The Kindness Pandemic collaborates with Playgroup Australia

Freya Lucas

Mar 30, 2020

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The Kindness Pandemic, a social media initiative designed to share acts of kindness for people impacted by COVID-19 around the world, has joined forces with Playgroup Australia to link ageing communities with younger generations in their families or the community, through messages, reminding both young and old that they are loved.

Having gained over 500,000 members from around the world since it began on 14 March, The Kindness Pandemic encourages those who join the movement to share acts of kindness by themselves, others or local organisations in their community.

In the past week, the group has campaigned to promote “random acts of kindness” for supermarket staff, and another online movement that focuses on bestowing kindness to health care workers.

Their new campaign, Love Stories, is today being launched in collaboration with Playgroup Australia and State and Territory Playgroup Organisations. Members of The Kindness Pandemic will be encouraged to share their Love Stories using the hashtag #TheKindnessPandemic, to raise awareness around the value of intergenerational connections between young and old.

The messages received will be collated and distributed electronically to potential grandfriends - who are encouraged to respond to further foster relationships.

The campaign aims to help reduce the anxiety and loneliness that older people within the community are prone to, especially in the current climate where they are at heightened health risk, as well as greater impacts from isolation due to COVID-19.

Campaign organiser Dr Catherine Barrett hopes that the positive impact of sharing the love letters will inspire the whole community, allowing them to benefit from intergenerational connection, bringing about a better understanding about ageing.

“Ageism is so embedded in many cultures that we don’t even see it. Some of the discourses around the impacts of Coronavirus on older people have been ageist and this has contributed to the fears of older people. Acts of kindness won’t make Coronavirus go away; but they may change our experience of it,” Dr Barrett said.

For information about The Kindness Pandemic, please see here. Information about Playgroup Australia is available on their website, here.

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