The Born This Way Foundation’s #BeKind21 campaign launched on September 1st, encouraging people globally to practice a little kindness each day until September 21st. Those interested in participating can take the #BeKind21 pledge at the Born This Way website and are invited to share their acts of kindness on social media via the campaign hashtag.
The Hope Behind #BeKind21
According to The Born This Way Foundation, “Kindness is prioritizing time to care for your own wellness, kindness is caring for the environment, kindness is advocating for an inclusive world that celebrates everyone for who they are, and more.” #BeKind21 works to amplify these kindness practices, in hopes of creating habits that will promote mental health and wellbeing worldwide.
Born This Way elaborates on the research behind this goal, stating, “Young people who describe their environments as kind are also more likely to be mentally healthy. Performing acts of kindness has also been shown to boost reported levels of happiness, self-worth, and calmness while decreasing symptoms of depression.”
2020’s #BeKind21
2020’s #BeKind21 campaign totaled at over 5.3 million participants committed to “over 112 million acts of kindness globally.” The campaign was supported by over 200 partners, including Bumkins, Chegg, Kate Spade NY, and Sesame Street. And over 39,000 social media posts were recorded under the #BeKind21 hashtag, reaching “over 132 million unique accounts” and receiving “over 1.7 billion impressions.”
Lady Gaga kicked off 2020’s #BeKind21 with a suggestion to check in on friends and loved ones. Gaga’s post was followed by countless others, encouraging readers to put their mental health first, build community, advocate for themselves and others, and embrace people for who they are.
In closing, we wanted to say thank you to the Born This Way team for hosting these annual #BeKind21 campaigns. With the success of 2020 so fresh in our minds, we can’t wait to follow the #BeKind21 hashtag this year and watch as all the kindness flows in! What a wonderful way to motivate the masses and share the joy that comes with being kind!
