She Inspires Awards

Double Honours at BKM HQ: Celebrating Our Leaders' Achievements

At Be Kind Movement (BKM), good news is a lot like buses—sometimes you wait, and then two arrive at once. That’s exactly how we felt after receiving the exciting news that both our Founder and CEO, Premila Puri, and our Chair, Lisa Ardley-Price, have been recognised for their inspiring leadership and contributions to kindness and inclusion.

Lisa Ardley-Price, who joined BKM as Chair in February this year, has been awarded the prestigious title of ‘Leading Light’ by Kindness and Leadership. This honour places her among a select group of 50 people from the UK who work tirelessly to drive diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Lisa’s impact is felt both within BKM and beyond, as she champions change in everything she touches.

Despite managing a team of 19 at NatWest, supporting various causes, and running marathons on both sides of the Atlantic this year, Lisa still finds time to volunteer with us—something we are immensely grateful for.

Meanwhile, Premila Puri has been nominated in two categories at this year’s She Inspires Awards, which celebrates empowerment, inspiration, and a strong commitment to gender parity. Premila is flying the BKM flag as a nominee for both Women in Leadership and Arts and Culture Champion. 

The competition is fierce and well-deserved, but we’re already incredibly proud of her nominations. We’ll know the final results in a few weeks, but we’re celebrating Premila now for her unwavering dedication and leadership, which keeps BKM moving forward every day.

As a team, we feel it’s only right to turn the spotlight on Premila and Lisa, whose tireless work often goes unnoticed. They lead by example, showing what it truly means to amplify kindness and positivity in every environment they encounter. We don’t take their efforts for granted and want to publicly acknowledge the incredible impact they have on all of us.

Is there someone who exemplifies kindness in your life? We’d love to hear about them! Share with us the people who have touched your life, and we’ll help celebrate their kindness here at Be Kind Movement.

Founder of Be Kind Movement shortlisted for 'NOVI' Award, shines light on the power of kindness and connection

Premila Puri, CEO of Be Kind Movement, has been shortlisted for a Social Impact Award at the prestigious NOVI Awards, set to take place in London later this month. The awards, now in their 14th year, honor exceptional women leaders who are redefining leadership and shaping the future of business, often in the face of significant barriers.

Commenting on her nomination, Premila said:

“Kindness plays a central role in how I lead. Engendering trust and treating people as you'd wish to be treated are key to creating environments where everyone feels valued and empowered. Leadership, for me, is not just about guiding a team but fostering an inclusive space where everyone can thrive.”

Be Kind Movement's Kindness in School Programme (KISP) has been instrumental in promoting kindness as a core value, helping young people build emotional intelligence through early intervention workshops.

The charity works with schools, teachers, and local councils to deliver these workshops, equipping children with the skills to navigate challenges with kindness and resilience.

Premila joins a remarkable group of finalists, including leaders from the fields of education, the arts, and engineering.

To learn more about Be Kind Movement and our workshops, please visit our website and subscribe to our newsletter.

Be Kind Movement in the Irish News

Did you see the latest interview with Premila Puri, our Founder and CEO, all about kindness in the Irish News - thanks so much for putting Be Kind Movement on the front page!

Read our interview with CINEMAMAS

Last month, our Founder and CEO Premila Puri was interviewed by CINEMAMAS.

CINEMAMAS is the online platform for mothers (and all parents) working in the film industry who want to connect and create a positive community built around mutual support.

Celebrating kindness at the Be Kind Awards

The Be Kind Awards took place on Monday 28th March at Keele Univesity and we were thrilled to attend.

Our Founder Premila awarded the Star Pupil Award!

The Be Kind Awards are all about recognising and celebrating kindness. Because it is small actions – like just the act of sending someone a kind message – that make a huge difference in the world.

The three nominees for the Star Pupil Award went above and beyond small actions, to really make a difference. The winner was announced as William Turner - congratulations William!

A night at the Charity Film Awards

In March 2022, Be Kind Movement was delighted to attend the Charity Film Awards in London - as Finalists!

Our film 'Making Kindness the Norm' was a Finalist in this year’s Charity Film Awards, alongside some amazing videos.

More than 300 charities entered the 5th Charity Film Awards, and just over 100 were shortlisted as Finalists.

The winners from each category were announced on 22 March at the glamorous Awards ceremony in ODEON Luxe, Leicester Square. 

Thank you to everyone who voted for Be Kind Movement, we appreciate your support and we can’t wait to enter again in 2023!

The Wandsworth Enterprise Women’s Awards

The Wandsworth Enterprise Women’s Awards recognises some of the amazing female entrepreneurs in the borough across three categories.

These awards are designed to shine the spotlight on the inspiring work and achievements of women who own, or is a partner in, a Wandsworth-based business, as well as champion their stories. There are three awards ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ and ‘Rising Star’ – awarded by judges, and the ‘Best Contribution to the Community’ – a People’s Choice Award voted for by the public.

We were thrilled that our Founder Premila Puri was nominated for the People's Choice Award for the Best Contribution to the Community.

