Labels

It Gets Better Project - Why I support them on Threadless





I was definitely aware of and even encouraged by this movement in my early years as a young adult trying to figure out her sexuality and gender in a conservative society with conservative parents. This movement hits home hard, which is why I feel very moved to support it and the work it does. 

" The It Gets Better Project is a nonprofit organization with a mission to uplift, empower, and connect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer youth around the globe. Growing up isn’t easy, especially when you are trying to affirm and assert your sexual orientation and/or gender identity. It can be a challenging and isolating process – but, the good news is, no one has to do it alone." - an Extract from the About Page of the 'It Gets Better Project'

Let's take a look at some of the things It Gets Better runs and is involved in:

( Based on 2019 Annual Report - Dated 2018 - Which you can read here: 2019 Annual Report )
  • Storytelling
  • Media Partnerships
  • It Gets Better EDU
  • Global Affiliate Network
  • Global Grantmaking
  • It Gets Better Global Summit
  • It Gets Better Pride Event Series
Each of these categories brings a rich and powerful edge to the LGBTQIA+ community from providing clear and accessible education through 'It Gets Better EDU' to bringing together like-minded queer people who want to spread the love via 'Storytelling', the 'It Gets Better Global Summit', the 'It Gets Better Pride Event Series' and the 'Global Affiliate Network'.

However all these programs so far are more centred around content creation and spreading awareness rather than getting down and dirty, helping the youth on the street, so it made me wonder, what impact are they hoping to achieve if their focus is more towards spreading a message rather than physically fixing the problem, so I went online to find out if there is any critique for the movement, and I found this article written by Alex Eichler which features a response from Dan Savage discussing the limitations of the movement in an honest, candid way -

"it doesn't solve the problem of anti-gay bullying, everywhere, all at once, forever" but adding that it can "give despairing kids in impossible situations a little thing called hope." Savage names a number of causes and initiatives people can take up if they want to effect real, tangible change, but adds that "we're not going to get legislation passed this instant or get anti-bullying programs into schools... before classes start tomorrow ... In the meantime, while we work on all of that, we can get these messages of hope in front of kids who are crisis right now."

- an extract taken from ' Critiquing 'It Gets Better Project' for Gay Teens' by Alex Eichler, October 8, 2010 

After reading this comment made by Dan Savage, it is clear what the focus of the movement is, and supporting the movement is less about giving aid and more about giving hope, which is a very overlooked need, especially when the first thing that comes to mind in terms of charity is always food and supplies. Hope is always in short supply, and it is great to see an organization that is constantly finding new and innovative ways to keep that hope alive and turn it into programs that can educate and support the next generation. 

I then asked the question, just how effective has this Hope-Spreading Mission been so far? And after a little googling, I was delighted to find that Wikipedia held the answers. These hope-spreading endeavours have not just spread throughout the U.S.A, but have spread internationally, going so far as to inspire similar projects in several countries which include Australia, Chile, Canada and Malaysia just to name a few. You can read more about those projects here: It Gets Better - The Wikipedia Page.

In conclusion, I am very happy to support this movement. There is always a need to have more hope in this world, and the fact that all these different people from different walks of life provide the time, the effort and the resources to help the next generation believe in and have hope for the future, is everything. 

Do check out the links below for all the information that I gathered to verify what I have learnt, and as I said in the opening blog post, feel free to leave comments below about your opinion of this charity so that I can learn more about it from personal experience. 

And if you would like to support this charity too as well as my art, here is the Art Collection on my Threadless Art Shop where I have pledged a portion of the sales of my shop to various LGBTQIA+ charities, more information will be provided in each product description. 






And as always, may your days be magical, Ai will see you in the next time. Bye!















Email Post
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment