About Kindness Kids

KINDNESS KIDS is a project sponsored by HSI India for the academic year 2015-16.

The aim of the program is to teach children about the importance of kindness to animals and the link between their food and the environment. The focus is on animal suffering, how a vegetarian diet improves human health and well-being, and the links between food choices and environmental impact.

INTRODUCTION

Man depends on animals for various purposes. Right from the morning cup of coffee to milk at night we use various animal based products. But are we treating those animals in a humane way? Every year thousands of animals are breed and tortured for milk and killed for meat. Animal farming today has become a big business and most animals are treated as profit-making machines, not as living-beings capable of feeling pain and fear. To maximize profits and reduce costs chickens, pigs and cows are packed in crowded conditions, which make it impossible for them to even stretch their wings or legs. They are deprived of normal environment, food and feed. But most of us are unaware of these appalling conditions, given the fact that we a smiling cow on our milk sachets or a winking, happy looking hen on our egg cases. Nor do we realize the staggering effects that animal-based diets and intensive animal farming have on the environment – water scarcity, water pollution, deforestation, desertification and global warming, to name a few.

OBJECTIVES

• To educate the students about Human-Animal relationships.
• Their links between food production and environment.
• To reduce animal suffering.
• To highlight the benefits of vegetarianism.

TARGET AUDIENCE

School Students from classes VI – VIII

LOCATIONS FOR 2015-16

• Chennai
• Vijayawada
• Bangalore
• Nilgiris District
• Bhubaneshwar

BENEFITS

Learn a lifelong message of Kindness and compassion towards animals and fellow beings.

• Change in traditions, habits etc.
• Gain support for vegetarianism

TEAM MEMBERS

• Prashanth Krishna      –    Chief Executive Officer, C.P Ramaswami Aiyar Foundation
• N Sudha                       –   Scientific Officer, Chennai
• K Venkataratnam         –    Project Officer, Vijayawada
• Ravi Shankar           –    Project Officer, Bangalore
• Kumaravelu           –     Project Officer, Niligiris District
• Pradeepta Nayak        –      Project Officer, Bhubaneshwar & Cuttack

STRATEGIES

Kindness Kids program is planned in three phases.

Phase I- Planning & Preperation

Phase II- Orientation for teachers and students

Phase III- Organization of competitions and giving away prizes

PHASE 1 – PLANNING

During the planning phase, brain storming sessions are held to devise strategies for the project and the preparation of the resource materials, including Power Point presentations, activities for children and publications that imbibe the message of kindness and compassion to kids. To test the concept and to know the mindset of the students on the theme, CPRAF & CPREEC did Field testing for the programme.

On that note, The KINDNESS KIDS programme team members conducted school orientation programmes in Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Mysore, Tirupathi, Bhubaneshwar and Niligiris District between 2012-15. They distributed resource materials that would help them to create awareness at the student community level.

MEDIA OF INSTRUCTION

• English
• Telugu
• Tamil
• Kannada
• Oriya

RESOURCE MATERIALS FOR THE PROJECT

• Pamphlet – Eating up the world
• Pledge Cards
• Badges (For students who sign the pledge card)
• Wallpapers
• Activity sheets containing 15 activities
• Chart Paper
• Stationery – Pencil, eraser, sharpener and crayons.

FOR EDUCATION OFFICERS

CDs on Animals in distress

FOR FREE DISTRIBUTION TO TEACHERS  

CD containing …

• Pamphlet – Eating up the world
• Animals in distress
• Wallpaper
• How to become a Veg Champ/Kindness  Champ
• Pledge Cards

FOR FREE DISTRIBUTION TO STUDENTS

• Pamphlet on “EATING UP THE WORLD”
• Pledge Card
• Chart Paper
• Stationery – Pencil, eraser, sharpener and crayons.

KINDNESS KIDS ORIENTATION PROGRAMME FOR STUDENTS FOR 2015-16

The programme gains a great response from the students and teachers of  many schools in Chennai, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Bhubaneshwar, Bangalore and Niligiris District. The Power Point presentation “Animals in Distress” is screened. Students enthusiastically listen to it and are very interactive.

They are shown a video on farm animal production in India. They are given a chart paper with stationery items and are asked to indicate in their drawing a strong message of kindness towards animals. The first three drawings per school are selected and prizes are given in the month of February/March. The students are named as VEG CHAMP.

The students are given a set of 15 activities of which a minimum of 10 activities have to be carried out in order to win the KINDNESS CHAMP  AWARD.

BEST SCHOOL and BEST TEACHER AWARDS are given to the school and teacher who participate actively in carrying out the program.