Today is World Animal Day!

At Be Kind Movement we are celebrating World Animal Day - October 4th - to remind us of the importance of improving the welfare of our animals. 

This is the one day of the year which embraces all animals and the unique concerns of each, in every country. 

Every year we lose multiple species as a result of threats to animal populations, which is bad for our ecosystem and has a knock on effect down the food chain, including to ourselves. 

Find out how you can magnify the visibility of this awareness day below! 

Why should we protect and conserve our animal species?

Every animal, from the smallest fish to the largest land mammal, has an integral role in its ecosystem. The loss of any animal species impacts their habitats altogether, and has a knock on effect to all species, including ourselves. Animals help pollination, keep forests healthy and even control pests. The welfare of our animals is in our best interests and means we can preserve them for future generations to appreciate and explore, so we should play our part and protect these species! 

How can I celebrate World Animal Day? 

Post some pictures of animals or even pets on social media. Let your friends know you’re supporting World Animal Day with the hashtag #WorldAnimalDay. Find out what your spirit animal is using this Buzzfeed quiz! 

Be kind to our planet; pick up litter you see outside, especially if it’s in a populated habitat like a forest. 

Eat more sustainably. Cut down your meat consumption to minimise your carbon footprint and make responsible food choices. This doesn’t necessarily mean cutting animal products out of your diet, but you could consider eating more plants and varied foods. According to WWF, 75% of the world’s food supply is derived from only 12 plants and five animal species, and approximately 94% of fish stocks are fished at their limit or overfished. 

Make greener choices in your everyday life. Start by taking your bag for life to the supermarket to reduce unnecessary plastic waste which could harm our animals. Try shopping more sustainably from smaller businesses and charity shops with a lower carbon footprint, and try to extend the product life cycle of your clothes by sewing them when they rip, for example. 

Lucy

Educational Researcher at Be Kind Movement

The Virgin Money London Marathon is back!

Today the 3rd of October is the day of the Virgin Money London Marathon, this amazing event which unites runners from across the nation to participate in friendly competition, achievement and together raise millions of pounds for charity.  

Around fifty thousand runners are said to take part in the marathon this year and thousands of others are taking on the extraordinary challenge of 26 miles on a route of their choice across the country.  

How does the marathon help so many people? 

• The Virgin Money London Marathon is the biggest mass participation single day fundraisers for charities.

• Last year due to Covid and this marathon not taking place, instead the 2.6 challenge was introduced by organisers of mass fundraising events. This combined with the virtual Virgin Money London Marathon and other events hosted by them raised fifty million pounds for charity.

• Also, in 2020 around 4000 charities benefited from the money raised which was extremely helpful due to the loss of an estimated £10 billion in revenue due to Covid at a time when they were needed.

• In 2019 a total of £66.4 million pounds was raised for charity - this was the largest amount raised from the event!

How could you support the marathon?

You don’t have to be able to run 26 miles in order to help support the Virgin Money London Marathon raise money for charities. Here are some ways you can support the day…

• Donate to people running for the Virgin Money London Marathon, this can be done through friends or on a Facebook page. 

• Do some fundraising of your own – during this time of such fundraising spirit you could do some fundraising for a charity of your choice too (you could even run 2.6 miles instead of 26!)

• Make a donation to a charity of your choice

• Follow the Virgin Money London Marathon on Twitter and keep updated with the action / retweet your support for runners 

“In running, it doesn’t matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say, ‘I have finished.’ There is a lot of satisfaction in that.” – Fred Lebow – New York City Marathon co-founder 

Thank you again,

Best wishes 

Harriet

It's ADHD Awareness Month

ADHD – deficiency or superpower?

Attention please! October is here and it is ADHD awareness month! ADHD refers to Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition, meaning it results from the development of the brain and this leads to ADHD traits or behaviours. Unfortunately, this name does not reflect the growing movement towards neurodiversity, which reframes “disorders” as “differences”.

When we label something a “disorder”, there is an implied negative connotation and a departure from “normal”. However, neurodiversity recognises that whilst many people might be “neurotypical”, a huge percentage of the population are “neurodiverse”, meaning they develop, think, behave or are abled differently. Neurodiversity celebrates differences and varying abilities and moves away from prejudice and towards compassion.

Individuals with ADHD can be uniquely skilled in bringing their energy and hyper-focus to their work or interests. They are often creative, with minds which are active, imaginative and busy. Such attributes can lead to innovation and thinking outside the box. Of course, with such assets, come challenges too. For example, staying on task or managing time are areas a person with ADHD often needs strategies for. With the right support from schools, colleagues, families and friends, people work towards managing the impact of their ADHD and lead fulfilling lives.

Many inspirational people have shared their own stories of stigmatisation and success as they live with ADHD.

ADHD has served as a superpower for musicians such as Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters fame, Justin Timberlake, Adam Levine of Maroon5 and will.I.am to name a few. Olympians Michael Phelps and Simone Biles too share a diagnosis and success in common. Phelps shares “I had a teacher tell me that I would never amount to anything and I would never be successful.” However, he has more than proved them wrong and smashed through the stigma: “It’s something that I’m thankful happened, and I’m thankful that I am how I am. I look at myself every day and I’m so proud and so happy of who I am and who I was able to become.”

