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Acts of kindness

When was the last time you did something nice for someone just to make them smile? Find out what young Canadians have done to make others happy.

Canadians are known for being polite. While being polite doesn't always mean a lot, being kind to

others generally requires much greater effort and really shows who you are as a person. In a national

survey, most Canadians who were asked thought that kind people should be appreciated more for

their actions. That's why a soft drink company decided to start a campaign to honour people who

make others happy by showing kindness in their own communities. The goal is to share their stories

to help inspire¹ others to give a little kindness, too.

"When it comes to kindness, seeing really is believing," says Carolyn Harty, a manager of the soft

drink company. "According to a study, more than half of Canadians feel encouraged to be kind as

well when they watch others making a kind gesture² " The soft drink producer searched the country

looking for stories about Canadians who are on a serious mission to make the world a happier place.

Of the many fantastic people out there, here are just three of the young Canadians who are making a

difference:

Sixteen-year-old Sheliza Kassam, from Calgary, decided on her thirteenth birthday that

instead of gifts, she and her family would help feed families in need. This kind gesture

developed into a charity organisation that Sheliza now runs to throw birthday parties for

children living in shelters³ who otherwise would not be able to celebrate their special day.

Teenager Nathan Unrau from Winnipeg started out with a one-time school charity

project that just couldn't stop. With the support of his parents, Lunches with Love has

become a charity organisation that makes and donates 450 paper bag lunches to

Winnipeg's shelters for homeless people every other Saturday.

Twenty-two-year-old Luke Watters from Halifax knew just how much dancing helps to

have a positive lifestyle. He now helps out with a special organisation called Concrete

Roots that helps teens to spend less time on the streets and encourages them to be good

at something they love, making them believe in themselves again.

Even more acts of kindness can be seen on YouTube: The 'Open Happiness Project' helped 22 young

Canadian filmmakers to inspire more kindness and happiness in the world through their art. The aim

of the project is to present these young adult filmmakers' work as they grow in their careers.

"We're very impressed by the actions of these teens and the stories that these filmmakers have created

and chosen to tell. They inspire us all to think about how we can look at the world a little differently,"

says Harty. "This summer, with the help of our project, we want every Canadian to experience how

a little bit of kindness can make others happy."

¹to inspire – to do sth. so well that you become a role model for others

²kind gesture – sth. that you do or say in order to be nice

³shelter – here: a building, usually managed by a charity, where people who have no home can stay

Tick the correct box and give one piece of evidence by writing down short passages from the text.
Do not write line numbers.

Compared to being polite, being kind needs a lot more …