If you practice random acts of kindness at Lakehead University’s Orillia campus, you will receive tokens for a free hot beverage at an on-campus cafe.
Quentin Evans and Laura East started the Audacity Movement (AM) to combat bullying on their campus.
“The movement really began this past winter as we began talking with stakeholders in the community about the idea,” Evans said via email. “The ‘official’ kick off, which involved the launch of the tokens, hand-written letters being given out and the website, happened just before the final exam period in April.”
While AM was started by Evans and East, it is a community-led initiative.
“Organization happens on an individual or group by group basis,” Evans said. “Laura and I planned the initial ‘launch’ of the tokens to kick things off, but since then, it’s just been different people doing it their way under the banner of the movement.”
AM’s website includes resources for people interested in bringing AM’s message to their communities and offers ideas for good deeds.
“While our Orillia community may be our most immediate community, we also believe we’re in a larger community of post-secondary institutions that could benefit from making AM their own. Share it. Do good. Do it under the banner of AM or make up your own name to call it that better fits your school. If AM can help, awesome use it. If it serves to inspire something else brand new, awesome, do it!” Evans said.
Anna Lisa Martin, a student at Lakehead University Orillia, said she views AM as a way of building community on campus.
“One of my favorite deeds of the AM were the secret missions that were passed along to members of the community,” Martin said. “The secret mission I got challenged me to hand write a letter of appreciation to someone on campus.”
“What drew me in to the movement was seeing others genuinely want to make our campus more welcoming and inclusive not only to students, but each member of the campus community,” Martin said.
Evans said AM groups are hoping to continue the initiative in Orillia, in addition to expanding the movement to other campuses.
“We’ve shared the movement with Thunder Bay and with a ton of Canadian and U.S. schools at a conference in Halifax this past June, so that they can take what they need to get started, and make it their own on their campus!”