Top tips:

A ADHD awareness month’s website offers videos from experts about reframing ADHD here

D Dani Donovan creates excellent ADHD comics here and is an active advocate on social media

H Help children learn more about ADHD with one of these recommended reads here

D Discuss neurodiversity when you can and advocate for a kinder concept of difference. Thank you for your attention!

Amy

Written by Amy Partington, Educational Researcher at Be Kind Movement.

It's National Read a Book Day!

It is ‘Back to School’ season and many of us (whether we are in school or not) feel that Autumnal pull to purchase a new pencil case and tap into some studious spirit. It is with perfect timing therefore that ‘National Read a Book Day’ comes around on the 6th September. Whilst this is celebrated across the pond in the US, we decided to take the excuse for some rewarding reading.

Particularly studious readers may take this opportunity to read a whole book in one day (ideas here)! However, for the majority of readers, including myself, it is reassuringly not the only way to participate in this literary landmark. This day could be the perfect excuse to return to an old favourite book which you could almost read with your eyes closed (mine is Pride and Prejudice). Or perhaps ask around your friends for a new recommendation and discuss over a nice cup of tea. Alternatively, take the chance to join a book club, either in person or online (Reese’s Book Club here) (Richard & Judy Book Club here). Whichever end of the introversion-extraversion continuum you are on, reading can be the friend you need.

Reading can not only be a sociable activity and pleasure, but it can also have powerful, practical purpose. A whole host of research has shown reading can improve writing, vocabulary, spelling and even test scores. Of course, there is more to reading, and life, than simply doing well in school. Reading fiction has been shown to reduce prejudice, improving perspective and attitudes towards stigmatized groups (research here). Here at Be Kind Movement, we are all about promoting kindness and emotional wellbeing. Reading can be a powerful tool for learning more about mental health and managing life’s challenges, be that for yourself, or to support others (reading list here).

I will conclude with some wisdom from one of my favourite writers. Matt Haig is both a wonderful writer and an important advocate for mental health. Haig describes the life affirming power of reading beautifully: “Every time I read a great book I felt I was reading a kind of map, a treasure map, and the treasure I was being directed to was in actual fact myself (Reasons to Stay Alive).”

Happy reading!

Amy, Educational Researcher at Be Kind Movement

Amy from Be Kind Movement

Taking a fresh look at gentle giants...

Discover how you can help these gentle giants by being kind to the planet!

At the Be Kind Movement, we tend to focus on human to human kindness, but kindness to nature is also so important. Nature does a lot for us, so it's only fair we do what we can for nature.

International whale shark day (which happened on 30 August) is designed to raise awareness about protecting these amazing creatures which are vital to our ocean's ecosystems. They are also the world’s largest fish!

How do they help our ocean?

The food chain

Whale sharks are at the top of their food chain meaning that they have no other natural predators. Studies have shown that when a predator at the top of the food chain numbers decrease, its prey overpopulates massively and then eats all of its food supply - this then has a knock-on effect down the food chain. This is why it is so important to help stop the endangerment of whale sharks.

They show us the health of our oceans

Whilst whale sharks travel alone normally they often come together in large groups where plankton is abundant. The large amounts of whale sharks and plankton indicate the healthiness of the oceans.

Why do they need our help?

Plastic pollution

Like a lot of ocean creatures at the moment, whale sharks are suffering because of the increase of plastic in our oceans today. This affects the whale sharks in multiple ways, not only affecting their health by accidentally eating plastic but also their prey and habitats are being majorly affected by plastic pollution.

Fishing

Whale sharks feed close to the bottom of the ocean which means that they are very vulnerable to mass fishing nets. These nets are huge and are dragged across the bottom of oceans to catch fish, destroying the habitats and unfortunately being caught in the fishing gear. These majestic creatures are also caught for their fins as they are seen as a delicacy in some countries, even though their fins hold no nutritional value.

How can we help them with kindness?

Be kind to our planet

By recycling picking up litter and switching to plastic-free items where you can, we can reduce the plastic in our oceans and in turn help the whale sharks!

Adopt a whale shark

If you'd like to adopt one of these marvellous creatures to protect them you can through WWF who are fighting to protect the whale shark from further endangerment. Helping in any way you can not only help the whale shark but can help you feel good too!

Be kind to the ocean wildlife

One major way in which you can help the wildlife of the ocean, in general, is by reducing your fish intake or only eating fish from sustainable fishing. The marine conservation society has a Good Fish Guide to help you make more sustainable choices!

It is so important to be kind to our planet and the animals in it, so do what you can to help a whale shark today!

Useful links…

WWF

https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/whale-shark

Shark Trust

https://www.sharktrust.org/pages/category/discover-sharks?gclid=Cj0KCQjwsZKJBhC0ARIsAJ96n3Xaj2-nGqK3FVjrMcOYSOYyS3yL9pBL2f-UbSbeQNOLfvOTWE0X2iwaAgYDEALw_wcB