2019 CULTURE BOOK SUPERHERO EDITION!
Created by the Summer 2019 Interns Cover illustration by Joshua Collado Soler
OUR ORIGIN STORY DoSomething.org is the largest tech company exclusively for young people and social change.
We’re activating millions of young people (and counting!) to do good in every US area code and in 131 countries. Using our digital platform, members join DoSomething’s volunteer and civic action campaigns to make offline impact at scale. Our members have clothed half of America’s homeless youth. They’ve cleaned up 3.7 million cigarette butts. They’ve run the world’s largest youth-led sports equipment drive. And more! Young people have the power and the passion to transform their communities -- we help them get it done.
Let’s Do This.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. History: Powering Up Every Year 2. Staff: Super Squad, Assemble! 3. Summer Interns: The Fantastic 15 4. Campaigns: Supercharging Impact 5. Office: Our Superhero Hideout 6. Sabbatical: Up, Up, and Away! 7. Staff Events: Even Heroes Need a Break 8. DoSomething Strategic: Our Secret Weapon 9. Partners: Heroes Are Better in Teams 10. Celebs & Social: Super, Famous 11. Press: Making Change & Making Headlines 12. Values: The Code We Live By
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HISTORY: POWERING UP EVERY YEAR
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1
Andrew Shue, actor and all around good guy, and his childhood friend, Michael Sanchez, cofound DoSomething.
1993
2003
Teens for Jeans, the largest denim drive for teens in homeless shelters and one of our most important campaigns ever, launches for the first time.
2010
2007
CEO and Chief Old Person Nancy Lublin takes over to drive the org into the future.
DoSomething DoSomething our social imp that helps bra drive positive
2013
20
The DoSomething Awards air on VH1, featuring Bruno Mars, Donald Glover, Demi Lovato, five incredible youth changemakers, and more!
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6
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g launches g Strategic (DSS), pact consultancy ands and orgs social change.
014
Aria Finger is named CEO and Chief Old Person!
2015
2017
Site relaunches. (This is how it looks!)
DoSomething turns 25!
2018
2019
DoSomething launches Sincerely, Us, the first nationwide youth-led campaign delivering Happy Ramadan cards to every single mosque in America.
DoSomething relaunches our highly popular clubs program, to empower high schoolers across the country to start DoSomething Clubs in their schools and communities. Stay tuned!
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STAFF: SUPER SQUAD, ASSEMBLE! Our staff is undoubtedly a one-of-a-kind, weird, wild and talented mix of people (in the best way!). It takes the perfect combination of a collaborative and innovative spirit to work here. These people are super passionate about creating real social impact, and are great at what they do. These amazing folks are really happy to meet you!
AARON SCHACHTER
ALANNA SLEPITSKY
ALLIE HOEY
Senior Software Engineer
Social Community Manager
Graphic Designer
ALLIE WEISS
ANTHONY AURRICHIO
ARIA FINGER
Project Manager, DSS
Digital Engagement Associate
CEO and Chief Old Person
ASHLEY DAVIS
ASIF KHAN
BEN KASSOY
Head of Client Services, DSS
Director of Campaign Management
Editor-in-Chief
BRIANA IACIA
CARRIE BLOXSON
CHRIS ALFONSO
Strategist, DSS
Chief Marketing Officer
Video Producer & Editor
DAVID FURNES
DIEGO DONIZETH
DIEGO LORENZO
Staff Engineer
Product Manager
Senior Software Engineer
ELYSSA CZYNSKI
GABY FLORES- SANCHEZ
Marketing Manager
People Operations Associate
GARRETT RICHARDSON Senior Strategist, DSS
IRENE PEDRUELO
GLEB BOUNDIN
HANNAH GHIDEY
IT Manager
Senior Manager, User Insights
Director of Research & Insights, DSS
