A few years ago, a friend and I cycled across Europe. We covered over 4,500km and passed through 11 different countries. Struck by the genuine human kindness which followed us the whole way, we kept a ‘Heroes List’ – noting down the moments where someone, somewhere had gone out of their way to help and be nice to us. It became our way of acknowledging our gratitude and giving a quiet thank you to those people; from the phantom arm which extended from a car window with an offering of energy drinks to the woman who guided us through a maze of streets in an unknown place. I no longer keep a physical Heroes List but find a mental one still helps in recognising those unexpected moments of kindness. I like to imagine everyone having a Heroes List… with the hope that myself and those around me will act in a way which will make it on to someone else’s list that day.

I was reminded of this by Carnegie UK’s new report The Place of Kindness which outlines what they have learnt through their recent work to explore what can be done to encourage more kindness in communities. Their work highlights powerful examples of where kindness and everyday relationships can affect change and support the wellbeing of individuals and communities, as well as discussing what it is which get in the way of kindness, both for individuals and organisations.

Many of the projects we’re working on at Outside the Box have, at their core, an aim to build environments which challenge these obstacles to kindness and allow it to grow and be the norm in a community. Rural Wisdom, for example, is working to make our rural communities work better for older people. Encouraging kindness within these communities will be key to making this work.

The Carnegie report begins “With isolation and loneliness recognised as major challenges, and widening inequalities and social polarisation, now is the time to be focusing on kindness”. We’re glad to see this work done at a time when it feels so needed. You can read the very accessible report, watch the short film below which illustrates some of the stories of kindness which were gathered, and perhaps take a moment to think about how you recognise kindness in your life and how you could be part of helping embed this further in your community.

Find out more about Carnegie’s Kinder Communities work

Find out more about our Rural Wisdom project

Watch ‘The Place of Kindness’ from the Carnegie UK Trust (11mins):

Carnegie UK Trust – The Place of Kindness from Carnegie UK Trust on Vimeo.