Kind Hearts Bench Initiative - St Oswald's Anglican Church Milnerton

https://www.facebook.com/groups/505786010436270/?ref=share&mibextid=NSMWBT

https://www.saferspaces.org.za/be-inspired/entry/kind-heart-bench-project

Bradley Bailey is the founder of the Kind Heart Bench Project.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088112847582&mibextid=ZbWKwL

“Be the change you want to see in the world! Be the reason someone smiles today. Be the reason someone feels loved and believes in the goodness in people. Love, compassion, kindness costs nothing.

Kindness can have a greater impact than you think. A kind word or smile, ‘how are you doing today?’ A simple ‘hello’ might reinforce to someone that the world can be a positive place, that they are ‘seen and heard’; that they are valued by others. So encourage one another and build one another up. Be kind.”

Watch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7M3Jgg1K4e8

#youmatter ‘I see you, I hear you’

This social innovation project focuses primarily on Mental Health in the aftermath of Covid-19 … trauma, depression, anxiety, as well as the impact of bullying.

The project uses the bench as a visual aid – the arms and backrest being society which can come alongside the marginalised, the homeless, the forgotten, the hungry, and the traumatised.

The purpose is to spread love and kindness, inclusion and create a new narrative. To really see and hear each other.

It is linked to educational institutions, public spaces and society at large. Partnering with Hope House Counselling, SADAG and others, we have workshops facilitating trauma information for teachers, peer training and mentoring, particularly encouraging empathy.

The bench concept promotes the healthy social and emotional development of all, recognising when people are at risk or experiencing mental health problems. The aim is early and appropriate identification and intervention.”

The Archbishop of Cape Town, the Most Revd Thabo Makgoba sitting with Bradley Bailey(r) at the Kind Heart Bench Launch

At the Kind Heart Bench Launch at St Oswald’s Church on 20 August 2023

Watch the Blessing and the Launch of the Kind Heart Benches at St Oswald’s here

As ST OSWALD’S PARISH is the oldest church in the Milnerton area and surrounds, and as it reaches it’s 110th year of Mission and Ministry, we would like to celebrate this milestone by setting up a project which will not only reflect our vision, but actively contribute to positive action within the local community.

To this end, two Kind Heart Benches have been donated and installed on the intersection near the church entrance.

The Parish would like to reach out, share and celebrate their ethos of hope and inclusivity with the whole community. This is a church which opens its doors and welcomes you, no matter who or what your circumstances are.

The aim has always been to invite conversation and facilitate change in the spirit of Ubuntu.

St Oswald’s would like to be the intersection where people are able to meet, share and grow – be a place where there is a safe space for open
communication, support and interaction between all.

To this end, St Oswald’s is prepared to meet the inherent challenges of these objectives with hope and optimism, and has installed two Kind Heart Benches on the intersection at the entrance to the parish church.

By partnering with the Kind Heart Bench Project, St Oswald’s is the first church in the area to engage in this interactive way, with the issues faced by those in the community who are dealing with mental health difficulties and various types of crisis / trauma. Local social outreach organisations are able to be contacted via the information on the benches..

The bright yellow benches are carefully placed to create a warm, open and welcoming place to relax, to take stock of yourself and your life.

It is a safe space where you will be seen and heard; you are important!

And if you would like to reach others, spend a moment and use the information provided on the plaques. It will enable anyone in crisis to reach someone who is able to listen and assist. The benches are there to connect all individuals with whose who are trained to help.