Every year, Woodland Pre-Schools join more than 55,000 Cognita students, parents and colleagues to celebrate Global Be Well Day, which is a day devoted to wellbeing and the six main contributors of the Cognita Be Well Charter: adequate sleep, balanced diet, regular physical activity, connecting with self and others, engaging in fulfilling activity and giving to help a cause or others.

Inspired by the Be Well Charter, Woodland Pre-Schools’ staff community has been going Casual for a Cause since November 2020. This activity allows us to reflect on how grateful we are to be part of different communities as well as reminding us of the importance of compassion for those who may be less fortunate.

Every Friday, Woodland staff have the option to donate $20 to dress casual for the day. As role models for our children, this action can be a starting point for conversations about giving back to our community. Our staff are encouraged to share causes that are important to them and engage our children in discussions about how the money collected can be used meaningfully. We plan to support a different cause every term.

From November to January, we have collected $5,900HKD and we are delighted to be able to donate this to Impact HK.  This non-profit organisation provides food, shelter, clothing and employment opportunities for the homeless community in Hong Kong and some of our staff had the opportunity to see their amazing work and the passion of their volunteers first hand during a guided Kindness Walk on Global Be Well Day.

This initiative aims to bring authentic and tangible experiences to help our staff and our children understand being in need and how to reach out to help others. It also helps to demonstrate the value of teamwork and community to our children.