At Brighton College, we firmly believe that our pupils thrive when they are nurtured with love, kindness, and respect. To foster these values, we are proud to launch the ‘Random Acts of Kindness’ initiative, aimed at promoting and celebrating acts of kindness in everyday life.
To mark the launch of this meaningful initiative, Mrs. Ann Jackson, Deputy Head of Senior School (Pastoral), delivered an inspiring speech during the recent Senior Assembly. We invite you to take a moment to read her powerful message and join us in embracing the spirit of kindness within our school community.
“I wonder how many of you read what is on the screen as you came in today. I wonder how many really notice what is written here, something we all walk past multiple times a day. The key word is “KIND.”
Kindness is arguably one of the most powerful things in the world, something that we all possess and can all choose to use. It is free but can have more impact on the receiver than you would ever know, something that has no barriers of language, race, identity, wealth or status.
But kindness is not just a word on a screen, poster, website. It must be an action that we choose to use on a daily basis. You are in the early stages of your journey through life. You will meet many people throughout that journey. People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
The word kindness floods BCVN. And many of us have experienced acts of kindness. But it’s true that many of the behavioural issues we have dealt with have been based on pupils being unkind to each other. It can be difficult at your age to challenge others.
That’s not okay – all agree to say it. But let’s stand together as a community and guarantee for everyone that belongs to it, that kindness is at the heart of all that we do. Let’s make sure we live it. Let’s be upstanders and not bystanders.
Being kind is a choice so being unkind is a choice. Before you act, REFLECT, THINK before you speak: Is it true? Is it Helpful? Is it Inspiring? Is it Necessary? Is it kind?
If each of us acts kindly towards another person, not because there’s anything in it for you but simply because it’s the right thing to do. It has the cumulative effect of making the world better for all of us and this is not a new idea. Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor from 161 AD and a renowned philosopher laid out his guide to self-improvement with this simple advice: if it’s not right don’t do it, if it’s not true don’t say it. If we all stuck to that rule our world would certainly be a better one so let’s flip his words into our own statement: If it’s right, do it – if it’s true, say it.
No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. To foster this, we’re introducing a new initiative at BCVN: Random Acts of Kindness. We invite everyone to take part – pupil to pupil, teacher to teacher, pupil to teacher, and teacher to pupil. Nominate someone who has shown kindness, and let’s celebrate these moments together.
So, go ahead – do something nice for someone else. Help each other. And remember, kindness goes beyond school walls: it’s something you can practise at home, with friends, face-to-face, and even online.”
