Looking for a way to heal the division and remembering an art exhibit focusing on compassion she saw several years before, Kayte Kaminski proposed to lead a similar project in Bozeman, Montana. Dr. Alison Harmon, Dean of the College of Education, Health & Human Development at Montana State University approved the project. In the spring of 2017, The Compassion Project got its start as a pilot program at Montana State University. With Kayte as the Director of the program, The Compassion Project was given a home and an environment where it could grow. Why Compassion:
Unfortunately, almost everyone can recall an experience where they were hurt. At the same time, everyone at one time or another has been shown compassion. When we choose compassion for ourselves, others, and the environment, we choose a path towards healing. We define compassion as mindful support, relief, and genuine human kindness for others, ourselves, and our environment. When children and adults learn to practice compassion they are taught to acknowledge and work through their own emotional distress as well as exercise curiosity and understanding toward groups with perceived differences. These skills are essential for success in life. Compassion Project lessons and workshops provide, as one educator put it, “tangible tools to teach compassion.” Our curriculum serves as one resource to take a proactive stance against bullying in children as well as adults. In 2016, the National Center for Educational Statistics reported over 20 percent of all students are bullied in schools. The rates are even higher for students with disabilities, students of color and students who identify or are perceived as LGBQT+. The Center of Disease for Control indicates bullying puts children at increased risk of poor school adjustment, trouble sleeping, anxiety and depression. Our workshops and trainings are backed by research that shows the health benefits of mindfulness and self-compassion. These benefits include: reduced stress, decreased depression, enhanced self-awareness, lengthened attention span, improved sleep, and decreased blood pressure. Not to mention, self-compassion is related to higher life satisfaction, emotional intelligence, and social connectedness. Project Development:
With incredible support from the community and funds from grants, donations and events, a core team of volunteers raised $50,000. During the 2018-2019 school year, project facilitators trained over 200 educators and engaged over 6,000 student and community participants in Bozeman, Belgrade and Livingston. Each participant learned what compassion is, how to recognize it, how to practice it and why it is important, which they artistically represented on 7.5 inch by 7.5 inch blocks of wood. All 6,000 art pieces were brought together and displayed in a city-wide art installation at five installation locations in Bozeman. Spreading Compassion:
The 501c(3) nonprofit organization, Compassion Project, was founded in the summer of 2019 in Bozeman to lead and empower similar projects across Montana and beyond. In our signature program, Compassion Classrooms, we train educators on how to integrate lessons on compassion into their school. For more information or to get involved, please email Tia Goebel at [email protected].
