Pass it forward: Solidarity amongst non-profits

Working for non-profits tend to give people a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction that very little places do. Its one of those work environments where you have the strong feeling that everything you do matters, and you can easily understand how meaningful every little thing you do can be. If one of the posts shared on the I AM not the MEdia facebook page changes the way a person treats their colleages at school, preventing bullying or cyberbullying, we did our job. If one blog post makes our readers realize they have the right to complain about unethical ads that appeal to kids in a deceiving way, we did our jobs. If a teen attended our workshops and is now aware of how the stereotypes are used by the media to renforce prejudice, racism and/or sexism, then we definetly did our jobs right, and we are  moving forward in the right direction.

What is awesome about the I AM not the MEdia team is the fact that we don't let our mission limit the ways we can work to better the community. Yes, we are this thought provocking group that tries to stir up things so teens and young adults start questioning if what they read on the news or share on social media is really something they believe in, or if its something they are doing because everybody else does. Are they becoming someone they feel they have to be? Are they going against their best interest, judgement or their true selves just to fit the molde of what society tells them to be? Or are they creating their own paths? We work to make an impact in people's lives by saying they don't have to be something other than themselves, but we are also working as hard to support other local organizations in the Charlotte area.

We chose a cause to fight for on a daily basis, but the very least we can do is to volunteer and help out other causes whenever we have the chance. August 23rd we were all around town participating in different events and supporting other causes. We walked a mile on heels near the NoDa Brewery to make a stand against domestic violence with Safe Alliance. We had a face painting stand by the Back to School Event, helping Our Foundation for Children, Inc. to deliver backpacks for 1 dollar to all kids. We also facilitated a workshop at the Youth Speak Out Summit about Teen Dating Violence Awareness, filming all atendees PSAs. On September 3rd, we attended the Lunch Bag Event, and help put together lunch bags to feed the homeless. We promise to keep working and helping out other non-profits in the Charlotte area, if there is something that we can do. That sense of fulfillment is something the IANTM team is always going after.

If you know of any events that might need our help, or any organizations that would be interested in a partnership, please email Juliana Clark, our Public Relations Coordinator, at juliana@iamnotthemedia.org.