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Press Release
THIRD CONFERENCE OF THE WORLD KINDNESS MOVEMENT
17-18 NOVEMBER 2000
President S R Nathan will officially open the Third Conference of the World Kindness Movement (WKM) on Saturday, 18 November 2000 at 10 am at The Westin Stamford Westin Plaza Hotel. Besides 31 foreign delegates from over 20 countries, about 600 Singapore Kindness Movement (SKM) members comprising coordinators from schools, corporations and grassroots organisations would be invited.The SKM is honoured to be hosting the Third Conference for the World Kindness Movement (WKM) from 17 to 18 November 2000. The previous conferences were hosted by the Small Kindness Movement of Japan in 1998 and 1999.The objectives of the WKM Conference are:
- To raise awareness of the World Kindness movement To share ideas and experiences of kindness programmes in different countries
- To increase membership and allow members to network
Besides the attendance of 10 WKM member countries, we have invited a representative from each ASEAN Country. Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Italy and Germany have also indicated interest in coming.
The First Day of the Conference
Several plenary sessions will be held at the MITA Building to discuss some of the Movement's key issues. Non-WKM members will attend as observers.
Key issues to be discussed include:
1. The constitution drafted at a previous WKM conference
The draft constitution -- touching on the WKM's vision, mission and procedural guidelines -- will be discussed. Other issues include the formation of a WKM secretariat, voting procedures, membership, funding and the designation of an official annual World Kindness Day.
2. The official implementation of a WKM logo and guidelines for its usage
The World Kindness Movement logo is the registered trademark of the World Kindness Movement. It symbolises the universality of kindness. The blue circle represents the world. The different coloured hearts represent the diversity of mankind, with its many racial, cultural and religious strands woven together by the common thread of kindness. Delegates will discuss the guidelines for its proper usage.
3. The adoption of the Cosmos flower as the official flower of the WKM
The Cosmos biinnatus flower is the flower of the Japanese Small Kindness Movement. At the second Conference of the World Kindness Movement (WKM) in Tokyo, in November 1999, the Japanese Small Kindness Movement proposed that the Cosmos flower be adopted by the WKM as well.
ABOUT THE CONFERENCE SPEAKERS
- Mr Brian Willis, founder of the Australian Kindness Movement (AKM). Inspired by the work of the Random Act of Kindness (RAK) in America, he set about creating a similar movement in Australia in 1994. The AKM has the support of Prime Minister John Howard and the Dalai Lama Ms Debbie Riopel from The Canadian Kindness Movement Foundation based in Edmonton. A teacher for 20 years, she received an Alberta Excellence in Teaching Award in 1994 Dr Wataru Mori, Representative of the Small Kindness Movement (Japan) which began in 1963. He has been instrumental in the growth of the Small Kindness Movement. Many consider the idea behind the formation of the Word Kindness Movement in 1998 as his brainchild. Mr Wataru Mori's message and thoughts will be delivered by Mr Ueno Akira, Director of the Movement Mr Kitti Singkalvanich is the Representative of the Siam Cement Foundation and the Thai Kindness Movement. He is also an advisor and honorary editor of Culture, Historical Development, Identity and Folk Wisdom
- Mr Will Glennon is Chairman of the Board of the Random Acts of Kindness Movement in the United States. As a result of an overwhelming civic-minded response to the book on kindness which was edited and published by him, the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation was formed in 1995
Other speakers include Mrs Margery Bruce from Kindness Scotland and Dr Ismail Sudderuddin from the Singapore Kindness Movement. The Moral Life Movement of South Korea will also be sending a speaker.
ABOUT THE WKM
The idea of a World Kindness Movement (WKM) was conceived at a Tokyo conference in 1997 when founders of the Small Kindness Movement in Japan brought together like-minded individuals from around the world who had started kindness movements in their own countries. The current WKM member countries are from Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Scotland, Singapore, Thailand and USA. The mission of the WKM is to inspire individuals towards greater kindness and to connect nations in order to create a kinder world.
