About Us
ABOUT #STANDTOGETHER
In 2017, a spate of deadly, horrific bullying cases rocked Malaysia. Bullying had been a problem in Malaysia for decades, and there appeared to be no clear solution.
Two organisations, however, decided to give it a shot. The award-winning R.AGE impact journalism team and property developer SP Setia join forces to develop a new, innovative solution to bullying.
After weeks of engaging various stakeholders — students, educators, activists, civil society organisations, etc. — R.AGE found a solution: an annual #StandTogether National Kindness Week.
Instead of being “anti-bullying”, the campaign would be “pro-kindness”. Instead of fighting back against bullying, we would embrace a new culture of kindness and empathy.
The concept quickly gained support. Within months, the National Kindness Week programme (developed with experts) received the Malaysian Ministry of Education’s endorsement, and over a dozen celebrities signed up to help amplify the campaign’s message of kindness.
ABOUT NATIONAL KINDNESS WEEK
Held every first week of April, the #StandTogether National Kindness Week helps kick off a year-long kindness programme in participating schools.
Schools that volunteer to participate only have to do two simple things:
- Organise student-led “Kindness Projects”, to empower students to lead a cultural shift towards kindness in schools.
- Adopt at least 3 of our recommended “Kindness Strategies”, which consist of school-wide policy changes designed to foster kindness and reduce bullying.
To encourage participation, the campaign gives out grants of up to RM1,000 to the schools with the best Kindness Projects. On top of that, the schools could also win a celebrity school visit, and the grand prize — the title of Malaysia’s Kindest School.
But National Kindness Week is just the beginning. Participating schools are encouraged to continue running their Kindness Projects and Strategies all-year-long, and we offer other activities such as our Kindness Workshops, Kindness Challenge, and Kindness Leaders programme.
We estimate that over 1,000 schools have participated in National Kindness Week so far.
WHO WE ARE
#StandTogether was founded by the award-winning R.AGE investigative and impact journalism team and property developer SP Setia.
Several organisations have since joined the campaign, including programme partners UNICEF Malaysia and telecommunications company Digi, who both offered crucial support and expertise.
Other partners have included International Medical University, Petrosains, Teach For Malaysia, 100% Project, and Study Hub Asia.
CONTACT US
For more information, email the R.AGE team at alltherage@thestar.com.my or WhatsApp them at +60172834406.
OUR AWARDS
Asian Digital Media Awards 2018 and 2019
World Digital Media Awards 2018