The Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE) is initiating the Riverside County Million Deliberate Acts of Kindness campaign to increase awareness while promoting and inspiring a positive school culture and healthy communities throughout Riverside County. RCOE will advocate and measure one million deliberate acts of kindness by students, staff, and the community at large.
Multiple schools throughout Riverside County have already been focusing on kindness through programs that focus students and staff on the power of others-focused deeds. The Million Deliberate Acts of Kindness initiative will amplify and share best practices across districts and introduce new opportunities to incorporate kindhearted activities into classrooms and campuses.
“The world our students are growing up in has become increasingly desensitized by senseless acts of violence and blatant expressions of hate and rhetoric. Consequently, this environment provides an ideal platform to counter with a campaign that intentionally develops peace builders and ambassadors of kindness,” said Riverside County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Judy D. White. “My hope is that business, community, and non-profit leaders will also take up the challenge to create a culture of kindness where residents and visitors alike in this county will sense that Riverside County is a place where kindness is not only commonplace, but contagious.”
Highlights of the initiative include:
* A website for students, staff, and community members to report their benevolent deeds in the journey to achieve one million acts of kindness (www.rcoe.us/kindness)
* An original song entitled One Million Hearts of Kindness featuring Riverside County students has been written and recorded by Clay and Tami Drayton to support the initiative and is downloadable for free at www.rcoe.us/kindness
* A social media hashtag #KindnessRivCo to influence others to share their acts of kindness
* Monthly activities and promotions to increase participation in the initiative within schools and the community
* Partnering with community-based organizations and schools to further advance the effectiveness of existing kindness programs
Upon her appointment to the position of Riverside County Superintendent of Schools in early 2017, Dr. Judy D. White established four initiatives that are already improving early reading, reducing chronic absences, building school and community connections, and laying the groundwork to support educators in innovative ways in the future. The Million Deliberate Acts of Kindness represents one of several new initiatives getting underway for the 2018-2019 to further impact students and educators across the county.
RCOE is a service agency supporting the county’s 23 school districts that serve 430,000 students—more than the student population of 17 individual states. RCOE services include administrative support to districts, programs for preschool, special education, pregnant minor, correctional, migrant and vocational students. In addition, the organization provides professional training, support and resources for more than 18,000 teachers, administrators and staff throughout the 7,000 square miles of Riverside County.