Kindness, Compassion and Understanding (KCU), an award-winning campaign, which delivers anti-bullying workshops to primary through to college years, specifically for children and young people, celebrates its fourth year.
The campaign has been delivered by the Healthy Minds apprentices, a group of young people who educate children and young people to look after their mental health, and how to access support by visiting the Healthy Minds website www.healthyminds.services (run by Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership).
As the nation prepared for the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (Sept 2020 to Apr 2021) and the inevitable lockdown that followed, six young people from Bradford joined a zoom call that would change their lives forever and lead to an everlasting legacy.
The first cohort of Healthy Minds apprentices (2020/21) developed KCU, a campaign that covers:
· Empathy
· patience and respect
· inequality
· discrimination
· loneliness
· poverty
· hate crime
· social exclusion
· bullying and prejudice
All of the above impact on the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people in Bradford District.
Originally launched in November 2020 on World Kindness Day, KCU workshops have now reached over 16,000 children and young people across primary, secondary and college levels with great impact as well as the positive feedback.
In 2022, KCU received an honourable Bradford Community Star Award, under the ‘Values in Action’ category. In October 2023, the Healthy Minds apprentice team received a ‘Child Friendly’ the Celebrate as One award (Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership Awards 2023) for their positive impact on the health and wellbeing of young people in Bradford District.
Sasha Bhat, Priority Director for Healthy Minds at Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership, and Deputy Director for Integration and Transformation at Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“Over the four years I’ve seen how the campaign has grown and flourished, and this wouldn’t have been possible without our fantastic Healthy Minds apprentices. The campaign is key as it was built on the feedback of young people and parents, and it was important that we listened and acted.
“The campaign engages with young people in a creative way, especially when trying to have difficult conversations that they can understand and put their actions into practice. We want pupils to see how powerful KCU is, as they can take their learning home, as well as their communities. Bullying can have a devastating impact on an individual’s mental health, however delivering the KCU campaign the pupils will understand why it’s important to be kind, compassionate, and understanding towards other pupils as well as people outside of their school or college environment.
“We have testaments from primary and secondary schools, as well as colleges on the impact of the KCU campaign has had on pupils and the value it brings.’
To celebrate four years of KCU, we would like to share the following videos:
KCU 2020 (original version): https://youtu.be/ZzaadGm5ZLs
Let Kindness Flow 2024: https://youtu.be/CVdCPk5-sDE?si=xkncpThw0Fwjmqvj
Isha Ali, All Star project worker and Healthy Minds Apprentice Coordinator, said:
“As one of the founding members of the KCU programme, I am proud to see how many children and young people (CYP) it has reached. The purpose of the programme is to remind CYP the importance of showing kindness, compassion, and understanding to others, and highlighting how their actions can impact the mental health of those around them. Over time, the campaign has evolved and progressed in order to resonate with issues that the children of Bradford face.
A significant milestone for the program was its expansion beyond its original design for primary school students. It now reaches secondary schools, post-16 students, and includes tailored versions for SEND schools. This growth has allowed the program to be shared across a range of different educational settings, leading to a broader audience.”
Finally, we would like to thank everyone who has been involved in the development of KCU, including 33 Healthy Minds apprentices from each cohort 2020-2024, the 70 schools and colleges that have engaged and championed the campaign, and all the children and young people of Bradford who have taken the core values of KCU and made them their own.
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