This August when we convene at Royce Hall in Los Angeles for the Fourth Estate Summit, we will be gathering thousands of future-minded individuals to discuss what exactly it will take to make justice a priority and what we will need to learn to make world-change a reality.
One of the many organizations joining us for this discussion at the Common Good Exchange is Kind Campaign. Kind Campaign is an internationally recognized movement, documentary and school program based upon the powerful belief in KINDness that brings awareness and healing to the negative and lasting effects of girls-against-girl “crime.”
We asked co-founder Molly Thompson (the woman on the left up there) some questions about what they do and how their work fits with the ideology behind the Fourth Estate.
++
When was the moment that Kind Campaign went from being just an idea to being a full-on organization? What were the motivating factors?
The origins of Finding Kind and Kind Campaign were incredibly motivated by personal experiences that we had in middle school and high school. These experiences gave us the passion and drive to hit the ground running once the idea came to light. It’s interesting because Kind Campaign actually came out of the idea for our documentary, Finding Kind. Once we turned on the cameras in pre-production to shoot interviews for the film, we realized how open and honest girls and women were being about their experiences. The honesty and longing that we witnessed during our interviews ignited the idea for Kind Campaign. Once this idea was in our minds, we did everything in our power to make it a reality. We were seniors at Pepperdine University when we officially founded the non-profit and, once we graduated, we spent every waking moment producing the film and bringing the movement and school assembly program into as many schools as possible.
While we were on the road, we were not only motivated by our past personal experiences, but more importantly we were motivated by every single story that we heard from girls and women nationwide. Hearing these heartbreaking stories and seeing firsthand the positive change that is created by the film and assembly program motivated us to do whatever we could to spread the message to as many people as possible.
Both Invisible Children and Kind Campaign speak to such a young audience. What is it about this generation that inspires the pursuit of purpose-driven lives?
There is nothing like standing in a room filled with young people who are moved and motivated to create change. This generation is very unique. They believe in themselves and they are aware of the power that they have to be an agent of change. We are constantly inspired by the young people that we encounter during our travels. It’s incredible to see the passion and drive they have to make a difference. Something that we share with everyone that we talk to is to go after your dreams and accomplish your goals. You really do have the power to change the world with your friends. When we tell young people that, we know they believe it.
Can you tell our supporters about what your school programs do and one story of success from those efforts?
For the past four years we have been traveling across the country for 8-9 months out of the year screening our doc, Finding Kind, and hosting Kind Campaign assemblies. There are several interactive features that are a part of our assembly program that we do in schools and communities nationwide. We have literally seen these simple pieces of paper from our Kind Pledge, Kind Apology, and Kind Card start vital conversations and life-changing experiences between people. We also have a Kind Club Curriculum that schools and communities adopt to take the conversation a step further and utilize the momentum that is created following the one day screening and assembly.
It’s so hard to choose just one because every experience and person that we’ve met along this journey whether scheduled or by chance, has impacted our lives. One memory that stands out is a group event that was held at a friend from Pepperdine’s family’s home in Chicago, Illinois, where the girls from her sister’s high school senior class gathered. We were talking with them about their experiences in school and they made it sound like everything was perfect between all of their different groups of friends. It wasn’t until we started the Kind Apology interactive feature that the barriers came down. Apologies were being given back and forth between and within all of the different cliques that made up the senior class. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the room. This memory is one of our favorites because of the honesty and courage that these young women showed that night. They had the courage to open up about their own insecurities that fueled jealousies towards their good friends. They tore down walls that had been built up by these jealousies by being honest with one another and apologizing and taking responsibility of their emotions. We should be building each other up rather than tearing each other down, and this story is a perfect example of the transformative power of an apology and the beauty of strong female friendships.
What is the future of Kind Campaign and how does that fit with the ideology behind The Fourth Estate?
Currently, we are working on some really exciting new initiatives within Kind Campaign. Set to release in fall 2013, the KiND KiT is an anti-bullying curriculum which will include the Finding Kind documentary, an assembly DVD, Kind Campaign materials, and the Kind Club Curriculum. The KiND KiT will allow a vast number of schools and communities to host their own Kind Campaign assemblies and screenings.
It is our hope that by continuing to expand and develop our in-school programs, we will educate girls about ways to create healthy female friendships and to use the kindness within their own hearts to change the world. This goes hand in hand with the ideology behind The Fourth Estate because both are geared towards empowering people to change the world. By treating others with kindness and respect, you can foster healthy relationships with the people in your life. The friends that you surround yourself with can support you and empower you to make a difference in the world, much like the support system that people will find at The Fourth Estate Summit.
What’s the biggest thing your organization is hoping to learn or take away from The Fourth Estate Summit?
We are so excited to be among other people and organizations who are doing phenomenal work and changing the course of history. We hope to take away new friendships, make new memories with old friends, and learn a ton about the incredible work that everyone, both speakers and attendees, is doing to make the world a better and kinder place. We. Cannot. Wait.
++
Think people should hear about this?