The UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP), UNESCO's first and only Category 1 Institute in the Asia-Pacific, focuses on peace and sustainable development through education. The Institute operates on a global mandate (with specific focus on the Asia-Pacific region) and develops programmes that promote social and emotional learning (SEL); innovate digital pedagogies; and empower the youth to promote sustainable lifestyles, a culture of peace and nonviolence, and an appreciation of cultural diversity. On the occasion of the International Day of Non-Violence, 2 October 2018, UNESCO MGIEP launched an international youth campaign on kindness for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), titled '#KindnessMatters for the SDGs' to mobilize the world's youth to achieve the 17 SDGs through transformative acts of kindness, compassion, care towards self, others and the environment. These acts can range from a simple impulse to a well-planned, organized activity. This movement promotes a culture of peace and empowers individuals/communities to take personal/community ownership/stewardship of critical local issues all the way up to global goals.
50 transformative acts of kindness.
For the self. For others. For nature.
Aimed at mobilizing the world's youth to create a positive culture of kindness, the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) launched the #KindnessMatters global campaign to gather proof that kindness could drive scalable, positive and sustainable change. In the process, they were met with narratives so deeply moving, it confirmed what they knew all along-that kindness wasn't defined by lofty tales; it had always existed all around us, what we needed was to celebrate it in every moment of life because #KindnessMatters every day. Inspiring and thought-provoking, #KindnessMatters documents stories and poems of kindness from across the world, featuring voices and journeys of people who have dedicated their lives to making the world a kinder place. This book proves that small actions often have the biggest impact.
