Testimonials
What Participants Are Saying about Coin-spiracy 2003/2004
You hear all about the bad things that happen in Israel, iraq and Afghanistan. If you do this (the Coin-spiracy, there can be a better chance that there won't be bad things that happen." - Student, Colebrook Elementary, Surrey
"Coin-spiracy has been a wonderful program for our school to be involved in...Coin-spiracy and the UNI have been focal points. The program has gone hand in hand with our Effective Behaviour Support program's emphasis on Social Responsibility. Our school's 4 expectations do not include kindness, but Coin-spiracy has insured that kindness is our 5th expectation...Students learn to do more to take care of themselves, physically, emotionally, socially and mentally. They become more independent and then move toward being interdependent, working with others and helping them become more independent." - Dan Koenig, Watson Elementary, Chilliwack
"I would encourage others to be part of the Coin-spiracy. If every school did it, then what would happen is hardly any of the world would have cruelty to animals; the environment would be nice; there would be lots of kind things going on; lots of poor people would have blankets, clothes, toys and food...I hope the coin gets passed on all around the world forever and others learn to be kinder."
- Student, Auguston Traditional Elementary, Abbotsford
"I think one of the most important things about having a program like Coin-spiracy is that it makes it explicit. It brings out the value of kind acts that we do to a level that people understand, that they are consciously aware... Most of us do kind acts all the time, but when we realize the importance of that ripple effect and then we celebrate it, we put it in front of everybody and it enriches it...It gives people hope and inspires them to do other things..." - Principal Steve Cairns, Morley Elementary, Burnaby
"The program you are starting is such a great idea. Each time you pass that coin of kindness along you are making someone feel good or improving the environment or maybe even helping someone less fortunate than you enjoy a better life. ...I know that the generous acts of kindness that you perform in the days to come will bring a lot of happiness to your friends, your neighbours and perhaps most importantly to people you have never met. Kindness and love make the world go around and I am very proud of all of you for your efforts to make the world a better place.
- Lt. Governor Lois Hole, Alberta
"One of the things that is really important about kindness is that it can keep on repeating, building and growing...Imagine when you consider how many people have been touched by this coin that started last year - a large, large number of people. Ultimately when a movement becomes larger and larger, it has a huge effect."
- Principal Murray Stephenson, Champlain Heights Community School, Vancouver
"The Coin-spiracy program actually covers everything that you could possibly think of. You can fit anything under that umbrella and then the children can work within that sphere and see that what they are doing is creating change."
- Teacher, Roots and Wings Montessori, Surrey
"I would encourage other students to do this Coin-spiracy because it is so much fun. In the beginning I thought, "This is cool", but I never knew that I could make such a huge difference... and if more people did this it would soon get bigger and it would just be joyful for everybody to be doing kind acts for people."
- Student, Auguston Traditional Elementary, Abbotsford
"I have really noticed a difference in the kids, just the way they have a common goal to do something for someone else and it really warms my heart... These kids are genuinely giving from the heart. At Abby Middle we are focusing so hard on doing the right thing at the right time...We have the coin displayed in the hall. It is quite neat to watch the kids go by and say, "Yeah, we are a part of that." The kids just grabbed (the Coin-spiracy concept) and ran. They thought it was great."
- Teacher Kathy Shannon - Abby Middle School, Abbotsford
"What is really important for us is the whole idea of kindness to self, kindness to others and kindness to the environment - it's great. It gets the students to look beyond our own school walls, our own borders and start to look at how we can be kind to others outside of our own borders... and to know that we are part of a global project that is going on around the world is fantastic."
- Principal Dan Cavanagh, Anne Fitzgerald School, Edmonton
"The Coin-spiracy program is really relevant because each child is able to see that their individual actions make a difference, so they are part of the change... What I like about it is that it is simple. It is tangible. The children can see they have something and they can pass it on to others... It is a nice umbrella to work under as a motivation to do kind acts... It's great because it makes us part of a bigger community because we know that other schools are doing this...so it really provides this collective and it creates a whole school community because we work together, not just in our classroom but with other classrooms in the school."
- Teacher, Roots and Wings Montessori, Surrey
"We are really excited about the Coin-spiracy...Our class was doing projects on problem solving - things like what (they saw) as problems in the community and how they would go about solving those problems. Quite a few of the students afterwards, after working for hours on these plans decided to change their plan to the concept of kindness...So I find that really really phenomenal that they would spend the hours and that they would decide that this is the true inspiration. This is where the true gift is for them and this is what they decided to work on."
- Janet Chow, ESL/Technology Teacher, Morley Elementary, Burnaby
"We have noticed the children have become kinder to each other and the staff. As well, parents have told us that children have become kinder to their siblings and they have begun doing chores without being asked. Several families have started their own kind acts jars...so we are very happy with the results and, in just a few short months, we have noticed a real change in attitude on a day to day basis."
- Leisa Thomson, St. James Daycare, Vancouver
We are very proud of our students and especially impressed with how much they wanted to participate in all of the Coin-spiracy activities. Our students' willingness to help out, and enthusiasm for these activities just goes to show how much humans "ache" to help one another."
