like or manifest as? 
  • How do random acts of kindness make you feel when you receive them? 
  • How do random acts of kindness make you feel when you provide them? 
  • Prosocial acts have been shown to boost mental health including life satisfaction, well-being, and psychological flourishing – why do you think this is?