On Thursday 1 February, our organisation, which aids individuals who have experienced homelessness, celebrated the 70th anniversary of the Uprising of Kindness by distributing care packages to rough sleepers on the streets of Newcastle. The residents of Emmaus North East, referred to as companions, included messages of encouragement along with the packages.
Ruth Parker, Chief Executive of the charity, said: “Kindness is a universal language and unites people and communities together. An act of kindness cost nothing and was one of the most important things we could do for others. It not only made a difference to those around us but also made us feel better about ourselves. Being kind was really important to the Emmaus community where people supported each other on a daily basis with many experiencing trauma caused by homelessness. At Emmaus North East, we demonstrated kindness throughout the year by supporting the community around us. Join us in celebrating the Uprising of Kindness and find out more about our work in 2024.”
We also gave out free gifts in our charity shop in Jarrow as a way of saying thank you to those who shopped and supported us.
Emmaus North East supports people who have experienced homelessness by providing them with a home, work experience opportunities, companionship, and individual support. We are one of 30 Emmaus communities in the UK and part of a worldwide movement of over 400 Emmaus groups, working to help the most excluded and tackling the causes of poverty.
The people we support, known as ‘companions’, have direct experience of the transformative power of kindness and were among those championing the message to #BeMoreKind. They included 63-year-old Tony who became homeless after his marriage broke down.
Tony joined Emmaus North East in 2016 and had been volunteering at North Marine Junior Park Run as a way to give back. He said: “I saw my volunteer work contributing to the spirit of kindness by helping others get enjoyment. We could not go ahead without a set number of volunteers so each of us was equally important. My main motivation was seeing youngsters between 4 and 14 getting an opportunity I never had. Kindness was important in today’s world because so many were struggling on a daily basis. If I could help put a smile on one person’s face, it was a start.”
The #BeMoreKind campaign formed part of an international Emmaus Uprising of Kindness which marked 70 years since founder of the international Emmaus movement, Abbé Pierre, delivered a powerful speech across the media. He called for solidarity in response to the homelessness situation in France, where people were dying on the streets.
To find out more about the anniversary of Abbé Pierre’s radio appeal and how you could get involved, you could have visited www.emmaus.org.uk/bemorekind.