Project Happiness Comes to Trinidad and Tobago

Ernie Ross has functioned as chief executive officer and creative director of Ross Advertising in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, since 1982. In 2012, Ernie Ross expanded his professional activities by founding ReThink, also in Trinidad and Tobago.

ReThink has partnered with Project Happiness, an American-based, non-governmental organization, to bring the benefits of the Project Happiness curriculum to local children. Project Happiness education primarily emphasizes the methods through which children can attain personal happiness and, subsequently, cultivate authentic happiness from within. Specific lesson topics range from gratitude to tolerance, while also educating children about the power of empathy and how to identify and embrace their individual strengths.

Project Happiness recognizes that these and related skills are rarely taught in traditional classroom settings, leaving some children at an emotional or social disadvantage that can worsen over time. Project Happiness education has been incorporated into schools and communities in more than 80 countries. It is the first service of its kind to be integrated into the Trinidad and Tobago education system.

ReThink's Random Acts of Kindness Programme

Ernie Ross is an award-winning advertising professional who has served Ross Advertising in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, as chief executive officer and creative director for more than 35 years. Ernie Ross has spent the last six years as founder of ReThink, also located in Port of Spain.

The Random Acts of Kindness Programme is a ReThink initiative rooted in the pay-it-forward philosophy. By encouraging individuals to perform random acts of kindness every day, the project seeks to enact a ripple effect of positivity with the potential to change the world. Acts of kindness may range from philanthropic contributions to simple demonstrations of empathy. Individuals can visit www.rethink.co.tt and open the Kindness Card web application, through which they can keep track of their list of kind deeds and, potentially, the subsequent effects of these acts. One day in the future, individuals will have the opportunity to review their Kindness Card and appreciate how far their simple acts have gone in regard to bettering not only their local community, but the world at large.