#KindnessMatters. Be the change for the SDGs. A Global Youth Campaign.
Join UNESCO MGIEP’s global youth campaign titled ‘Kindness Matters for the SDGs’, the purpose of which is to mobilize the world’s youth to achieve the 17 SDGs through transformative acts of kindness. The campaign also attempts to create a positive culture of kindness, in which every young person’s selfless act matters! Read stories from #KindnessMatters here.
Latest News
Explore this section to read the latest news from the campaign.
October 19, 2022: Since 2018, the #KindnessMatters Global Campaign aims to mobilize young people to carry out transformative acts of kindness for self, others and nature to tackle the SDGs and to create a positive culture of kindness.
For the month of April to celebrate “International Mother Earth Day” (April 22) Mount Abu Public School organized 3 activities to encourage its students to be kind to nature.
Crejo.Fun launches a set of online workshops on Art, Dance, Yoga, and Public Speaking, for children. Each workshop will be organized with the aim to teach the learners something about kindness.
The UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) in partnership with Crejo.fun launched The #KindnessMatters Canvas.
On October 2, 2021, UNESCO MGIEP and Faze Media (Canada) hosted the 3rd annual World Youth Conference on Kindness on the theme Achieving with Kindness.
Live Different launched their mobile App – The LiveDifferent App at Third World Youth Conference celebrated on Saturday October 2, 2021.
To engage the youth as active changemakers UNESCO MGIEP is collaborating with UNICEF India to collect kindness acts accomplished for self, others, and nature.
2021 – Hyderabad, India: The UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) in partnership with the Heartfulness Institute launched The #KindnessMatters Essay Event in 2021.
From August 24 to 26, 2021, LiveDifferent hosted 5 pre-conference workshops ahead of the WYC 2021 with the objective of training young people from all over the world to use compassion and empathy to lead meaningful conversations, build community and spread kindness.
UNESCO MGIEP is very proud to announce that it has collected 1 million acts of kindness.
The #KindnessMatters Short Films Competition is a part of the #KindnessMatters global campaign which aims to collect 1 million stories of compassion and kindness to achieve sustainable development and peaceful societies.
In the newest addition to our list of partners, 107 schools from across India have joined the #KindnessMatters global campaign and committed to collecting stories of kindness from their students and teachers in order to strengthen empathy and compassion across their learning environments.
May 16, 2021 | UNESCO MGIEP is pleased to announce the appointment of Dame Tessy Antony de Nassau as Patron for UNESCO MGIEP’s #KindnessMatters Campaign. As a youth icon, in her role, Dame Tessy will work towards working with young people globally and inspiring them to share their acts of kindness as well as building the momentum to support the World Kindness Day on November 13, 2021.
The #LaBondadImporta (#KindnessMatters) Campaign was launched by the University Veracruz, Mexico on 4 May, 2021 to collect stories of compassion and kindness in Mexico and Latin America.
Live Different launched their mobile App – The LiveDifferent App at Third World Youth Conference celebrated on Saturday October 2, 2021.
Adopted on 25 October 2020 at the Second World Youth Conference on Kindness
September 28, 2020: The first virtual dialogue on #KindnessMattersAgainstRacism focused on ‘Exploring Systemic Racism’, which saw a highly interactive discussion between 4 global youth.
Faze Media Canada has partnered with UNESCO MGIEP for the #KindnessMatters global campaign and the 2020 2nd World Youth Conference on Kindness.
UNESCO MGIEP organised the first-ever World Youth Conference on Kindness at New Delhi from August 20-23, 2019. Themed ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: Gandhi for the Contemporary World – Celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’, the Conference brought global youth leaders, policy makers and Nobel laureates, among others, under one umbrella.
As a part of the World Youth Conference on Kindness held on August 23, 2019 in New Delhi, India, the #KindnessConcert by UNESCO MGIEP’s Kindness Ambassador Ricky Kej and fellow Grammy-Winner Laura Dickinson saw the International Premier of the #KindnessAnthem, a collaboration of 3 Grammy-Winning Musicians and a number of international acts.
Faze Media Canada has partnered with UNESCO MGIEP for the #KindnessMatters global campaign and the 2020 2nd World Youth Conference on Kindness.
Other stories from #KindnessMatters for the SDGs
Explore this section to read additional stories we’ve received so far!
UNESCO MGIEP organised the first-ever World Youth Conference on Kindness at New Delhi from August 20-23, 2019. Themed ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: Gandhi for the Contemporary World – Celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’, the Conference brought global youth leaders, policy makers and Nobel laureates, among others, under one umbrella.
The Kaiviti Silktails, a semi-professional team from Fiji sang together from their balconies during a hotel quarantine in Sydney, Australia to thank the staff for taking care of them. 35 of the club’s players and staff joined together in unison to pay homage to the staff who had ensured the quarantine ran smoothly. © Insider.com
The COVID lockdown has borne down heavily on over one lakh people afflicted with HIV as they are not able to get food or go for antiretroviral therapy (ART) for medicines. To help these people in distress, a team of volunteers has come forward and has been working on providing them food and medicines. This story is contributed by the Bangalore Schools Sports Foundation (BSSF).
Two Indians did the country proud at the Boston Athletic Association 10K run held in the United States. They both finished with impressive timings — under 45 minutes —But that is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. The two are both aged 16 Years and are HIV positive. They have been participating in runs around the world to eradicate the stigma associated with the disease. This story is contributed by the Bangalore Schools Sports Foundation (BSSF).