ABOUT WKM MEMBERS
Australia: Australian Kindness Movement (AKM) (www.kindness.com.au)
The idea of forming a kindness movement in Australia came in 1994. A leaflet, which encourages people to be kinder to one another, was initially distributed via letterboxes in Sydney suburbs. The following year, the first edition of The Kindness Network newsletter was produced. It now has a readership of over 500 people. The focus of the AKM is on small acts of kindness that are simple and within the grasp of all people.Australia’s Kindness day was launched in 1996, and with the help of a supportive media, grew in popularity each year. It is now part of an annual 12-day celebration in November, which includes World Kindness Day and the International Day of Tolerance. The remaining days are devoted to celebrating other aspects of kindness – kindness at work, being supportive of children and youth, acknowledging the special people who have shaped our lives, kindness towards ourselves, helping the environment, acknowledging the dedication and hard work of teachers and kindness and respect toward seniors. AKM is a founding member of the WKM.
Canada: The Canadian Kindness Movement (Edmonton) (www.kindness.ab.ca)
Formerly The Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) Committee, this core group of individuals has been promoting kindness since 1994 when teacher Colleen Ring started a school programme called "Kids for Kindness". It is aimed at encouraging children to be kind to themselves, to each other and to the earth.
Inspired by the RAK Foundation in the U.S., Colleen and her sister, Debbie Riopel used the school programme as a springboard and initiated an annual RAK Week in February to raise consciousness of the value of kindness in the wider community. The two women began to represent Canada at the WKM conferences. The Edmonton group is currently working alongside other like-minded Canadians such as those in Vancouver (KindActs) to bring a special focus to World Kindness Day and to a vision of greater kindness in their vast and culturally diverse home country. They work for global kindness by contributing to the WKM and promoting it through similar internationally focused initiatives at home, such as the UN's Culture of Peace programme. The CKM is a founding member of the WKM.
Japan: Small Kindness Movement (www.kindness.or.jp)
The oldest and perhaps the most famous kindness movement in the world, Japan's Small Kindness Movement had its origin in an unfortunate incident, one wintry morning in February 1963 in Tokyo. Mr Seiji Kaya, who was then the president of Tokyo University, was mugged for ticking off a commuter who had jumped queue. Saddened that other commuters did not help, he urged his student to practise small acts of kindness and create a wave that will someday spread to the Japanese society.With the support from Japanese opinion leaders, the Small Kindness Movement was born and endorsed by the Japanese Government. The movement’s slogan is "Let us show whatever kindness we can, so that kindness will be the norm in society".Today, there are more than 460,000 paid-up members and the movement's activities involve some three million people and corporations. It has given 3.4 million awards to people all over Japan for their kind deeds. In 1997, it went global when it initiated the World Kindness Movement.
Scotland: Kindness Scotland
Kindness
Scotland comprises seven dedicated people "with fabulous ideas of what we should be doing [about kindness], how we should be doing, and the undreamed of success of our ventures!"
Singapore: The Singapore Kindness Movement (www.sg/skm)
The Singapore Kindness Movement (SKM) was initiated in response to Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong's call on Singaporeans to develop into a more caring and gracious society by the new millennium. The SKM pilot project was announced in July 1996, when PM Goh launched the Singapore Courtesy Campaign.SKM was officially established on 31 January 1997. Its mission is "to inspire graciousness through spontaneous acts of kindness, making life more pleasant for everyone."Its objectives are to :
- encourage all Singaporeans to be kind and considerate. create public awareness of acts of kindness; influence and raise the standards of social behaviour and responsibility;
- promote and build membership in the Movement.
Run by a council of members from the private and public sectors, the SKM is supported by the Ministry of Information and The Arts and funded largely by a government grant of $300,000 a year. SKM has, amongst its membership 180 schools (primary, secondary, post-secondary), and 176 corporations, and 33 individuals.
South Korea: The Central Conference on Movement for Moral Life
The Moral Life Movement (MLM) was established in 1989. The society is a non-governmental organisation and comprises 3,832 member organisations with over 110,000 members.
