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ILLUSTRATION BY RACHEL WADA
WE DON’T ALWAYS GET TO DECIDE what happens, but we can always decide how we respond to it.
That was the logic behind the Kids for Kindness school program, developed in 1994 by Edmonton teacher Colleen Ring.
Inspiration for the program struck after a local tragedy: Barb Danelesko, a well-known presence in the community, was murdered in her home just a couple of blocks away from where Ring was teaching. Many of Ring’s students knew Danelesko, and her death left them reeling. The Kids for Kindness program, in which students were given kindness-inspired assignments and recognized for being kind to their peers, was a welcome offset to the grief that hung heavily in the halls of the school.
Shortly after this, Ring heard of something similar, called Random Acts of Kindness Week, taking root in the United States. She and her sister, Debbie Riopel, who was also a teacher, helped to establish Random Acts of Kindness Week in Edmonton. It eventually spread throughout Alberta and Canada.
The sisters’ work with Random Acts of Kindness led to other opportunities, such as in 1996, when Ring was invited to Tokyo to attend a conference put on by the Small Kindness Movement of Japan. When the World Kindness Movement began, they were founding members.
“It was always very surreal to us,” Ring recalls. “[We were] two classroom teachers from Alberta, attending gatherings and sitting at tables with some high-
profile individuals, collaborating on the creation of global kindness networks.”
Ring retired from teaching in 2011 but remains involved in social justice initiatives, including the annual Season of Nonviolence, which takes place from January 30 to April 4 and focuses on creating a culture of peace and nonviolence.
Why the focus on kindness and peace? Ring’s explanation is simple.
“It is time for all of us to recognize the role that we can play in creating a world in which basic human rights for all is the norm, and the beauty of human diversity is embraced and celebrated,” she said. “The ultimate lesson which I hoped my students would take away is that they have a voice and that they can make a difference.”
Colleen Ring
AWARDS
Hilroy Fellowship in recognition of the creation of the Kids for Kindness Program
Global Television Women of Vision 1999 (along with her sister Debbie Riopel)
Got an idea? Unsung Hero is a space dedicated to honouring ATA members past and present who have had notable achievements, either within the ATA or in their private lives.
If you know of a member who you feel
should be recognized, please contact section editor Lindsay Yakimyshyn at lindsay.yakimyshyn@ata.ab.ca.
