Grassroots Social Experiment Encourages Ripple Effect in NYC to Celebrate and Recognize Kindness
It’s no secret that an act as simple as opening the door for someone can make a stranger’s day and lead toward a more positive environment. Enter The Kindness Card, a grassroots social experiment designed to multiply kindness in New York City through the action of recognizing and celebrating kindness.
Through the month of June, approximately 5,000 Kindness Cards will be circulated across New York’s five boroughs, pre-loaded with $10 that can be redeemed for an e-gift card at popular national retailers or be donated to a variety of local New York charities. The goal is that the card be passed between New Yorkers in order to form a chain reaction of spreading kindness throughout the city. Every individual who receives a card will have a chance to redeem or donate! With each pass the card will encourage positive interaction spanning the city streets, and we’ll see just how kind NYC can truly be.
According to a 2017 study by Wakefield Market Research, 93 percent of New Yorkers believe that if even 10 percent of people living in the city were kinder, it would transform the city. They’re on the right track, as the same research report found that 89 percent of New Yorkers report having done something kind for a stranger in just the past 24 hours such as: holding a door open for them (64%), giving them directions (40%), or giving them a compliment (35%).
The Kindness Card intends to create a social movement for change that encourages and celebrates moments of kindness by giving New Yorkers the power to improve their day, their communities, and their city with simple acts of kindness that connect us to each other.
How The Kindness Card Works:
Any recipient of a card must pass it to a fellow New Yorker, inspiring a chain reaction of kindness throughout the city. New Yorkers are encouraged to reward a stranger, or friend, for acts small and large: helping someone cross the street, holding a door, paying it forward, giving directions, etc. With each pass, The Kindness Card is reloaded with $10 that can be redeemed for a gift card online or donated to a local charity before it should be passed on to the next deserving person. The Kindness Card’s online activation platform also encourages recipients to share stories as a way to inspire others and illustrate the multiple places throughout the city where kindness was found.
But, you don’t need a Kindness Card to actively participate in the movement. Change comes from within, and each of us has the power to take action and make an impact for a kinder New York.
For more information on The Kindness Card, and to participate in the social experiment, visit www.kindnesscard.com or find them on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. #KindnessIsHere