Channel Kindness is a collection of must-read inspirational stories from young people, with notes of empowerment by Lady Gaga. Meet Hana, Abbey, Rose, and Sanah, four young changemakers who are working to make our world a braver and kinder place. Q1. What advice can you give to someone who's having trouble finding kindness in the world right now? For anybody that’s having trouble finding kindness in the world right now, I would suggest actively seeking it out. That might mean calling the friend that you’ve been meaning to catch up with for a while, following inspirational accounts on social media, or reading your favorite book. Perhaps, it means giving yourself some much needed space away from screens or taking time to make a list of all the good things in the world. I think most of all, it is easiest to see kindness in the world when we are actively practicing it. Being kind, to others and ourselves, feels good. In fact, I think that when we are kind and patient with ourselves, it becomes much easier to find that kindness in the world. Q2. A major theme of the Channel Kindness book is that kindness is transformative and can facilitate real change. What does this message mean to you and how do you apply it in your daily life? To me, kindness isn’t a theoretical, happy-go-lucky attitude that is removed from the real world. Rather, I believe kindness, at its core, is believing in a common thread of humanity. It’s about understanding that there is such thing as the human experience, and it’s that human experience that connects us to strangers, to neighbors, to people that we don’t know. If we are able to see the humanity in the people most different than us, then we are able to see their struggles. I think kindness offers a really crucial vision for systemic change because it assumes everybody’s humanity and encourages us to look beyond our own experiences. In other words, I think kind people dismantle oppressive systems. Q3. What do you hope readers take away from your story? And what do you hope to accomplish next? I hope that my stories remind people that we all have the capacity to positively impact those around us. In whatever way we can, with whatever resources we have available, there is always power in our actions. Personally, my stories taught me that kindness is an instinct. I think we often try to unlearn our kind instincts, but I hope my stories remind people of the value kindness brings to our own lives and the lives of others. As I finish up school, I hope that I can build a career rooted in kindness. For me, what’s next is finding work that feels meaningful to me, either in public policy or public interest law. I’m passionate about amplifying voices that are often silenced, particularly in the spaces of education policy, immigration work, and/or criminal justice reform. All in all, I want to work on reimagining our world to be kinder, braver, and more empathetic. Q1: Your story deals with online bullying. How can we all be kinder online and create more positive, affirming, and accepting online spaces? Since quarantine, the use of online spaces has tremendously increased. We can all use a reminder to be kinder online while creating safe-spaces to create positive communities to create and promote acceptance. We can all do our part by showing our support for movements such as Black Lives Matter and constantly reminding our following online that our platforms have no room for hate. To keep up our morale and promote kindness, we can leave positive comments, post ways to get involved in our community, and join in on opportunities such as Born This Way Foundation’s yearly #BeKind21 pledge. Q2: You started your nonprofit at a young age - what advice would you give to other youth who want to make a difference but don’t know where to start?  When I started my organization at the age of 16, I wasn’t expecting it to reach the capacity it has today. I believe that all young people can make a difference in their communities, big or small. Even if you're stuck on where to start, there are other young people who want the same change you do. Begin with a problem you want solved and work towards a solution. Voice these problems to your community- residents, government personnel, students, etc. and go from there. Hold a community forum, an event, or video conference call to discuss these issues and find solutions that community members can get behind and support. There are more people than you think that want the same change you do, so don’t be afraid to find your voice and start a revolution in your community. Q3: What do you hope readers take away from your story? And what do you hope to accomplish next? I want readers to take away from my story that anything is possible and to never give up. It’s very cliche, but I was so close to giving up until I found my voice in speaking out against bullying and promoting kindness. Starting the Kind Mind Collective quite literally saved my life & I hope others can find something they’re passionate about that can help them the same way that it has helped me. In the future, I hope to continue the Kind Mind Collective and continue spreading kindness across the globe. Q1: Your story deals with losing a loved one. What words of encouragement would you give to someone who is having trouble coping with their grief right now? Let yourself process the emotions. Don’t suppress and remember that healing isn’t linear. Keep a journal of your most precious memories with your loved one, so whenever you’re missing the person a little bit more, you can look through it. Remember that the person will always be alive in your heart. Q2: How do you practice self-kindness and taking care of your mental health? When I’m not able to work at a 100% level, I remind myself that “doing my best” means taking into account what my emotional capacity could handle. Often we push ourselves to always produce the best work, but we have to recognize that we can’t always be at 100%. We have to recharge and take care of ourselves. It’s definitely easier said than done but constant self reminders do wonders. Q3: What do you hope readers take away from your story? And what do you hope to accomplish next? Reflecting back at my story, it is truly so refreshing and a bit affirming how much I’ve changed from my 17-year-old self. My biggest hope for readers is to understand that how one self-care and attends to their mental health is ever-changing! I still grieve, but every day I work towards affirming myself and sustaining my strength to continue my journey of life. I hope to discover and sustain self-love! Q1: In your story, you recount being bullied - how do you fight through negativity and practice self-love? The bullying was endless. From finding gum in my wig to a note in my locker titled “50 Ways to Go Kill Yourself,” I thought it would never end. There was even an online page made to guess all the reasons I was wearing a wig. I felt completely heartbroken. However, I realized something: People said mean things to me, but the things I said to myself were much worse. I was unknowingly engaging in a behavior called “self-bullying” telling myself things like, “I am not good enough and I will never make it through.” I realized that I needed to break the cycle of negativity by being kinder to myself. Every day, I would look in the mirror and say something kind to myself. I combatted every negative thing that was said to me with ten positive comments about myself. Eventually, the positive comments started to stick. They were no longer things I had to force myself to say. I genuinely loved and believed in myself and that was an amazing feeling. Q2: Your story is all about loving yourself. What would you say to someone who's having trouble being kind to themselves? It’s important to realize that self-love is a practice. It is not something that comes easy or happens overnight. When we think of building physical strength, we think about working out and building muscle. Mental strength is the same way! Practice being kind to yourself, even when you’re having trouble. Often, those are the moments that you need it the most. I would also remember that self-love is not linear. Some days, going without my wig is easy. I feel strong and confident and beautiful. Some days, however, I feel like I am back in the seventh grade. It’s okay if not every day is perfect. Self-love does not mean being perfect. Self-love means loving yourself and giving yourself grace, even through the imperfections. Q3: A major theme of the Channel Kindness book is that kindness is transformative and can facilitate real change. What does this message mean to you and how do you apply it in your daily life? When you are kind to yourself, being kind to others will come naturally. Self-kindness and self-compassion were transformative for me. Once I started being kinder to myself, I saw real and transformative changes in my life. Everyday, it became a little bit easier to get out of bed and tackle the day. I suddenly had more energy and felt like I had more to offer the world. Once I was kind to myself, spreading kindness to others felt easy. I truly believe that you can only make peace in the world once you have made peace with who you are. Yes- kindness is transformative and can facilitate real change—but that change starts from within. Learn more about the youth reporters from Channel Kindness here and here. opens in a new window

Channel Kindness by Born This Way Foundation Reporters with Lady Gaga

Within these pages, you’ll meet young changemakers who found their inner strength, who prevailed in the face of bullies, who started their own social movements, who decided to break through the mental health stigma and share how they felt, who created safe spaces for LGBTQ+ youth, and who have embraced kindness with every fiber of their being by helping others without the expectation of anything in return. Individually and collectively, these stories prove that kindness not only saves lives but builds community. Kindness is inclusion, it is pride, it is empathy, it is compassion, it is self-respect and it is the guiding light to love. Kindness is always transformational, and its never-ending ripples result in even more kind acts that can change our lives, our communities, and our world. Channel Kindness is in stores now. Get your copy today!