Kind Hearts club: Spring 2025
What is the Kind Hearts Club?
The Kind Hearts Club is a simple project designed to spark kindness and connection within our community. 10,000 children will decorate the Kind Hearts Club postcards in schools throughout Victoria, and leave them for a stranger to find. Teachers are given the opportunity to discuss kindness with their students by asking questions such as: "How do you think someone will feel when they find your postcard?" or ""Have you ever felt lonely? What helped you feel better?" or "What other small acts of kindness can we do to help others feel included?"
After the children decorate the front of the postcard, they then bring them home to share with their families. Parents play an important role in this project! After the child decorates their Kindness Heart card, the parents are encouraged to take a moment to talk with them about why kindness and connection matter. Then, help the child to find a special place in their community to leave the card – on a park bench, at a bus stop, or anywhere a stranger might find it and feel uplifted. This small gesture is meant to remind the 10,000 people who find the cards that they are not alone and that kindness is all around us.
How does it help?
The information on the reverse of the postcard initiates a conversation about social isolation and loneliness. Each card - hand decorated by a child in the city - represents a gift to each of the 10,000 strangers who ultimately finds the cards. What's that gift? Knowing that they aren't alone - that somewhere in this city, a stranger cared enough about them to make the card and leave it just for them to find. The Kind Hearts Club encourages children to look beyond themselves by offering them an opportunity to help an unknown stranger. Additionally, it helps the stranger know that they aren't alone, even if it may feel that way at times.
Social isolation is strongly linked to depression, anxiety and loneliness. Studies suggest that it can increase the risk of Alzheimer's and Dementia. In addition to weakening the immune system, it also increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. The 2023 Canadian Social Connection Survey found that 50% of Canadians reported feeling lonely. What if we could help improve a stranger's health, simply by leaving a card to show them that they aren't alone?
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The Fine Print:
By participating in the Kind Hearts Club initiative, all individuals, families, schools and organizations acknowledge and agree to the following:
1. Participation in the Kind Hearts Club is entirely voluntary.
2. Participants are responsible for exercising the same level of personal judgement and common sense they would use in any public setting.
3. Participants should not approach or hand cards directly to strangers. Cards are to be left discreetly in public spaces (e.g., on a park bench, café table, or community bulletin board) where others may choose to discover them on their own.
4. The organizers of the Kind Hearts Club, associated non-profit entities, partners, schools and volunteers are not liable for any injury, loss or damage arising from participation in this project, including the placement or discovery of cards in public spaces.
5. By participating, individuals, parents, guardians and schools consent to involvement in the program and agree to release and hold harmless the Kind Hearts Club, its organizers, and affiliated parties from any and all claims, liabilities, or actions resulting from participation.
If you do not agree to these terms, please do not participate in this initiative. For any questions about participation guidelines, please email carrie@westcoastspeaks.ca