- Kathy Fladager, Upper Sumas Elementary, Abbotsford
"The difference the Coin-spiracy has made at Mount. Slesse is that it has promoted thinking beyond our walls, ourselves, and beyond our school, into the community and even further beyond... That's been part of our school goal with social responsibility - to develop that conscious awareness and to bring that out in the community in good works, kind acts... I would absolutely recommend the program to (other schools). This has been a phenomenal project for us to be involved in and I can only believe it would be the same for anyone who undertook it. We started out with this little coin and our ideas were small, and it just grew and grew. As a matter of fact, we have passed on our coin and it has not ended there.... The whole kind acts experience has been contagious and the students want to continue on and so they are now starting another community project...We started this project to help make change for those less fortunate and the interesting part, the twist in the whole story, is that I think it has changed us, maybe more than it will change them..."
- Leslie Waddington, Mount Slesse School, Chilliwack
"The Coin-spiracy program, particularly that wonderful gold coin is a focus for the children. They think it is pretty special. Last year when we gave it to the Governor General, it was a really big deal for them...If they can actually trace it and see tangible results, it can give them feedback that is actually quite difficult to give them in other ways. Even though being kind brings its own reward, I think this is one more way to help them see that the coin can give them a sense of purpose and accomplishment... I think it is projects such as the Coin-spiracy project that help people to realize good really can prevail over all the challenges that are in the world.
- Principal Kristin Cassie, Roots and Wings Montessori, Surrey
"This program taught us very valuable lessons. It showed us how one act of kindness goes a long way and how being kind to others is a gift that makes everyone feel much better. It feels really nice to make the world kinder. We encourage everyone to participate in this program. We had a lot of fun and it made us aware of how important it is for each of us to help make the world a better place."
- Student, Champlain Heights Community School, Vancouver
"...It is a gentle reminder that we each have the ability to make this world a better place and that we each have the power to make a difference... I think we sometimes forget that because we get overwhelmed with everything that is going on in our life and in the world around us...By just taking a chance to do something for somebody else or for the environment, you realize just how simple it is and if everyone would start thinking that way, this world would be such a nice place to live in."
- Joy Fai, 30th Seymour Beaver Colony, North Vancouver
"If you join the Coin-spiracy, you are one of the most helpful, important people in the world." - Student, Terry Fox Elementary, Abbotsford
"The students of Glenview Elementary participated whole-heartedly in the many events they planned for our Acts of Kindness. The senior students developed leadership skills through their ability to organize and support the main activities such as the card making and cake-walk. I was heartened by the level of understanding that acting in a kind way can impact others and self. This concept was used in learning situations for the students to offer students positive options to 'bullying' or other negative behaviors."
- Patricia Toma, Glenview Elementary, Prince George
"The KindActs initiative really captures the imagination of both adults and young people because schools can choose their project, it involves everyone and is action oriented. In my view, empathy is one of the most important values to teach, even to toddlers. School Districts can spend thousands of dollars on anti-violence or anti-bullying programs and provide days of in-service to teachers at considerable cost. However, the Coin-spiracy teaches social responsibility through developing empathic behavior and addresses all the issues related to bullying, at a minimum cost. The benefits far outweigh the costs of joining KindActs. I think it is a fantastic program."
- Principal Donna Miller, WestShore Centre for Learning and Training, Victoria
"As the teacher sponsor of the Leadership Committee, it has been a pleasure to see the enthusiasm with which the committee and students of our school took on the challenge to do three kind acts. We are a small school with a great deal of heart. Thank you to CANFOR for the opportunity and to the Kind Acts coordinators for their support throughout the year."
- Denise Davidson, Nak'albun Elementary School, Fort St. James
"I would encourage all schools to join the Coin-spiracy... The kids are finding themselves as leaders. It is really coming across as, "Wow, we are doing all these things and all these little ones are looking up at us as these wonderful people", and it makes them feel wonderful. It is a very good experience for them. They feel important. They feel they are making a difference."
- Jana Cohoe, Clearbrook Elementary, Abbotsford
"The Coinspiracy Project has been a wonderful experience for all of the staff and students of our school. It has been a very rewarding experience and the students have learned a lot, especially as our school motto is Take care of yourself, Take care of others, and Take care of this place. "
- Jennifer Perry, Tillicum Elementary, Vancouver
"The Coin-spiracy project has been a very positive experience for the school. There can never be enough kindness in the world. Though kindness is promoted within the school, the Coin-spiracy gave us an opportunity to spread kindness beyond the school into the community, to the environment, and to the world."
- Rory Luxmoore & Sarah Newton, David Hoy Elementary, Fort St James
"The Coin-spiracy Project was an excellent project for our students to participate in this year, and we hope to enroll again next year! Not only did it tie in with our school's social responsibility goals, but it also raised an awareness in the children of how important it is to be kind to ourselves, others, and the environment. All of our students at Jackson have contributed to the "Coin-spiracy" and we are very proud of their efforts!
- Shawna Rosvold & The Jackson Elementary Staff, Abbotsford
"If you feel like the world is turning into somewhere where you can't really trust someone, you should do this because at the end of the day, it makes you feel like you helped people in the world."
- Student, Colebrook Elementary, Surrey
"The Coin-spiracy is helping the world be a better place to live in."
- Student, Watson Elementary, Chilliwack
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