Random Acts of Kindness Week and Dharma RAK 20
As part of our 20th Anniversary celebrations, we’re supporting Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) Week, a global event that invites people worldwide to step out of their normal routines or comfort zones and attempt random acts of kindness. As a school rooted in Buddhist principles, the practice of loving kindness is a core part of our ethos and we feel that sharing this practice globally in support of RAK Week is an inspired way to celebrate our 20th school year.
The Dharma Primary School is launching its own special project for RAK Week – Dharma RAK 20. We’ve printed 200 ‘kindness’ cards (each individually numbered) which we will be distributing across the school community, Brighton and beyond! We hope each card will generate at least 20 Random Acts of Kindness (RAK), helping us to celebrate our school’s 20th Anniversary. Carry out a RAK using our special ‘kindness’ cards, invite someone else to do the same, and help us celebrate our 20th Anniversary! Visit our Dharma RAK 20 page for full details of how to get involved and check this blog and our Twitter and Facebook for regular updates throughout RAK Week.
Here are a few of out latest RAKs…
- Inge left her favourite book on a park bench for someone to find
- Annabel sent a book to a friend who needed some cheering up
- Sally made and delivered her friend’s fave pud, banoffee pie
- Mountain class are using their ‘Star of the Day’ box for RAKS. Class teacher Caroline says: “The childen nominate a peer for doing something kind during the day, by writing their name on a post it and leaving it in the box, then we celebrate our ‘Stars of the Day’ in our closing puja each afternoon. It has really got the children noticing RAKs and being able to articulate their impact on them.”
Lotus class have also been thinking about kindness and RAK ideas. Here are some of their comments:
“Our family might pass my kindness card on via my Mum’s Twitter to some people we know in other countries like Mexico and Spain. If we photograph my card and its number and use the hashtag #DharmaRAK20 and other people do too then we can see if it creates a kindness trail which will be exciting as it could go anywhere.”
“My Mum did the kindest thing ever, she gave birth to me which meant going through pain which must have been hard. Once when I was feeling quite sad my friend’s little grey kitten came up to me and held out her paw and we held hands for a while. That was very special because how many people have had that from a newborn cat.”
“Last year when I was feeling really upset about something, Charlie my dog got out of his bed and came and jumped up, lay on my lap and licked my hand. I think animals can do random acts of kindness too and they know when you need kindness most. Next week I’m going to take my dog out more than usual, pick up litter wherever I see it, cook more often to help my Mum and put relaxation music on for her when she has finished work.”
