The heart of the Superhero of Kindness Project lies with the idea that we all hold the power of kindness within us.  By knowing, understanding, and actually using this power we have the potential to send out a positive ripple that may travel for miles.  The ultimate goal of any Superhero of Kindness mission is to care; let kindness flow without regard of reward.

“Every child has kindness, but like everything else, we need to cultivate and nurture it. If we don’t, children may not know how to use it. By watering it, feeding it and learning how to carefully keep away weeds that may want to overtake it, we not only allow the kindness inside to grow, but we learn how use it. Showing compassion without thinking of reward brings great strength and inner power. What a gift to foster in our children and humanity.”  (From the CNN Superhero of Kindness Q&A)

The Superheroes of Kindness Project also believes that no one, no matter how young or how small, is too small to make a difference in their community and their world.  We can empower our youth by showing how easy it is to take the first steps (and maybe the most important steps) towards making an impact within your community.  We can use our own, individual strengths to access compassion within others.  Through the performance of random acts of kindness, we help promote healthy behaviors and dynamics.  We are nurturing responsible, considerate, appreciative members of society, one act of kindness at a time.

The Superheroes of Kindness Project values the importance of perspective and empathy.  We believe that everyone has a story, and just by being kind, we can open up and find other people’s stories.  Through our missions, we model how to begin to figure out what others think, how they feel.  We seek to understand another’s experience, and value it as their experience.  As we build empathy and perspective through the completion of Superhero of Kindness missions, we model (and learn ourselves) how to use these two skills as a base of understanding.

Essentially, as we nurture and foster kindness, we are also cultivating caring.  In the words of Nell Nodding: “Caring is the strong, resilient backbone of human life.”