ABOUT US

With the simple belief that the spotlight of the world’s attention should be shined on the positive events that occur every day; not just the negative events that we see far too often. Positive pictures and stories have the power to inspire, to connect and to heal, and we want to bring these directly to you. There’s so much good in the world, and we can all benefit from it.

Our mission is simple: to promote and inspire kindness, compassion, joy, and love in the pursuit of a happier, healthier, and more prosperous world for all. By doing so, we will reduce stress, promote positive interpersonal connection, and enhance mental and physical health.

Using strategies rooted in the humanities and behavioral science research, our unique blend of activities is intended to increase the presence of kindness, empathy, love, and compassion in peoples’ lives.

Kindness is not just another four-letter word. Although we constantly hear that kindness is important, and about the “Golden Rule,” it can be hard to put that into practical terms. We aim to do so by offering engaging programs and delivering moving content that depicts, describes or discusses kindness. We aim to make kindness tangible, measurable and most of all, more visible. Kindness is not an abstract concept or lofty ideal—it is something we are all capable of practicing and worthy of receiving. Research suggests that exposure to our programs and content will make you feel happier and more connected to the world around you, with less stress and better health.

Wouldn’t you like to feel a little better? Do yourself a kindness and like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and check back often.

We’re all in this together.

We believe that humans are born with kindness and empathy inside of them. Kindness is a natural way of being. It just gets lost sometimes in our busy world that can be cold and even frightening at times. Unfortunately, these elements are what we see most frequently in the news. But there are many wonderful acts of kindness done every day. Our goal is to remind people about the many kindnesses in the world and that we are much more alike and connected to each other than we are different and disconnected. We do so in two primary ways:

1. Collecting, Creating and Spreading Kindness

Experiencing positivity in any form has a profound effect on us human beings. Just the exposure to kindness content, including pictures, videos and stories, has the power to make us more patient, more caring, and more connected. These changes decrease our stress levels and make us happier and healthier. Our goal in providing a counterbalance to the negativity often found in the media is to help individuals and societies realize these effects. We also hope to encourage volunteerism and other social acts that benefit society.

In order to do this, however, you need to participate. Participation is very simple–share the pictures, videos and stories of kindness that you see with us. We will share it with everyone else. Sharing these is free and easy. What you share allows other people to see your view on kindness.

We have no set definition of kindness, and leave that up to you. Someone assisting another in need? People volunteering? Rescuing a kitten from a tree—whatever kindness and compassion means to you! You have the power to make your neighborhood, city, country and world a better place to live. Are you willing to do your part? Visit our Submit page today to share your pictures, stories, and blogs with us!

2. Programming

Kindness is most powerful when it’s felt, especially first-hand. We currently offer arts-based programs for middle, high school and college students in their communities designed to allow students to express their own perspectives on kindness. These programs are run as friendly competitions and allow the students to actively explore what kindness means to them. Check out the feedback we have gotten so far—the results are really encouraging!

Kinder communities are healthier and nicer places to live, with stronger education and social systems and less crime, bullying and violence. Every community can be a kindness community. Through fun, engaging, social-emotional learning projects, our programs position school and community leaders to empower their young people to make positive contributions to their school, town, and beyond.

We believe that our programs also have tremendous implications for other settings that we hope to explore, including:

In Schools: Development of prosocial and nurturing school climates (anti-bullying) that support strong social and cognitive development for all students and are better places for teachers and administrators to work.

Organizations/Institutions: Similar prosocial cultural development, increasing employee happiness, retention and efficiency maximization

Communities: Through the promotion and engagement of kindness-centric, student-created content, communities become more connected, kinder, more considerate places to live and grow.

To learn more about our programs and how you can get involved visit the Programs page.

3. Measuring Results

In any effort designed to produce change, identifying and measuring meaningful Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) is very important. We work very hard to evaluate all of our programs, content, and larger strategies for effectiveness, efficiency, and meaning. We love what we do, but more than that, we want it to matter.

We will also continue striving to be as transparent as possible, and will post the results of our program evaluations so that our participants and the public can see in real terms the impact that our work is having on their communities and beyond.

Our strategy is informed by social science research, with a focus on positive and neuropsychology. By understanding how people respond to pictures and stories – specifically those of kindness– we can deliver the best possible outcome to society. Our goal is to test all of our content and evaluate each of our programs using the latest research to understand their impact on how people think, feel and act. We do not have users at Envision Kindness—we have partners. Thank you for being here, we hope you’ll join us!

To learn more about how it all works, from mind, body to spirit, visit the Envision Kindness Lab!