The pandemic brought about many psychological stressors to students who had to cope with distance learning and the cancellation of fun social events like dances and field trips. Officials with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme (BGCOP) believe another unfortunate casualty of the pandemic was a sense of kindness.
That’s partly what inspired the creation of an initiative called “Kindness is Free,” aiming to instill values of equality, respect and compassion for others. Kindness is Free encourages self-reflection and promotes treating everyone with fairness and empathy. Andrew Peake, BGCOP vice president of advancement, told the Ventura County Reporter that this is the second year in a row they have reached out at local schools with the program.
“We lost a lot of our social skills during the pandemic, during those two vital years where we were not really interacting with our peers, and you can see it in our politics, you can see it in our communities where people are not kind to each other and they’re not kind to themselves. So, the idea is to take a comprehensive approach to teaching the kids how to have these key values of equality, respect and compassion,” Peake said.
The initiative includes a curriculum designed to encourage introspection and instill values underscoring the importance of showing respect, treating everyone equally and practicing empathy. In addition, the BGCOP has been hosting pop-up events at schools and for community groups across Ventura County to spread the message. BGCOP Kindness Coordinator Jennifer Taibi said 2,400 backpacks were distributed between Aug. 21 and Aug. 24 at four Oxnard area elementary schools, Fred L. Williams Elementary, Rio Lindo Elementary, Art Haycox Elementary and Rio Del Norte Elementary, as part of the program.
“This event is all about instilling the values of kindness into our youth, and once they take the kindness pledge, we’re going to gift them backpacks, school supplies and all the things they might need to have a successful and more confident school year,” Taibi said. “We know that 63% of youth go back to school unprepared, so we want to ease the financial burden and help kids feel ready to take on the year and take a stand against bullying with their new gear.”
The kindness-themed events at the schools included a DJ playing music as well as free ice cream from Mister Softee to provide a fun and festive vibe. Peake said some of the kids who participated in the program last year went on to form their own Kindness Club at the Harriet H. Samuelsson Teen Center in downtown Oxnard.
“Where they dedicate themselves to doing something kind for the community every single month,” Peake explained. “They’ve handed out umbrellas when it was raining, they went out into Plaza Park and just gave away food that they made to unhoused individuals. And it’s really empowered them to be kind and to take an active stake in their community.”
In addition to asking kids to take a kindness pledge, the program spread its kindness message globally through a Tournament of Roses Parade float last New Year’s Day, and Peake said they’ve also taken the kindness pledge to the highest level of Ventura County government.
“It’s very simple. It’s ‘I pledge to show respect to others, I pledge to treat others as I wish to be treated and I pledge to be compassionate.’ We’ve been trying to get hundreds and hundreds of young people to take this pledge,” Peake said. “We actually had the Ventura County Board of Supervisors take this pledge recently to make sure that we’re all focusing on this really simple idea of kindness.”
Peake said the students at Art Haycox Elementary School were “super excited” about getting new backpacks during their first week of school.
“Kids are jumping around, having fun, being themselves. Then we have our wonderful kindness ambassador, Jennifer Taibi, who gives the pledge and explains exactly what it means to be kind and how important it is to start the new year and new friendships with kindness,” Peake said. “We’ve got a DJ spinning tunes, which is always fun. It’s an upbeat, fun atmosphere and a great break for the kids.”
The BGCOP opened in 1954 and currently has 21 club sites on or near school campuses across the Ocean View, Rio and Hueneme Elementary school districts. More than 1,000 students are served by BGCOP programs each day, officials said.
“For 70 years we have been there for young people in our community with a fun and safe place to be after school. Today, a major part of our work is helping young people grow socially and emotionally,” said Erin Antrim, CEO. “These giveaways are a wonderful opportunity to ensure that every child has the tools — including those emotional tools — they need to succeed in the classroom.”
More information on the “Kindness is Free” program can be found at www.bgcop.org/kindness.
