Kindness Krew has Kicked Off with Major Potential

You may or may not have heard about the most recent after school program conducted by our New Roots Program, the Kindness Krew. This program has been developed by New Roots Program Director, Erica Stefanow, in order to promote one of the most enduring qualities a person can have – kindness.

Kindness Krew presents fun and foundational exercises that allow students to express their feelings of kindness in positive and impactful ways. This helps students share compassion with others, inside and outside of school, while also learning to show that same kindness to themselves.

“Our hope is to help students build positive character traits that will serve them for a lifetime,” says Stefanow. “Highlighting and recognizing them for their strengths while encouraging them to instill those same skills in their peers has really been an honor.”

The concept for this kind of program incidentally was born from a Kendrick Lamar song titled “DNA”.

“He has a song called ‘DNA’ that I really like. It goes over the key components that make up who you are as a person – your DNA.” Stefanow shared.

Creating meaningful and lasting recognition of one’s own positive character traits is the foundation of this program, but leaving an impact doesn’t happen overnight. For a twelve-week period the program focuses on a different, but equally positive personal trait or characteristic.

The program is designed to keep students engaged without overwhelming them, recognizing that they’ve already spent a full day in school. However, these moments serve as wonderful opportunities for students to learn how to express their feelings within themselves, with one another, or to a New Roots mentor.

Stefanow believes it is crucial to establish a baseline of emotions when students first come to the program. “We do an initial ‘check in’ with all of our groups (thumbs up, thumbs down, or thumbs to the side). This lets us know where their head is currently…”

The context of any individual’s current headspace is a fundamental piece of the puzzle in understanding why people act the way they do, regardless of age. Encouraging this understanding in a safe and educational setting allows for the cultivation of positive influence on all the people within each student’s sphere of influence. It affords each and every one of them the opportunities to both express themselves through kindness and help others to do the same.

With many different activities keeping students engaged and informed about what kindness means, the program has nothing but potential for growth ahead of it. The New Roots program is proud to offer experiences that students can share with one another, while mentors benefit just as much from these special moments.“We feel so incredibly fortunate to receive tremendous support and encouragement from school staff, students, and parents.”

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