Women's Business Awards!

We are so proud to announce that Premila Puri has been nominated for the Positivity Award in the Small Business Awards!

A bit about the values of the Women’s Business Awards:

• Courageous leaders who are not afraid to challenge the norms of society and try something new.

• Believe in using generosity to empower the disempowered.

• Kindness and compassion, and being a life-giving voice that encourages and supports those around us.

• Creating intentional communities and strategic support systems with women who can challenge us to always be better.

• Strategically collaborate. With a powerful community comes a willingness to learn and truly invest in each other.

We hope that you follow any further announcements and be kind in giving your full support and encouragement to Premila in this nomination process.

Have a lovely summer!

Be kind this summer!

Summer is here and there are so many ways for you to help spread some kindness!

So what can you do to help?

1. Start simple with a friendly “hello” or a “how are you” to people you come across. Social interaction is key to creating a positive mindset.

2. Be inclusive. If you are going to the park with your friends make sure that no one is getting left out. You never know how much a kind gesture like this could mean to someone.

3. Offer to help clean up litter from your local parks or roads. A cleaner environment creates a better lifestyle.

4. Raise money for a charity of your choice. This could be achieved through bag packing in your local supermarket or running a lemonade stand for your neighbourhood. There’s no better way to be kind than to give back to those in need.

5. Donate any unwanted clothing/toys to charity shops or a local shelter. Allowing someone to experience they joy of something that you once experienced is a truly kind gesture.

We hope that you have an amazing summer and remember to always be kind!

Calling all Amazon Prime customers!

Prime Day is an annual deal event on July 12-13 exclusively for Amazon Prime members, delivering two days of non-stop deals on products.

Did you know you can support Be Kind Movement as you grab yourself a bargain?

By using Amazon Smile to shop, you can nominate Be Kind Movement to receive a donation every time you spend on Amazon.

Here’s how…

Don’t forget you can shop easily from the app as well - and still support us!

Thank you to everyone who already shops with Amazon Smile on behalf of Be Kind Movement, every penny helps us spread kindness.

National Diversity Awards Finalists!

Be Kind Movement has been shortlisted as a finalist in the Community Organisation Award category at the prestigious National Diversity Awards 2022. The National Diversity Awards is the UK’s most prestigious diversity event and the judging panel is made up of 25 champions of diversity from different industries including names such as television presenter Katie Piper, paralympic champion Stephen Miller MBE and actor Ash Palmisciano.

“It is such an honour to have been nominated alongside my fellow nominees especially since over 75,000 nominations were received,’ Founder Premila Puri said. “We are a small voluntary led charity so to be recognised at a national level for our work is incredible and a huge testament to the dedication of our volunteers who have been tirelessly working to deliver our Kindness in School Programme™. Be Kind Movement is an award winning charity whose pioneering Kindness In School Programme™ aims to build emotional intelligence skills in children & young people using short films and kindness. Instilling kindness values at a young age enables children & young people to develop a more positive, aspirational mindset and a strong sense of emotional and social well-being that helps to equip them with skills to cope with challenges they face in the playground as children, through Covid recovery or later in life as young adults. Using the transformative power of films to entertain, inspire and empower, we encourage young minds to embrace kindness to themselves and to others. “Kindness is innate to human beings and when we are true to our core values, we will treat others fairly, as equals and through the lens of inclusivity. Building these core values that reflect diversity, fairness and inclusion lies at the heart of our kindness programme”, Premila added.

Key initiatives and projects set up to involve the local community also include digital film-making kindness projects such as Kindness Detectives and the Kind Superhero, Kindness in Sport Programme and Kindness during Christmas Campaign.

The charity’s hard work has paid off as they have been nominated for a coveted National Diversity Award for being championing diversity and inclusion in their local community.

BKM receive a grant from the Wimbledon Foundation

Be Kind Movement is thrilled to be awarded a grant from the Wimbledon Foundation that will help us to develop educational content and deliver kindness workshops to children and young people living in low income areas who've been excluded from mainstream schools due to behavioural issues.

The grant will help us to support these children with their social and emotional needs through the building of key emotional intelligence skills so they can return to mainstream education with a more positive, kinder and resilient attitude.

Thank you to the Wimbledon Foundation!

About the Wimbledon Foundation

The Wimbledon Foundation, established in 2013, is the charity of The All England Lawn Tennis Club and The Championships. Their aim is to use the collective strength of Wimbledon to make a positive difference to people's lives.

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.

Q&A WITH PREMILA PURI

On International Women’s Day, in gratitude to all the powerful, inspiring, courageous and amazing women who’ve paved the way for countless women like me, who continue to push the envelope to tell their stories, who are fearless in their vision, who lend their voices for positive change, and those who lead with compassion and kindness.

Happy Women’s Day to the brave and resilient Ukrainian women who are battling a tough and traumatic journey ahead. I hope the powers that be can step up and do the necessary in welcoming these refugees.

Talking of resilience, catch my interview featured in the lifestyle blog of Kind Natured, partners to Be Kind Movement

#WomensDay #BreaktheBias #IWD2022 #InternationalWomensDay #SeeHer

#IWD2022 #WomensDay

Be Kind to Yourself

Be Kind to Yourself

Self-kindness can take so many forms, such as rest, asking for help, letting something go, setting up boundaries, doing something for fun, advocating for yourself, apologising, or taking accountability.

Self-kindness is a positive, proactive attitude towards oneself. It is not simply about the absence of negative attitudes. An absence of self-judgment does not necessarily indicate that one is completely compassionate towards oneself. One may not necessarily isolate during times of failure or  be able to place one’s failings in the very context of a common human experience.

Being kind must be an everyday understanding. In life, self-kindness is about experiencing one of the best things that can happen to one. Life becomes lighter and the relationships are most likely to improve.

Feeling happier is often observed overall. The self-esteem and the very sense of deserving good things in life does usually tend to go up. It is also this one thing that is certainly neglected moving into something which you may feel guilty about doing. In order to make a positive change, simply start a new habit right away. This calls out to one of kindness and love towards oneself. 

We can all think the worst can happen to ourselves when we are under a lot of stress. In order to feel positive when being too hard on oneself, do try this simple practice towards fostering self-kindness. Being kind to one does not always come naturally. The phrase being one’s own worst critic rings true for a reason.

How to Be Kind to Yourself

1. Talk kindly to oneself

Think about how one can speak to the people they love and care about, and then turn that voice on themselves. Be completely conscious about the inner voice; be it a friend or one someone who happens to be kind, rather than one who is harsh or belittles a person. This can help one to pick themselves up if things go wrong and help a person cope better.

2. Do Practice gratitude always

We do find that people who do practice gratitude and happen to notice the things that they are thankful for are much happier and do have a greater acknowledgement of wellbeing. A person might want to try and think of a few things in the morning or before one goes to bed at night or write them down as well. Make it a point to actively work on the positives of the day. Reframing the situations and looking for the positives can certainly help strengthen the resilience.

3. Perform acts of kindness and generous towards others

Be kind towards others. Small gestures do have a superb impact whether it means smiling at someone or by way of letting someone go in front in a queue. Doing good for others does boost one’s own wellbeing and at the same time helps brighten someone else’s day.

4. Do reflect daily

Make time every day to give some space to reflect on what is going on and how they are feeling. A few minutes for one to sit and think or write in a journal does help one process the thoughts, feelings and emotions in order to cope up better.

5. Self-care needs to be undertaken

Keeping up with healthy routines and rituals are an important way to look after oneself. These do indicate things like having breakfast, carving out some time for oneself in the day, planning what one can eat and exercising and doing some things to enjoy no matter how small they are.

6. Be responsible for oneself

If a stressful or a busy day tempts one to treat oneself with alcohol or junk food or cigarette etc.  Think about whether this is a healthy move to make. A treat now and then is okay, however, recognise not to use it as a crutch. This can sabotage all the efforts that have been made to look after oneself. Self-compassion comes with self-respect not with self-sabotage.

7. Invest in valuable interests

Do things that really align with your interests and passions. If one has the creative streak, make time for a creative outlet even if it is being outdoors or doing a sport then do make time for these too. These are the things that can often get pushed off the priority list, but it is important that one does not compromise them.

8. Practice mindfulness

Mindfulness is a way of thinking plus focusing on the here and now completely. It encourages one to pay attention to the present moment. This can help reduce thinking too far ahead and worrying about things that have not happened yet. More so thinking about the past and dwelling on things that cannot change. One can mindfully do almost anything; be it as regular as eating a meal, brushing your  teeth, or choosing to go for a walk.

9. Having to spend time in or around nature

Being around elements of the natural world can be calming and also can improve the sense of wellbeing. Consider how time can be made for elements of the outdoors and natural world. This could be greenery such as the garden or a walk in the park. It could also be water by way of having a stroll by a canal, lake, or river, or better still a beach or other parts of the coast if these are nearby.

10. Thinking about the possible opportunities

We are currently facing a global pandemic, which is understandably a cause of worry and stress. It may help to counter these feelings if one can consider this to be a unique time of opportunity as well. We can reframe the perception of this time as a chance to pause, reflect and finally reset. Think about the things that one did not enjoy before, and what one may want to keep or change going forward.

 #BeKindtoYourself #Self-kindness #Self-compassion #Be kind to yourself challenge #Self-talk #Mentalhealth #Believeinyourself #Ownbestfriend #Perfectionforthemselves #Self-esteem #Self-directed #goodwill #Psychology #Mindfulness #Ourinnervoice #Self-criticism #Self-worth #Personalitytrait #Self-compassiontoyourchildren #Self-forgiveness #Self-reflection #Self-carepractices #Self-confidence #Self-love #Self-hatred #Self-worth

 References/Further Reading

https://www.annafreud.org/on-my-mind/self-care/be-kind-to-yourself/

https://www.lifehack.org/882952/be-kind-to-yourself

https://zenhabits.net/kind-done/

https://www.fearlessculture.design/blog-posts/how-to-be-kind-to-yourself-stop-chasing-self-confidence

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/self-compassion-can-improve-your-resiliency/art-20267193

https://www.helpguide.org/meditations/being-kind-to-yourself-meditation.htm

https://news.utexas.edu/2020/04/15/tips-on-being-kinder-to-yourself-during-trying-times/

https://headspace.org.au/headspace-centres/capalaba/how-to-be-kind-to-yourself/

About Trishna

Trishna Patnaik, a BSc (in Life Sciences) and MBA (in Marketing) by qualification but an artist by choice. A self-taught artist based in Mumbai, Trishna has been practising art for over 14 years. After she had a professional stint in various reputed corporates, she realised that she wanted to do something more meaningful. She found her true calling in her passion that is painting. Trishna is now a full-time professional painter pursuing her passion to create and explore to the fullest. She says, "It’s a road less travelled but a journey that I look forward to everyday."

Trishna also conducts painting workshops across Mumbai and other metropolitan cities of India. Trishna is an art therapist and healer. She works with clients on a one on one basis in Mumbai

Trishna fancies the art of creative writing and is dappling her hands in that too, to soak in the experience and have an engagement with readers, wanderers and thinkers.

Vote for BKM in the Charity Film Awards today!

We are thrilled to get through to the next round of the Charity Film Awards - but now voting is open again and we could be in with a chance of winning the People's Choice Award in our category!

Our film needs votes again for this second round (and yes, those who've voted in the first round can vote again!) Just head to the Smiley Movement website today to vote.

Thank you so much for your support.

Win this International Women's Day!

It's nearly International Women's Day so to celebrate we've teamed up with the fantastic team at Kind Natured to offer one lucky winner a special treat.

All of our e-newsletter subscribers will be automatically entered into the prize draw to win a Kind Natured goody bag - so subscribe today!

Thank you to our wonderful supporters Kind Natured for donating this prize!

Don’t forget to ask your friends and family to subscribe to the Be Kind Movement e-newsletter online as well.

The competition closes at midnight on 7th March and we'll announce the winner on 8th March which is International Women’s Day.

Good luck!

Random Acts of Kindness Day 17th February 2022

The beginning of the year is an opportune moment for students to reflect on the year gone and to think of the year ahead with positivity, inspiration and kindness.

This year we are inviting students to join the Random Acts of Kindness Day Campaign and show us just how easy it is to be kind. If you are a teacher and want to get your school involved or a parent who would like their child involved, here’s how you can participate:

How to participate:

* Ask children to create drawings exploring the question: “ “How can I show kindness to myself and to others?”

* Schools email the drawings to us by 11th Feb and parents by 15th Feb on campaigns@bekindmovement.co.uk We will post these on 17th Feb, Random Acts of Kindness Day and give your school (and if you mentioned the student’s name) a shout out on social media!

* Alternatively post these drawings on the school’s social media and tag us on @bekindmovement1 on Twitter and @bekindmovementuk on Instagram.

* Don’t forget to use the hashtags “BeKindMovement” “MakeKindnessTheNorm”, “RandomActsofKindnessDayCampaign” to reach more people!

Important dates:
Campaign Kickoff: 7th Feb
Deadline to send images to us: 11th Feb
Images uploaded on BKM website and posted on BKM social media: 17th Feb

Join us to shine a light on Kindness within your communities!

May your days be merry and kind

Well, that's a wrap...we are finishing up for the year here at Be Kind Movement.

Thank you for all your support over the past 12 months. With your help, we have reached hundreds of children, raised much-needed funding and spread kindness far and wide. We couldn't have done it without you!

Take a look at our video to enjoy the highlights of 2021 - thank you for being part of our journey!

We will be back on Tuesday 04 January 2022.

From all of us at Be Kind Movement, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

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.