The Movement's aims are to build a society where people trust, love, serve and are kind and courteous to one another. Its "Kindness Movement" programme encourages the practice of kindness and has approached schools to incorporate kindness and courtesy education in their curricula. MLM is a founding member of the WKM.
Thailand: Siam Cement Foundation
The Siam Cement Foundation (SCF) of Thailand promotes kindness in both the private and public sectors. Its programs are targeted at people in the education, agricultural and industrial sectors. To extend its reach, it has enlisted the collaboration and support of the Business Group for Thai Society (BGTS), Department of Public Welfare-Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, Office of the National Culture Commission-Ministry of Education, and other organisations.The SCF also involves community leaders to collaborate with the Ministry of Industry on projects related to the conservation of the environment. The Foundation reaches out to the underprivileged and organises programmes to help the young better appreciate the message of kindness. SCF is a founding member of WKM. The SCF is currently setting up a network of membership.
United States of America: Random Acts of Kindness Foundation (www.actsofkindness.org)
The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation established in California was based on writer Anne Herbert's famous words "practise random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty" which appeared in an article. In 1993, a publishing house, Conari Press decided to release a collection of stories celebrating various acts of kindness carried out by individuals throughout the country. Entitled Random Acts of Kindness, the book was a best-seller.
More importantly, it sparked great interest from the media which began featuring local kindness crusaders noticed by the public. Due to an overwhelming response, Conari Press created the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation in 1995. The movement soon took root and spread across the US via classrooms, hospitals, community clubs and businesses. Since then, each year the Random Acts of Kindness Week's celebration has nearly doubled in size with over 450 communities and thousands of schools participating in 1998. Today, millions of people are involved in this movement within and beyond the country.
FAST FACTS ON PAST WKM CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS
The Second "Small Kindness" Movement Conference
- Held on 19 September 1997 at Keidanren, Tokyo Attended by 61 participants from Australia, Canada, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, UK and the US. Participating countries agreed on the following: Establishing an informal kindness network Network to be known as the World Kindness Movement. Its main activity is information exchange using the Internet and biannual newsletter World Kindness Day proposed Network Secretariat to be located at the Small Kindness Movement Executive Office in Tokyo
- The Small Kindness Movement of Japan to host the next conference
The First Conference of the World Kindness Movement
- Held on 13 November 1998 in Tokyo. 59 participants from Japan, Australia, Canada, Thailand, Singapore, UK and US attended Decisions agreed upon: A World Kindness Day to be held on 13 November every year
- Establishment of World Kindness Movement homepage was approved
World Kindness Movement Meeting
- Held in Edmonton, Canada from 3 to 5 August 1999 Hosted by the Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) Movement, Canada Attended by representatives from Australia, Canada, Japan, Singapore, the UK and the US. Singapore was represented by Mr Isaac P S Ng
- Meeting discussed and drafted the procedural guidelines governing the WKM, focussing on issues relating to the recruitment, promotion and protection of the WKM. The biggest obstacle is sustaining the Movement is funding
Second World Kindness Conference
- Held on 5 and 6 November 1999, in Tokyo
- Hosted by SKM (Japan) and attended by delegates from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, UK and the US. Singapore was represented by Mr Francis Phun and Dr K I Sudderuddin.
- The "Kids for Kindness Cyberpals" paper was discussed and it was agreed that once schools had set up a basic infrastructure, this was the best way to connect children all over the world The meeting fine-tuned and accepted the WKM logo, its purpose and principles, membership and structure
- Also agreed upon was the venue of the third conference (Singapore), look into the appropriate symbol to mark WKM Day world-wide every year and study further the proposal to adopt the Cosmos bipinnatus as the official flower of the WKM
THE WKM LOGO
- The WKM logo symbolises the universality of kindness. The blue circle represents the world. The different coloured hearts of various sizes represent the diversity of mankind, with its many racial, cultural and religious strands woven together by the common thread of kindness.
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