Cultivating communities where all people are valued.
‘Compassion in a Cup’ activities involve people coming together with a common purpose of connecting, sharing and supporting one another to create a more caring and compassionate world. It involves sharing conversations, listening, gestures of support, acts of compassion… all while enjoying drinks and food.
We understand that every day we start with an empty cup, and it is about what we bring to our cup, and what we put in it, that makes it what we want it to be.
It is about the connections we have, and our ability to appreciate what we put in our cup … the people we love, the people we learn from, the experiences, the places, our beliefs and values – everything we put in our cup, and the places we take ourselves is our responsibility!
Our cup is also synonymous with sharing stories that come from the heart about what and who matters in our lives, as it brings the internal process to the external. It brings people together in every culture of the world. It is about celebrating and caring for the people we have in our ‘cup of life’.
By gathering together and learning from one another, we can fill our cups and add joy and meaning to all our lives and to the relationships we have with one another.
So, every day, as we fill our cup, and open our hearts, we remind ourselves that we are not alone, that we are loved and that we all seek to find meaning and purpose for our lives. One of the most important things we have in life is one another – we all matter!
So, let’s create the world we want to see. Why not share your ‘Compassion in a Cup’ with family, friends, neighbours, communities, schools and work colleagues. We know that change happens when we come together.
‘Compassion in a Cup’ can be individual acts of compassion, or group activities.
Here are some examples:
Individual acts of compassion:
- Connect with others: Invite someone, or a group to join you for a cup of coffee or tea at a local cafe
- Paying it forward: Buy the person behind you in line a coffee or treat
- Offer a drink: Make a cup of tea or coffee for a friend or family member
- Leave a note: Write a caring message or quote on a post it notes and leave it in a public place
- Compassion Coffee: Create a special coffee or tea blend with a caring and supportive name and share it
- Compliment: Give a heartfelt compliment to a stranger or someone you know
- Group activities:
- Compassion cafe or shop: Set up a temporary cafe in your home, school or workplace (you could donate the proceeds to a local charity)
- Compassion cupcakes: Bake and decorate cupcakes with messages of care and support and share them with colleagues, friends and neighbours
- Warm welcome: Host a tea party “getting to know you” with a goal of welcoming new members to your school, community or organization
- Fill a cup activity: Provide people with a cup that they can fill with messages of support for members of the group
- Who and what is in your cup: Ask people to share the name of person that they have admired and how that person impacted their life
- Questions for self-reflection: 1) What is it like for you when someone is compassionate towards you? 2) What is it like for you when you are compassionate towards others? 3) What is it like when you are compassionate towards yourself?
Additional ideas:
- Thank you notes: Write thank you notes to people who have helped you or have made a positive and caring impact on your life
- Volunteer together: Spend time creating craft ideas, a fundraiser or organizing a drive to collect items for a local charity
- Offer of Help: Offer to help a friend or a neighbour who may be struggling
- Invite a speaker: If the opportunity arises, invite a speaker who may add inspiration and ideas to support you group to cultivate a more compassionate community
