Bridging the Gap
An Initiative to Involve our University Students in Projects Along With our Younger Volunteers to Spread Kindness in the Community
Bridging the Gap is the unique idea of Little Helpers on the Run designed specifically for university students to bridge the gap between several existing gaps and discrepancies in the community.
This project is an initiative to bring together different cultural and socioeconomic groups, improve intergenerational gaps, bridge the gaps in the world, and the gaps between where we are and where we intend to be.
Through this program, we aim to implement 5 ways to wellbeing through: Connecting different groups in the community; implementing many programs to Keep Active; encouraging our children and youth to Keep Learning through involving students in several educational programs for different targeted groups; Making them Aware of their surroundings and involving our younger generations in identifying the gaps in the community and involve them in Helping Others.
Through this initiative we not only aim to connect individuals of different age groups but also improve the psychological and emotional wellbeing of all participants, clients and overall community’s well-being and mental health.
Kindness Rock Painting Activity
A continuing kindness activity.
Kids decorate a rock and write motivational messages. Then, they can hand these out to someone in need of love and care, to someone to show respect, or as a surprise outside their neighbours’ door. The receiver may choose to keep the gift or to continue the kindness activity by passing on the rock to someone else they know who is in need of love and care.
Elderly Support Program
Students visit the elderly in the community, contact them virtually and visit nursing homes on a one-on-one basis to run various projects that spread smiles, love and kindness. This project not only encourages our youth to support the elderly; it also encourages them to spend quality time with them and develop strong bonds of friendship and learning.
Close the gap
We aim to connect the most vulnerable in our society – our youth and the elderly –through simple acts of kindness. You can regularly connect to your local nursing homes via Zoom video calls on a weekly or monthly basis and do many different kindness activities for residents.
Fresh Ideas
We welcome and always encourage our volunteers to come up with new ideas to spread kindness in the community. Fresh ideas, is a mentoring program to guide our youth and children in planning and launching a charitable project of their own. We provide support to our volunteers as they research a cause that they are passionate about, plan and execute fundraising and provide a hands on experience in social responsibility. The volunteers are solely responsible for the cause, the money raised and the deployment of the funds – creating valuable learning opportunities in being active compassionate citizens.
Inspire
Get Inspired and Inspire Others by your extraordinary passion and love to spread kindness in the community!
At Little Helpers our creative thinkers always explore new and innovative ways to connect to each other and spread kindness.
Inspire is a program where we invite people from all over the world to participate in kindness. No matter where you are or who you are, you can help us to spread kindness. You can make artwork anywhere, and send us the artwork or share a photo or video via social media. We will then share it with our elderly at nursing homes or with other community helpers like police, doctors, nurses, paramedics, firefighters, dignitaries etc. Within Sydney, artwork or cards can be dropped at collection boxes located at designated places. For further information on this program contact us here.
Kindness Card Making/Letter Writing Projects
You can make a difference!
We run numerous kindness projects which support individuals and groups in our wider community. These include projects for:
- patients in hospitals
- our neighbours
- people who require ongoing mental health support
- homeless people
- the elderly living in our community
We run projects where students write kindness letters or make cards for kids in hospitals, cancer patients, elderly neighbours and anyone else who is in need of love and care.
We invite you to refer to our following list to decide which projects you would like to be involved in:
Cards for hospital patients, Children’s Hospital or Paediatric units and Mental Health Units, patients who require ongoing mental health support, homeless people, elderly living alone in the community, our neighbours - You can select the dates
Cards for nursing homes and homeless people on celebration days – You can choose celebrations and submit cards according to it's due dates
International Day of Happiness - Activity submission date 20 March
National Doctors Day - Tentative Date of activity submission 28 February
NSW Seniors Week - Tentative Date of activity submission 1 April
National Nurses Day - Tentative date of activity submission 15 March
National Midwives Day - Tentative date of activity submission 15 March
Little Helpers Neighbours Week - 1-7 of July
National Police Remembrance Day - 29 September - Activity submission date 20 August
Mental Health Month - October
National Teachers Day - Activity submission date 20 September
National Grandparents Day - Activity-25 October - Activity submission date 1 October
National First Responders Day - 28 October - Activity Submission date 29 September
End of year Community Helpers cards - 15 November
Connect With Elderly
Regular phone calls to the elderly, to increase their mental health and wellbeing.
'Adopt' a Grandparent
You can 'adopt' an elderly at a nursing home and do regular kindness activities with them.
Students are encouraged to make some neighbourhood support groups or on an individual basis, to do any random act of kindness with their neighbours, specifically with elderly neighbours or residents at the local Nursing Home and to get involved in other kindness activities to support their neighbours.
Neighbourhood Support Groups for Neighbours in Need
Therapeutic Art Club
Help us to run virtual or face to face therapeutic art clubs for elderly at nursing homes or people who are living in community and are in need of social support.
We encourage all participants to donate their artwork to someone in need of care and support.
Help us to run virtual art lessons/clubs for children in low socioeconomic schools, both locally and overseas. All participating kids are encouraged to donate their art work to someone in need of love and care. These sessions are aimed to provide an opportunity to kids to do art under supervision and improve their skills and creativity while giving back to the community!
Virtual Art Clubs
During lockdown, we provide kids a creative outlet and something fun to do at home!
Story Time
Story time for seniors brings everyone together, young and old alike. Reading storybooks by our young generation to the elderly creates opportunities for bonding, warmth and love. For the elderly who loved to read all their lives, listening to someone read to them brings great comfort and joy. This program is delivered both face to face and virtually.
'Adopt' a Mother on Mother’s Day
It is a support program engaging our elderly or any woman in need. Bring joy to a special woman this Mother’s Day. It can be young or old. It could be your grandmother, an elderly lady in your neighbourhood – anyone in need of love and care or anyone who is less fortunate than you. Take part in this project, send us a picture of yourself with your 'adopted' mother and encourage others to also make a difference in someone’s life.
“What Wisdom can you Find That is Greater Than Kindness?” – Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Learn more about what we do
Be a Little Helpers Blogger/Writer
Take a few minutes to share the story of Little Helpers and why you think others should support our cause.
You can write articles, blog posts, help us in creating our newsletters and many more.
Kindness via Social Media
If you are an expert in social media. Support our children to promote kindness via social media videos and posts.
You can also create interesting videos to entertain elderly at nursing homes and to promote kindness.
It all starts with Great idea and teamwork. – Garrett Camp
Pay-it-Forward Chain
You are invited to start a pay-it-forward chain with Little Helpers to invite people via social media campaign for some act of kindness. Think about a kindness idea to create a chain of kindness. It can be done both virtually and physically. We believe that all great things start with an innovative idea and extraordinary things can be accomplished with teamwork. Share your unique idea with us today!
Free Tutroring for Children
Little Helpers on the Run provides an opportunity for university students to participate in a program where they can help and mentor school children who are struggling at schools.
Health Literacy Project
This project is about spreading health awareness about diseases and illness in low socioeconomic schools/countries and also to get them involved in activities which focus on fitness and a healthy lifestyle. This program is delivered virtually. If you are studying any health related degree and would like to support our project, please submit your expression of interest here.
Programs for University Students
Together we can make the world a special place!
Learn more about what we do
#Kindness is Contagious
Be part of Little Helpers and together we can start spreading words of kindness via social media. Write some nice quotes or words of kindness and tag us!
#Kindessiscontagious
#LittleHelpersontheRun
Secret Mail
Leaving a kindness note
We always try to find innovative ways to spread smiles!
We encourage students to leave a kind note for their neighbours. There is no feeling quite like opening your mailbox and seeing a card. As a bonus, you can add little items to the letter like candy, confetti, balloons, flower, coloring pages or a small gift etc.
Don't forget to tag us with your photos.