Selina Novello Youth Advisory Team Member Portrait

by Selina Novello

In life, you can only really ever control two things: your attitude and your effort.

I chose to see the positive side and change my attitude towards all the negative effects of COVID-19. This has been such a blessing in my life and exactly what I needed. My anxiety has decreased and I feel amazing due to the amount of rest and sleep that I am now getting. Also, I have been enjoying daily walks, workouts, and focusing on my fitness goals.

I have also been working on ways to spread kindness and make a difference in the world. I started something called Force For Good Fridays.

Every Friday, I go out and spread kindness like confetti.

The first Friday that I started in April, I went around Cochrane, Alberta, and dropped off hand written letters to people who needed a boost. The second time, I gave out three Easter baskets and I made magnets with impactful empowerment statements.

While I was doing that, I ran into a lady selling vegetables. Once I told her what I was doing, she gave me more than 30 bags of little tomatoes. She wanted to help me spread the love.

For the month of May, I did something called Mothers of May. Since the pandemic, many parents have been on 24 hour duty working, and schooling and taking care of the kids at home. The purpose of Mothers of May was to deliver a box full of relaxing and pampering items for a mom in my community so that they could take some time for themselves, and then during the month of June, I put together Fathers Day gifts.

Since I graduated this year, I know how missing the milestone of a graduation ceremony can be devastating so I gave out grad gifts lift up some graduates’ spirits. I have also done things like writing positive chalk statements on the sidewalks, giving homeless people Tim Horton gift cards in Vancouver, delivering “Just Because” flowers, donated food to the food bank, and so much more.

No matter where I am, I want to spread kindness. 

Selina Novello shopping for food

I have been putting a lot of time into this which also helps to keep me busy! The only reason I came up with this initiative is because of the opportunity that this pandemic has given me to reflect and see things differently.

Many of us usually complain, including me, that we are too busy and that we don’t get to spend enough time on ourselves and with family and friends. For most of us, we now get to spend every minute of every day together as a family. Yes, this may create more chaos in families but it also provides an opportunity to love the ones that are most important to us even more. 

Force for Good Fridays is a movement of positivity in this world where kindness is needed most. How can you make a difference in your community to be a part of this movement?