It began at home.
Brave & Kind began with questions children brought home about safety, belonging, differences, and the world around them. Those questions led to a bigger one: How do we want to show up in this world?
A story that started with family
Brave & Kind began with questions my children brought home. They had questions about safety, belonging, differences, and things they were hearing and seeing in the world around them. I wanted a gentle way to keep those conversations going. As a family, we kept coming back to a bigger question: How do we want to show up in this world? Our answer is through brave, calm, and kind actions. Those conversations became Brave & Kind.
Many experiences, one story
April's background in national security brings a perspective on safety, risk, responsibility, communication, decision making, and the responsibilities people and institutions have for protecting others. Her background in communication and education informs how she thinks about language, learning, connection, understanding, and the ways stories can create opportunities for families and educators.
Ourselves. Others. Our Communities.
Through graduate studies in Legal Studies, with a focus in Land Use, at Claremont Lincoln University (CLU), the same question grew wider: What does it mean to care not only for ourselves and one another, but also for the communities we share? Brave & Kind begins with the child, but the idea reaches further. Brave, calm, and kind actions shape how we listen, care for one another, make choices, participate, and show up as neighbors in our communities.
Where the project is going
Brave & Kind begins with the child—with safety, kindness, calm, courage, and belonging. Future stories will follow these ideas outward, helping children explore how we care for other people, the places we share, and the communities we call home. As the stories grow, the question remains the same: How do we want to show up in this world? With brave, calm, and kind actions.
Be brave. Be kind. Be you.
The goal is not for children to become the same. It is to create space for children to recognize themselves, see others, learn about differences, and understand that what makes each of us unique has a place within our communities.