First-Ever Kindness Without Borders Summit
- Apr 27
- 2 min read
Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers will host a first-of-its-kind global kindness conference next month.
The inaugural k20 Kindness Without Borders Summit will bring together 20 thought leaders from around the world to discuss how kindness can lead to systemic change.
Highlights of the summit, which takes place 15 - 16 May, include research-driven talks from experts in fields like business, academia, and health care. The event is open to the public. The first day focuses on kindness in business and leadership. The second day is aimed at a more general audience and includes an interfaith panel, doctors discussing kindness in healthcare and the screening of the inspirational movieThe Power of Small - an award-winning documentary that follows six people given money to perform small acts of kindness (watch the trailer below).
The summit emphasizes how kindness, empathy and compassion can make the world a better place, help us all understand each other better and even improve our own health (including physical health) and well-being. “If you’re kind, you are healthier, you’re more resilient, you live longer, you’re less stressed, you have better relationships. The research just goes on and on and on to prove what kindness does individually,” summit co-founder Francesca Donlan told the Naples Daily News. “But then what kindness can do for a community is so powerful. And I think we’re so desperate for some kindness.”
According to the k20 Summit website, kindness is a “critical force” that drives well-being from societal, economic, and environmental perspectives. “I’m excited for the learning, connection, collaboration, and inspiration the k20 Summit will bring,” co-founder Alan Williams said in a news release. “And perhaps, more importantly, how the event will create a ripple effect of kindness in Fort Myers, Florida, U.S., and throughout the world.”