The winners and runners-up were announced at the Women’s Enterprise Day event, which took place on 24th March 2022 at the Elms Conference Centre in Roehampton, featuring guest speaker Jacqueline Gold CBE, CEO of Ann Summers.

Listen to an interview with our founder at the Best Business Women Awards 2021

Earlier this year, the Best Business Women Awards 2021 were held at the Hilton Wembley, and we are thrilled to say our founder, Premila Puri, won the Charity Champion Award!

In November, Premila was interviewed by the Awards - have a listen now!

Premila Puri with sponsor, Justine Perry from Cariad Marketing

NCS turn their spotlight on Be Kind Movement

NCS exists to engage, unite and empower young people, building their confidence so they can go out there and achieve their dreams, no matter where they’re from or what their background is.

In November 2021, NCS featured Be Kind Movement in their Spotlight On series, where they explore issues that matter most to them.

In case you missed it, you can read the full article below…

We are Be Kind Movement. Since 2015, we’ve been celebrating and spreading kindness through our educational material and workshops. To achieve this, we focus on developing emotional intelligence (EQ) skills, using the medium of film to promote our Ten Values of Kindness in children and young people. In this way, we hope to help young people through the various challenges they may currently be facing, and to better prepare them for the challenges they may face in the future.

What are we doing?

We’re currently working on our Kindness in School Programme (KISP) which aims to develop educational material that fulfill the 3Es of our charity’s objectives: Educate, Empower and Entertain. This programme delivers Kindness workshops that build EQ skills such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making skills. Our ultimate goal is to positively impact future generations through the power of kindness by instilling values such as compassion, resilience, and respect in children and young people now, so that they can realise their full potential as adults. We believe people who can recognise the benefits of being kind to others, and to themselves, can become a force for positive change amongst their peers, families, communities and workplaces.

What are the benefits of being kind?

The benefits of kindness are immeasurable, including increasing our self-esteem, improving our moods, and decreasing our susceptibility to mental health issues. For young people this also means being able to enjoy their childhood, do well academically, and have confidence in themselves and their abilities. Promoting inclusion creates a kinder and safer community that cares for the disadvantaged and vulnerable, allowing our society to flourish. Studies focusing on social and emotional learning show decreased dropout rates, school and classroom behaviour issues, drug use, teen pregnancy, and criminal behaviour.

Being kind is also good for our body as it reduces our blood pressure and decreases cortisol (the stress hormone) which strengthens our heart. It also increases our oxytocin levels (the love hormone) which reduces our risk of various diseases - helping us live longer, healthier, and happier lives! During the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve seen how kindness has benefited individuals and communities, making it easier for us all to cope during unprecedented times. We ran a Kindness during COVID campaign earlier in the pandemic, to highlight the amazing acts of kindness we witnessed across the country.

How do our workshops work?

Our KISP workshops revolve around a selection of high impact, short films specifically chosen as they exemplify one or more of our kindness values. Films can offer a powerful visual storytelling experience, representing real life situations (such as racism, and bullying) with messages that are easy to understand. We offer different films for different ages, to ensure the messages are appropriate and our audience can absorb them. The workshops offer a safe space to discuss the film's message, encouraging students to share their perspectives and form connections with classmates. Having real discussions in the classroom about issues that impact us all in different ways can help forge trust between teachers and students. This allows students to thrive in their learning environment and helps teachers do their jobs more effectively. We’ve also created activities and games that go hand in hand with each film. Students can privately explore the kindness message themselves with the take-home activity sheets. In class, our games are designed to promote collaboration, to build self esteem and to have fun! Examples include a “Compliment Catch”, where students throw compliments to their classmates, and a “Balloon Search”, where students write the name on a balloon, then jumble them all up and have to re-find their own balloon as quickly as possible (top tip: it’s fastest when students work together).

Why do we do it?

While we don’t have all the answers to the world’s problems, we believe conversations are a great place to start. Teaching vital communication and reflection skills in our workshops can immediately benefit students through an increased understanding of themselves and their needs, and how to navigate their emotions. We hope that by facilitating these conversations we can emphasise kindness in conflict resolution, whether that conflict is within ourselves, or with the outside world. Whatever the issue, we believe kindness is a crucial part of the solution.

Check out our campaigns for inspiration with the latest one being Kindness Academy for the wellbeing of students! As there's always room for kindness in everyone's life, how can you make kindness a routine in yours? Why not compliment someone, write someone a thank you note, or reach out to someone for a chat. Check out our kindness resources or blog for more ideas.

If you think your school could benefit from our kindness workshops, or if you’re interested in volunteering with us, get in touch with us at info@bekindmovement.co.uk! We help our volunteers build employability skills such as communication, teamwork, creativity and initiative. We are also working with the government’s Kickstart Scheme to provide working experience to young people from the age of 18-24 years in areas such as digital fundraising, social media and grants writing.

Voice of Islam radio interviews Be Kind Movement Founder...

Listen to this interview with our founder Premila Puri from 1:10:50 all about how kindness begets kindness on Voice of Islam radio…

Our founder wins at the Best Business Women Awards 2021!

In October 2021, the Best Business Women Awards 2021 were held at the Hilton Wembley, and we are thrilled to say our founder, Premila Puri, won the Charity Champion Award!

