CENTRE WELLINGTON – There's a new trend happening at Centre Wellington District High School that asks individuals, groups and businesses to take the kindness pledge.
The kindness pledge aims to better educate the community and create a large group of people that are committed to learning so they can better support marginalized groups to make a more kind and inclusive community. Since launching the website for the kindness pledge on Jan. 19, over 300 people have taken the pledge, including two people from Spain and California.
"There have been so many people supporting me, not just peers, but teachers who have also been incredible," said Abby Graham, a Grade 12 student at CWDHS and the founder of the kindness pledge. "I think everyone is super happy right now to hear positive news, because COVID and everything has been really negative, and it feels good to feel like you're contributing to making something better."
The kindness pledge works in three steps. First, individuals read an information package on the website. Next, that person must read and sign the pledge. Finally, the person must share the pledge with a friend. The whole process can take around five minutes and can be done here.
"It has grown so much that I'm hoping to reach as many people across Ontario as I can," said Graham.
"My hope was to create a community that says, 'Hey, we support you and we want to make this community better for you.'"
Graham said she thought of the kindness pledge in October 2021 after an incident at CWDHS involving an alleged assault of a transgender student. Having friends and family who are a part of marginalized groups, including the LGBTQ+ community, Graham said she began to worry about them.
"It's truly a terrifying thought to have to worry that your friends might be sent to the hospital during school because they want to express themselves and be who they are," said Graham. "The kindness pledge was born out of trying to create a better community for my friends and family who identify as part of these marginalized groups. I feel safe going to school and I want them to feel the same way."
Originally, the kindness pledge was to call on individuals to learn and practice ways of promoting kindness within their community, but Graham said she decided to include groups and businesses.
"When you talk about sustainability, you like to see that a business is sustainable, or it's made in Canada, and I would also feel good walking into a business that is inclusive and is accepting of everyone," she said, mentioning these business would also help promote the pledge to others while educating their staff on how to be more inclusive.
She adds the most surprising part of this experience has been seeing all of the people who have come together over this cause within the community.
"It's been absolutely overwhelming but in the best way possible to see how many people have reached out and wanted to be part of this," said Graham. "This initiative started with just me and it has grown and reached so many people."
"It's crazy how you can reach out to one person about a mere thought in your head and it suddenly turns into what this has turned into for me."
While happy with the current progress of the pledge, Graham said this isn't a 'one and done' type of situation where people sign the pledge and forget about it.
"The next step is continue educating, to continue pushing that these tools are available for everyone and to act on this pledge," Graham said about the next steps, "I have a lot of ideas coming up, but my hope right now is to get as many people to sign this pledge, and once we can create that big community of people, then we can start pushing even greater things."
