The Riverside Secondary Care and Compassion club encourages Riverside students to make random gestures of kindness in the community. The Care and Compassion club’s goal is to create a sense of community and goodwill around the school. “When students leave the club, I want them to realize how good it feels to make a difference in someone and make someone smile,” said Monica Brochu, Riverside’s youth worker and one of the club leaders.
The club has done many activities so far, such as the Halloween Photo Booth where students could take pictures with Halloween themed props and a backdrop poster created by the Care and Compassion club students. They also did the “I’m Thankful For” campaign where the Care and Compassion club organized for the RAP teachers to give out to their students slips of paper where they have to write down things that they are thankful for. “It’s interesting that even though every student is different, a lot of people are thankful for the same things. Things such as family, friends and education,” said Brochu. The club is also planning for many more exciting things for the rest of the year.
Kindness and Compassion is about being kind and not expecting to be rewarded. It is something that is done voluntarily and nobody controls our decision to show kindness except ourselves. It’s extremely important to realize how little acts of kindness can affect our everyday lives and how much power it has. Acts of kindness are spontaneous gestures of goodwill towards someone for no apparent reason or for something in return. Even if it’s as simple as holding the door for someone, or complimenting someone, those small acts of kindness could bring someone’s mood up, who might then in return, “Pay it Forward.”
Kindness is something that everyone should strive to express throughout their life. Many of us think “But what can I do?” The world sometimes seems to be so overwhelming and it appears that there is nothing we can do to make a change in the world. But, there is always something we can do. Consider joining the Care and Compassion club if you are interested in giving back to the community and putting a smile on peoples faces.
Feature Photo courtesy- psychologies.co