Premila was recognised in this prestigious competition which seeks to find the very best female business talent from across the UK and internationally. 

The Best Business Women Awards are designed to highlight the achievements of women across a wide range of industries. All winners, selected by a panel of business experts, demonstrated a flair for entrepreneurship, tenacity and determination.

Premila Puri with sponsor, Justine Perry from Cariad Marketing

Debbie Gilbert, the Awards organiser, said: "The judges believed that Premila and Be Kind Movement provide amazing support for young children to help them understand the world and their part in making it a kinder, supportive place.

"This charity exceeds in every way in highlighting, delivering, supporting and educating on the transformative power of kindness."

We couldn't be more proud. Well done, Premila! 

Vote for us to win a Tesco Community Grant!

We are delighted that Be Kind Movement's application to the Tesco Community Grants Scheme has been successful and our project will be put forward to a customer vote in Tesco stores from end of July onwards. 

This means that within Tesco stores in the London borough of Wandsworth, you will be able to vote in-store for Be Kind Movement up until the 30th September 2021. 

The project with the highest number of votes will receive £1,500, second place will receive £1,000 and third place £500. Securing the votes of those in Wandsworth means we will be able to allocate the funding towards the Kindness in School Programme. 

How to vote:
You can vote by making a purchase of any value within a Tesco store from the list below. You will receive one token per transaction and it's not necessary to purchase a carrier bag in order to receive a token.

To check the location of the stores below, please go to the Tesco website.

• Balham Express SW17 7BL

• Battersea Rise Exp SW11 1HG

• Putney High St Exp SW15 1SU

• Putney Upr Richmnd Rd SW15 5QJ

• Earlsfield Statn Exp SW18 4SW

• Prince Of Wales Exp SW11 4FA

• Tooting Exp SW17 0PZ

• Falcon Battersea Exp SW11 2PJ

• Upper Tooting Exp SW17 7EN

• Tooting Broadway Exp SW17 9PE

• Earlsfield Garret Exp SW18 4ED

• Battersea SW11 4NE

• Wandsworth Hi St Exp SW18 4HY

• Wandsworth Batt R Exp SW18 1TW

• Southfields Re Rd Exp SW18 5LS

• Summerstown Grrat Exp SW17 0NT

Do:
- Cast your vote as soon as you receive your token for a project in the current voting round
- Only submit Community Grants tokens to cast your vote
- Encourage your friends and family to vote at their local stores

Thank you for your support in helping us spread kindness within our community.

Introducing Kind Natured

We have some exciting news here at Be Kind Movement!

We are delighted to be partnering with Kind Natured who are a unique beauty brand that put people and planet at the heart of all they do, something which resonates deeply with all of us at Be Kind Movement. 

Kind Natured products, sold at your local retailers such as Boots, will proudly display the Be Kind Movement logo and the charity will receive a contribution that is based on % of net sales for all products sold. And their products are 100% recyclable and vegan friendly, using ethically sourced ingredients. 

Every penny raised from Kind Natured’s sale of products will help us reach more children. This means we can support them to develop vital emotional intelligence skills, building a kinder, fairer and happier world for everyone.

I hope you enjoy discovering Kind Natured!

Would you like to partner with Be Kind Movement?

Email us today on info@bekindmovement.co.uk

South West Londoner interviews Be Kind Movement Founder...

Read the interview with our founder Premila on page 28 of the South West Londoner magazine.

Riverside Reports 30 Oct 2020

Scroll to 44:00 to hear Be Kind Movement Founder Premila Puri talk to Mary Lou Watson from Riverside Radio Wandsworth about their Kindness During Christmas campaign.

Premila Puri on Riverside Radio

Skip through to 6.53 to hear Be Kind Movement Founder, Premila Puri, talk to Julia Bright from Riverside Radio about short film ITSY featuring in their Kindness workshops in schools for children and young people in Wandsworth.

Be Kind Movement Announces Joshua Robertson As New Kindness Ambassador

The UK charity Be Kind Movement have today announced that multi-talented comedian, writer, actor and star of BBC Three's Amazing Human series Joshua Robertson is their newest Kindness ambassador.

The London-born comedian has performed his stand-up routines all over the world including: Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, New York, Indonesia and the UK - including regular performances at the London Comedy Store.

He also wrote and starred in the 2019 short film Dad Joke which premiered at 2019's BFI London Film Festival. The film is due to be released on-line by BFI network on Fri 12 June.

Joshua appeared in BBC Three's Amazing Humans web series in 2017 which showcased the inspiring journey of how life-changing injuries he sustained as a child, which left him unable to walk or talk for two years, didn't stop him from fulfilling his dreams.

After a serious motorbike crash at the age of 11 left him in a coma, Joshua now lives with a physical disability and as such, is a strong advocate for the power of kindness. Click here to read more.

Be Kind Movement: Kindness During Covid-19

Be Kind Movement has been promoting and celebrating the power of kindness since 2015. Their Kindness in School Programme provides learning opportunities for children and young people to develop their emotional intelligence skills. Click here to read more…