Kindness Cultivator

Chapter 12 – Melinda Forward

Tell us more about Kindness Club International and your role as Creative Director:

I founded Kindness Club International after being inspired by my students who started a Kindness Club during lunch at my school. I saw how excited they were to make a difference in their school and in the world. As we worked on various initiatives, they gained more and more confidence. They also found that they had passions they wanted to pursue beyond school. That was life-changing for me, to see students grow into powerful activists in our community through simple projects we did at lunch.

My role as Creative Director is to provide training, tools, and support to help schools organize and implement school-wide Kindness Culture-Builders. More than 60 schools worldwide are participating in our initiatives.

What is an example of kindness you share with others?

Time. I think that spending time with others, just getting to know who they are is an example of kindness. Sometimes we get so busy that we need to remind ourselves to stop and talk to the people around us and make efforts to meet new people.

What advice would you give to others who are trying to cultivate kindness in the world?

It’s not always easy to be an activist for kindness. Many people are not excited about doing things that are innovative or go beyond the norm. No matter what, never give up on your mission to make the world a kinder place, to show others how they can spread kindness. Connect with people who share your vision and they will inspire you to keep on keeping on.

Connect with Melinda: