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August 3, 2021
A place of kindness
If the ‘20 minute neighbourhood’ is to become more than just a beguiling but elusive concept, there’s going to have to be some serious thought applied to what these ‘new neighbourhoods’ should consist of. The architects of these new social constructs could do worse than to start by giving consideration to which of our local institutions are most valued. A remarkable 97% of the population, when asked, said that they felt they were treated with kindness when they entered their local library. That feels like a good starting point.
Small-scale ‘kindness initiatives’, delivered by local libraries can play a role in helping to improve wellbeing. This short report sets out why kindness matters to wellbeing and why it makes sense to consider how libraries can enhance this core aspect of wellbeing in local communities. It does so through describing a set of ‘kindness initiatives’ that were supported by the Carnegie UK Trust and delivered by 10 public libraries in Scotland. The report highlights the value of creating space to talk about kindness and the impact that this can have on individual and community wellbeing.
To read full report