Elon Center for Leadership shares ways for the Elon community to celebrate Pay It Forward week during difficult times.
A community is the roots from which people are able to grow. Elon University has taken the effort and time to build a community that encourages support, kindness, respect and compassion. It is a community that knows the value in moving forward while reaching back for those who are on their own journeys.
The Center for Leadership celebrates the idea of supporting those around you by sharing ways for the Elon community to ‘Pay it Forward’ to peers, mentors and even strangers. From April 27 to May 1, the Center for Leadership will be celebrating Pay it Forward week across its social media platforms and with digital events, such as a special College Coffee. This year, they would like to share a couple ways to Pay it Forward even in uncertain times.
Encourage Someone’s Heart by Sharing the Best of Them
Send someone a nice note about why you enjoy or respect them!
It can be a favorite memory that still makes you smile. A trait of theirs that really makes them stand out. Even just a note of encouragement and support. Whatever you choose to share, the purpose remains the same. This intentful action has the heart at the center.
It’s amazing how a few sentences can make someone’s day turn extraordinary.
Virtual Coffee and Catch-Up with Genuine Conversation
We miss the conversations we had at College Coffee on campus, but having to social distance doesn’t mean it has to stop!
Find someone you miss talking to or want to connect with, and send them some money and set a time for coffee. Go to the drive-thru of your favorite coffee spot (or make that new coffee recipe you’ve been wanting to try), and call them for a conversation.
Connection doesn’t have to stop during distancing, invite some friends to a Zoom for your own ‘College Coffee’!
Express Thanks Through a Letter to a Mentor
Each person’s journey in life has mentors and peers that have helped them get to where you are.
Think about someone who has helped you. Maybe they helped you with a job search or were simply there for you when you needed someone. However they helped you, writing them a thank you letter is a great way to pay it forward.
‘Thank you’ can be some of the most powerful words you can say. Share a picture of your letter with #PIFElon !
Share a Playlist or an Uplifting Song
Music is a way to heal the soul, and we all get excited when our friends send us a song that reminds them of us!
Do you think your friend would really love that new song you just found? Share it with them. Did you just hear a tune that brought a smile to your face? Send it to someone with a smiley face emoji. Put some songs together or collaborate to make an awesome quarantine playlist.
Once you find those beats, share them with the Center for Leadership and see them added to their Kindness Playlist!
Show Grace and Compassion
We all need a lot of grace and compassion, not just during hard times, but at all times.
The best way we can pay it forward as a community is by being kind to one another. Give grace for mistakes and encourage growth and support. Show compassion and understanding as everyone adjusts in their own way.
We are all facing our own circumstances, but we can do this together by caring for one another.
Follow the Center for Leadership on Instagram at @elonleadership to participate in Pay it Forward daily challenges.
The Center for Leadership is continuing to offer leadership development through online workshops and webinars that can be found on PhoenixConnect. Visit the Center for Leadership’s website for more information about Pay it Forward week and other programs.