Random Acts of Kindness.  All assignments should be written in APA format meaning they should contain a title page and a reference page, be double-spaced, written in essay format (organized by paragraphs)

Random Acts of Kindness

Prompt 7 – Random Acts of Kindness.  All assignments should be written in APA format meaning they should contain a title page and a reference page, be double-spaced, written in essay format (organized by paragraphs), using only Times New Roman font, size 12, and contain citations from your text book and any other sources you use. You must make connections between your assignment prompt and our text book. Please do this by including a citation/s, as well as referencing the text book on the reference page.

For example, if you select the prompt “Prejudices and Discrimination”, you should read through chapter 12 of your text book, find useful or related information that you would like to contribute to your assignment, and then include a citation for the text book at the end of the sentence.

Random Acts of Kindness

The word document templates within each prompt have citation examples, as well as what your reference page should look like. Make sure you are meeting all of these requirements by checking the rubric in the top right corner (the 3 dots). This is what will be used to grade your assignment. Upload your assignment as a word document. If you do not have Microsoft Word, you can use Google Docs which is free, then download your paper to your computer, and attach it to this assignment. We hear a lot about random acts of violence. We are more likely to pay attention to the negative unexpected events that happen than the mildly pleasant events that occur.

Random Acts of Kindness

We notice that things go wrong and don’t consider the number of times when things go according to plan. Consequently, we are likely to overestimate how often bad things occur. In this project, you will commit three RANDOM acts of kindness. You will do something kind for someone else that requires you to go somewhat out of your way to do. They do not have to be around for someone to witness your act or to acknowledge what you have done. Some examples are in the table below, but you can create your own.

Remember that these should be completely random! Treating your significant other to a movie date, or buying coffee for a friend are not random acts of kindness because you are cherry-picking who reaps the benefits (someone closely tied to you) which will positively impact you (not selfless).

Random Acts of Kindness

Random Acts of Kindness Paying for the person behind you in the drive-thru. Give a stranger a compliment (that isn’t appearance-based). Send cards to children in the hospital: http://www.cardsforhospitalizedkids.com/ Give out “You Matter” cards randomly to strangers: https://youmattermarathon.com/ Leave quarters at the laundromat. Write letters to strangers who need them: http://www.moreloveletters.com/ Send cards to the elderly: https://lovefortheelderly.org/ Display a motivational quote in your home window or car window for everyone to see. Ask the person ringing you up at the store how they are doing today. Genuinely listen to what they say and respond compassionately. https://youtu.be/FBhYAQEVEZE

Random Acts of Kindness

Tell a service worker that you appreciate them. Put together a care package of food or toiletries that you can give to a homeless person. Leave a big tip (if you can) Help make audio books available to anyone who wants them: https://librivox.org/ Lend your eyes to solve tasks big and small to help blind and low-vision people lead more independent lives through this easy-to-use app: https://www.bemyeyes.com/ Go through your belongings and gather things you believe other people are in need of more than you (not belongings you just don’t want anymore) and donate to local agencies.

If you need a list of places to donate, let me know. For your assignment, please answer the following questions after completing 3 random acts of kindness: Paragraph 1: What were your three random acts of kindness?

Random Acts of Kindness

Describe what you did, how you did it, and who benefited from it in as much detail as you can. Why did you pick these three random acts of kindness? Paragraph 2: How did you feel about committing this act? How did you feel prior and how did you feel afterwards? Please go into great detail about how you felt during this process and be honest. Did anyone react to your random acts of kindness? If so, who? What sort of reaction did they have? Paragraph 3: Have you ever witnessed a random act of kindness (as just an observer, not the receiver or the giver)?

Random Acts of Kindness

How did witnessing this random act of kindness make you feel? Have you ever been the receiver of a random act of kindness? If so, how did it make you feel? Paragraph 4: Do you believe there is a stronger norm of kindness to others or a stronger norm of putting ourselves first? What are you basing your opinion on? Explain. Do you notice more acts of kindness after doing this project or fewer? Do you plan to continue committing random acts of kindness or not? Explain your reasoning. What did you learn from this assignment?

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