‘Meth Sithuvili’: Children’s Goodness Club Poster Exhibition

The Foundation of Goodness’ Children’s Goodness Clubs strive to give children a healthy and ethical attitude towards society by inculcating them with the spirit of goodness, so that they will improve and beautify the world around them as they grow. Among other activities, they maintain goodness journals and get together every month to conduct community aid projects while keeping the motto of ‘Be Good, Do Good’ at the forefront of their minds.

The ‘Methu Sithuvili’ (Good Thoughts) Poster Exhibition in an annual event which takes place among the Children’s Goodness Club (CGC) members. The children use this opportunity to demonstrate all that they have learnt about being good people through art and posters, illustrating their own interpretation of goodness.

The Children from all 5 Children’s Goodness Clubs (Seenigama, Rathgama, Udumulla, Akurala & Kahawa) participate in this event and we are flooded with beautiful and colourful renderings of ‘Goodness’. Each exhibition demonstrated how every child looks at ‘being good’ from a unique angle, and goes about life doing countless good deeds through a wide variety of ways.

This years’ exhibition which took place on the 21st of July was no different, and posters with beautiful quotes and colourful drawings greeted the parents and staff members who visited the exhibition. The profound quotes that adorned the posters gave us an idea of the depth of their own understanding. One poster proclaimed ‘a person’s actions define his innate goodness or badness’, while another declares ‘as a mountain stands strong against the fierce winds, so is a great man unmoved by either praise or blame’.  Sentiments such as ‘Good words cost nothing, but are worth much’, ‘anger will never end with more anger or retaliation, it can only be calmed by loving kindness’, ‘and caring for your parents and elders is the mark of a great person’ hung along the walls, punctuated by beautiful drawings of ‘goodness’.

Some drew pictures of children helping elders, respecting their parents, assisting young children or the elderly to cross the street or of feeding the hungry. Others drew of feeding animals, looking after them and showing them kindness. Demonstrating that being good people goes beyond just helping animals and people, some children had chosen to submit drawing about keeping their village and its surroundings clean, planting trees to counter growing deforestation and developing their religious & spiritual lives.

This exhibition embodies the spirit of goodness which the Foundation of Goodness hopes to instill in the future generation to ensure the peace, harmony and understanding between all Sri Lankan’s which will pave the way for a brighter future of the whole nation.

02nd July 2014