KindActs Facts

KindActs Network Association of B.C.

KindActs is a registered non profit B.C. Society with a mission to inspire human connection and activate the practice of kindness locally and globally, to create a kind world one kind act at a time.

KindActs (Co-Founded by Brock Tully and Nadine Marshall) began with a 1998 Vancouver-based random acts of kindness street campaign. They were later joined by Abbotsford's Kindness is Cool team and the Victoria Kindness Group to form the KindActs Network Association of B.C.

KindActs is a member of the World Kindness Movement (WKM), a growing network of 20 organizations in 19 countries.

The World Kindness Movement began in 1997 to acknowledge the fundamental importance of kindness as a basic condition of a satisfying and meaningful life and to join nations and individuals together to build a kinder, more compassionate world. KindActs attended the third WKM Conference held in Singapore in 2000; the fourth WKM Conference held in Italy in 2005; and will be attending the fifth WKM Conference in Singapore in November 2007.

KindActs' three feature initiatives are: the Invest in a Kinder World 'Coin-spiracy', a program developed for schools and youth groups to raise awareness for how kind acts can enact positive global change; the World Kindness Concert; and the One of a KIND Stories event. Both the World Kindness Concert and the One of a KIND Stories event are annual fundraisers for the Coin-spiracy program.

Past KindActs projects include: Cycling for Kindness 2000, an 18,000 km journey around North America; and Ride Kind/Drive Kind, a project with ICBC and BC Transit, featuring children's artwork depicting kindness. This art was displayed on 210 Victoria buses to remind people to be kind, courteous & safe on the roads.

World Kindness Concert

The World Kindness Concert (created by Brock Tully) is a yearly event that features talented local artists from a variety of cultures and influences as well as kindness highlights from around the world.

The World Kindness Concert is an annual fundraiser for the Coin-spiracy.

The 7th annual event will take place on November 19th and 20th at the Unity Theatre in Vancouver.

For more information about the World Kindness Concert, please visit www.worldkindnessconcert.com.

Invest in a Kinder World 'Coin-spiracy'

The 'Coin-spiracy' (created by Nadine Marshall & Gail Smit in 2002) is a project of KindActs, a B.C. non-profit society with a mission to inspire human connection and activate the practice of kindness locally and globally.

The objective of the Coin-spiracy is to raise awareness for how kind acts can enact positive global change.

The Coin-spiracy revolves around the launch and tracking of a uniquely coded kindness coin called a UNI - short for the universal nature of kindness.

Coin-spiracy participants (schools and youth groups from around the world) launch their UNI Coin by committing three kind acts: one for self, one for the environment and one for another. The recipient of the final act of kindness is invited to 'pay-it-forward' by committing three more acts of kindness.

Each UNI Coin's adventures and stories are tracked through the Coin-spiracy web site at www.investinakinderworld.com.




Reach and Success

Between November 2002 and June 2007, over 207 UNI Coins have been invested in kind action resulting in an estimated 282,383 hours invested in service and over $270,143 raised for communities in need locally as well as internationally.

People in over 45 countries have been positively affected by the kindness campaign. These communities include: Afghanistan, Australia, rural Africa, Bolivia, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Colombia, Cook Islands, Congo, England, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Iraq, Mexico, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, North Korea, Peru, Romania, Rwanda, S. Africa, S. Korea, Swaziland, Tibet, Ukraine, Uganda, USA (Alaska, Wisconsin, Arizona), Vietnam, former Yugoslavia and many unnamed developing nations.




Examples of KindActs

Self

School officials at Lemonweir School in Tomah, Wisconsin USA (UNI #088) reported that bullying incidents and school bus suspensions have dropped nearly 40 per cent since they joined the Coin-spiracy campaign and incorporated kindness activities into their school's culture and daily routine.

Southridge Elementary (UNI #076) students and staff sent books to Maylands Peninsula School in Australia with an exchange teacher who was returning to Australia. As their kind act to self, students "walked" the distance their coin would have to travel to get from their school in Prince George, Canada to Perth, Australia. They achieved this by walking every day during their PE classes and tracking the kilometres on their journey. They walked 800km to Vancouver, then traveled 4,356km to Honolulu and finally 16,034km to Perth.



Environment

Douglas Road Elementary staff and students (UNI# 089) in Burnaby, BC turned off lights in unused rooms and saved their school $430 on energy costs in just three months. The Director of Facilities for Burnaby said that if every school did this, the district would save $70,000 each year.

Auguston Traditional Elementary students and staff in Abbotsford, BC (UNI # 104) held a 'Litterless Lunch' week and reduced their garbage from 6 to 2 bags per day.



Other

Mt Slesse Middle School in Abbotsford, BC raised $7,170 for the Room to Read program that enabled them to build 4 libraries in Vietnam, Nepal, Cambodia and India. The leadership class also 'conspired' with the Room to Read and KindActs teams to pass their UNI Coin (#087) to the Dalai Lama during his visit to Vancouver, BC in April 2004.

The Westshore Centre for Learning and Training in Victoria, BC joined forces with two other schools, their Rotary Club and the local Fire Department in the "Building Futures through Education: Afghan Project". Together they raised enough money and in-kind donations to send 6,000 textbooks, 4, 000 hygiene and school supplies kits and 15 large boxes of fire fighting equipment to Afghanistan.



The Coin-spiracy Kit - new as of September 2006

To accommodate expanding interest and ongoing demand for the program, as well as various school/youth groups' budgets, a Coin-spiracy "How To" Kit was developed containing all the tools necessary to launch a Coin-spiracy. This new Kit was launched in September 2006.

Schools and youth groups can now register for the Coin-spiracy year-round. Schools and youth groups within BC pay Cdn $120. Schools and youth groups outside B.C. pay Cdn $125.

One of a KIND Stories

Previously titled "Clam Chowder for the Soul", One of a KIND Stories is an inspirational event for people of all ages. The event features a diverse group of speakers and musicians who share their experiences and perform for guests. This event is a fundraiser for the Coin-spiracy program.

For more information about the One of a KIND Stories event, please visit www.oneofakindstories.com.

Highlights 2007

KindActs wins Local Peacebuilder Medal at the YMCA of Greater Vancouver Award Ceremony 2007. The award celebrates those who inspire peace in our community and focuses on one of the greatest wishes for our shared future: world peace.

KindActs launches new feature initiative, One of a KIND Stories in 2007.