Kindness Counts

Over the last two and a half years, we have supported local generosity network, Good for Nothing (GFN) – our way of helping our local communities. With another cracking GFN event scheduled for May in our Alfred Street Café in Bath, we caught up with the Bath Chapter to find out what they have planned, and how customers can get involved.

Good for Nothing is a global movement of ‘good eggs’ who gift their time to good causes. Using their skills, passion and enthusiasm, members of the GFN community come together at lively and fun-filled events – specially curated by the GFN team – to support local, social or eco-friendly projects with whatever it is such projects need help with.

“It’s simple – we do good for nothing. We believe that by gifting our time and skills, we can accelerate the impact of local changemakers. And so far…that is exactly what’s been happening in Bath!” (Bex – GFN Bath)

Since launching in partnership with GFN in Summer 2017, our Alfred Street Café has hosted an array of events, some of which have brought together over a hundred local people. On Thursday 9th May, our cafe will be full once again – this time in support of local charity, Mentoring Plus.

“We are so excited to be back at Alfred Street with Mentoring Plus and helping this wonderful charity create a very special event for vulnerable young people in Bath. The vision for this event has come directly from our GFN events with Mentoring Plus, and the creativity of the GFN community.” (John – GFN Bath)

Mentoring Plus has provided mentoring services to young people for 21 years and came to GFN Bath in 2018, to ask for help with transforming their Young People’s Manifesto into a reality.

“Our youth reps have called for a kinder education system as part of the young people’s manifesto, with flexibility, compassion and resource given to young people facing significant challenges.” (Ruth Kieley – Mentoring Plus)

The GFN mission, which the community chose to accept, is to help engage Bath residents with the manifesto.

“At our first event with Mentoring Plus, it became clear that the element that connected all parts of the manifesto was kindness. Without kindness in our community young people facing challenges in their lives will never receive the support they need. So at our Gig Night, we decided we needed to celebrate kindness, and this is where the vision for the ‘Kindness Counts’ event came from.” (Jess – GFN Bath)

‘Kindness Counts’ will be a year-long multi-arts project led by the young people of Mentoring Plus. It will celebrate how much kindness counts for us all – especially when we are struggling and give everyone the opportunity to appreciate those whose acts of kindness have really counted.
The project will include a community event, collective art installations and digital publications curated by young people through the written word cum visual arts. It will also provide a platform for young people to share their individual experiences of kindness in education and beyond, as well as their thoughts about being kind to themselves.

It is the community event that the GFN network are now focusing their efforts, and Bath residents are invited to help with at their next Gig Night on Thursday 9th May 6pm-9pm in our Alfred Street cafe.
So if you fancy doing good in your hood, meeting some good eggs, and getting involved with an inspiring and unique event to help young people in Bath, then head to the GFN website or Eventbrite to sign up and get involved.

Thank You!