Deepak Ramola, founder of FUEL and technical adviser to #KindnessMatters met with the mother of Mbayani Tayai , who is with Vijana Youth Assembly– UNESCO MGIEP’s YESPeace Tanzania partner, and documented her struggle to collect water for the house and the cattles. His mother walks nine hours every day to the nearest waterbody. This is the routine of many Masai women in Arusha. The moving film on Twice as Wise series is the story of two women, a Masai lady and a rural artisan, from two different parts of the world who share a common struggle for their basic rights and yet have a feeling of having it all. Twice as Wise Series is endorsed by several international and national groups. Deepak recently informed that his Life Lesson curriculum has been adopted by Ghent Municipality( Belgium).
Pramod Bhurji, the 27-year-old founder of DeWaste Environment Solutions, is working to reduce wastage in the farm-to-fork supply chain to resolve India’s waste management problem. (Note: This story has been shared by Social Story which is a news platform focused on Inspiring, uplifting stories of social impact. Social Story has partnered with UNESCO MGIEP for the International Youth Campaign on Kindness for the SDGs. This story was originally published on the Social Story on 18 October, 2018)
The C&A Foundation launched a sustainable cotton programme in 2014 with an aim to improve the livelihoods of small farmers and conserve the environment through sustainable cotton cultivation. (Note: This story has been shared by Social Story which is a news platform focused on Inspiring, uplifting stories of social impact. Social Story has partnered with UNESCO MGIEP for the International Youth Campaign on Kindness for the SDGs. This story was originally published on the Social Story on 27 September, 2018)
India will have the world’s largest rural population by 2050, and Dr Priyanjali Datta’s Aaroogya is democratising preventive healthcare to combat breast cancer till the last mile. (Note: This story has been shared by Social Story which is a news platform focused on Inspiring, uplifting stories of social impact. Social Story has partnered with UNESCO MGIEP for the International Youth Campaign on Kindness for the SDGs. This story was originally published on the Social Story on 14 June 2018)
With songs encompassing hope, integrity, and brotherhood, 23 children from Chennai government schools are set to represent India at the Serenade International Choral Festival in Washington in September 2018. (Note: This story has been shared by Social Story which is a news platform focused on Inspiring, uplifting stories of social impact. Social Story has partnered with UNESCO MGIEP for the International Youth Campaign on Kindness for the SDGs. This story was originally published on the Social Story on 23 April 2018)
NIT-Kurukshetra graduate Ihitashri Shandilya set up MITHILAsmita to help artists evolve into cultural entrepreneurs by providing them with a platform to showcase their work. Note: This story has been shared by Social Story which is a news platform focused on Inspiring, uplifting stories of social impact. Social Story has partnered with UNESCO MGIEP for the International Youth Campaign on Kindness for the SDGs. This story was originally published on the Social Story on 31 May 2018)
Juhi Sharma’s not-for-profit organisation Light Up focuses on harnessing the emotional intelligence of children, parents and teachers, and providing them with tools to form a cohesive, non-violent, and caring community. (Note: This story has been shared by Social Story which is a news platform focused on Inspiring, uplifting stories of social impact. Social Story has partnered with UNESCO MGIEP for the International Youth Campaign on Kindness for the SDGs. This story was originally published on the Social Story on 10 April 2018)
Jalandhar-based Anurag Arora’s MINK India offers organic produce and garden consultancy services, and aims to educate students of all ages about farming. Note: Social Story is a news platform focused on Inspiring, uplifting stories of social impact. Social Story has partnered with UNESCO MGIEP for the International Youth Campaign on Kindness for the SDGs.
Read how a group of students in Tamil Nadu can together to innovate and create a solution that would reduce their sweeper’s work burden. Note: This story is presented by our partners Design For Change as part of a partnership on the International Youth Campaign on Kindness for the SDGs. SDG 9, SDG 10
When a group of students in Uttar Pradesh realised that their classmate was specially -abled and required a different chair to sit in, they decided to create a for him using an innovative idea. (SDG 9, SDG 10) Note: This story is presented by our partners Design For Change as part of a partnership on the International Youth Campaign on Kindness for the SDGs.
Deeply concerned by the lack of nest for the birds around their school, this group of children decided to use the waste materials around to create warm, inviting nests for birds. Note: This story is presented by our partners Design For Change as part of a partnership on the International Youth Campaign on Kindness for the SDGs. (SDG 15: life on Land)
Read how a group of students in Tamil Nadu can together to innovate and create a solution that would reduce their sweeper’s work burden. Note: This story is presented by our partners Design For Change as part of a partnership on the International Youth Campaign on Kindness for the SDGs. SDG 9, SDG 10
A group of 15-year-olds in Gujarat were appalled by the apathy towards the visually challenged in their community and the lack of infrastructure support for these individuals. They decided to focus on affecting change by introducing Braille in elevators. Note: This story is presented by our partners Design For Change as part of a partnership on the International Youth Campaign on Kindness for the SDGs.
A group of 16-year-old students in Maharashtra were deeply affected by the condition of the uneducated, elderly people in their communities and decided to take matters in their own hands by ensuring the elders were given appropriate medical treatment and were made aware of their rights. (SDG 3, SDG 6, SDG 10) Note: This story is presented by our partners Design For Change as part of a partnership on the International Youth Campaign on Kindness for the SDGs.
This article is the first of the #KindnessMatters stories from our partners Social Story highlighting unsung heroes from across India who are working relentlessly towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through transformative acts of kindness. Note: Social Story is a news platform focused on Inspiring, uplifting stories of social impact. Social Story has partnered with UNESCO MGIEP for the International Youth Campaign on Kindness for the SDGs.
On International Youth Day 2018, a team of young Instagrammers, enthusiastic writers and photographers in Bangalore, made their way to AMBA, a unique and special social enterprise for adults with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities using Information Technology, Peer Training & Peer Supervision. The team spoke to many members of the team at AMBA and those working relentlessly to ensure that no one is left behind in the pursuit of SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth. Here we profile some of the people and the stories that make them special:
