Striking CBD kindness

IF you thought teenagers were selfish and narcissistic, this might change your mind.
Year 9 students at Beaconhills College are bringing a ray of joy to strangers around Melbourne’s CBD by performing ‘random acts of kindness’.
The program involves students handing out simple gifts, flowers or even poems to a stranger to spread some joy and positivity.
It also encourages students to think of others.
Anne Field was approached by students Alex, Josh, Tyrell, Tyler and Chase in the Bourke Street mall recently and handed a chocolate and poem. She was so thrilled that she wrote to thank the school.
“I am a grandmother who rarely goes into the city, but was there on Friday simply listening to the street music and ‘watching the world go by’ when I was approached by your boys,” she said.
“They were extremely courteous and asked if I would be willing to accept a random act of kindness from them.” They handed her a chocolate and a short poem.
“They were responsible for ‘making my day’,” she said, adding that everyone “could do with a little more kindness”.
Beaconhills’ head of Year 9 at the Pakenham Campus, Graham Broderick, said the scheme started five years ago when a student, on one of the school’s regular ‘City Experience’ excursions, bought a bunch of flowers at the Vic Market and gave them to a man on a park bench, who was delighted.
“People are sometimes scared of teenagers and don’t know how to respond to them,” Mr Broderick said. “But we know they have big hearts and we want to encourage them to think about others.”
He said other kindness gifts had included blankets or dog food. One year a student made toffee apples and gave those away.
At the school’s Berwick Campus, head of Year 9 Warren McLeod said students would give out flowers, chocolates and ‘happy messages’ and would also do good deeds like help people carry shopping.
‘Citizenship and service’ is one of the pillars of learning at Beaconhills College.
Also, students just raised nearly $ 7000 for the Salvation Army during their annual tin-shake on Melbourne’s streets.
Year 9 students will be back on Melbourne’s streets doing their ‘random acts of kindness’ on Tuesday 12 July.