JEN NG
JERI HERBERT
KAREN GOLDFEDER
Product Manager
Office Experience Associate
VP, Business Development
KATIE CRANE
KIM DAYMAN
LEAH ANGLE
Senior Software Engineer
Director of Marketing and Brand Strategy
Senior Product Designer
LUKE PATTON
MADDY ALLISON
MAI IRIE
Product Designer
Community Associate
Director of Engineering
MARA SPECE Lead Strategist, DSS
MARGOT HARRIS Campaigns Associate
MARLY LEIGHTON Chief of Staff
MARY NOEL
MATT HOLFORD
MEGHA JAIN
Director of Business Development, DSS
Chief Technology Officer
Data Scientist
MENDEL BLESOFSKY Software Engineer
NATALIE KANTER
MEREDITH FERGUSON Director, DoSomething Strategic
NICOLE BRESKIN
MORGAN RICH Senior Software Engineer
RAFA PACAS
Business Development Associate
Head of Product
Software Engineeer: Messaging
REGAN HALES
SAHARA LAKE
SAVASTI ADDISON
Director of Finance & HR
Campaigns Associate
Senior Manager, Talent Acquisition
SENA HEYDARI
SHIVANI BANKER
SOHAIB HASAN
Director of Infrastructure Engineering
Senior Manager, Business Development
Director of Analytics
SORAYA HAAS
TEJ GOKHALE
VALERIA VILLARROEL
Chief Operating Officer
Civic Action & Campaigning Manager
Senior Strategist, DSS
WOLSFIE SPIZ Finance Manager
WE ASKED OUR STAFF...
BEN KASSOY
Cha-Cha DiGregorio in Grease.
WOLSFIE SPIZ
An OBGYN.
WHAT D
ASHLEY DAVIS
Marine Biologist.
MENDEL BLESOFSKY
A Rabbi or a DJ (I know).
DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU WERE A KID?
REGAN HALES I wanted to be a singer. I used to write songs and was in an all girls group.
JERI HERBERT A dancer on Broadway with a side job designing greeting cards.
ALLIE WEISS Personally, Aaron Carter’s girlfriend. Professionally, a news anchor.
CHRIS ALFONSO
A mermaid.
WHICH MOVIE VILLAIN WOULD YOU BE AND WHY?
SORAYA HAAS
NATALIE KANTER
Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada. She is elegant and has a fantastic wardrobe.
Ursula. She’s kind of the unofficial mascot of the body positivity community.
KATIE CRANE
MADDY ALLISON
Meredith from The Parent Trap because I think it would be fun to float on an air mattress in a lake.
Gru from Despicable Me because I’m strange and tall but I have a big heart.
WHAT IS SOMETHING YOU GEEK OUT ON?
SOHAIB HASAN
Medieval history, rationality, trap.
SENA HEYDARI Cooking and baking recipes from a scientific perspective. I’m obsessed with Serious Eats.
AARON SCHACTER After any movie I watch (new or old), I go straight to IMDB to learn about the director, cast, critical responses.
MAI IRIE
Mushroom cultivation.
WHAT’S THE MOST INTERESTING THING ON YOUR DESK?
SAHARA LAKE The picture of Luna & Miles (John Legend & Chrissy Teigen’s kids) that Anthony & Allie printed for me.
ANTHONY AURRICHIO A trophy for my karaoke performance of Super Bass by Nicki Minaj.
MARGOT HARRIS
Garlic.
TEJ GOKHALE
My dead cactus, Jamie.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE DOSOMETHING TRADITION?
LEAH ANGLE
The Gong.
HANNAH GHIDEY The reaping [to pick new desks every 6 months]. Even though I’m remote, I still love the drama this stirs up!
KIM DAYMAN
ARIA FINGER
Summer half-day Fridays.
The penguin. I love seeing people genuinely and generously shout out their amazing coworkers each week!
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE CAUSE TH
ALANNA SLEPITSKY Anything related to animal welfare, as that cause is very near and dear to my heart.
VALERIA VILLARROEL Registering young people to vote! As a naturalized citizen, the power of the vote and the ideals of democracy are something that are super important to me.
MATT HOLFORD
MEREDITH FERGUSON
The environment, because once the planet heats up enough we won’t have anything else to worry about.
Immigration because it is at the heart of this country, and I love seeing young people drive attention to and action around this important issue
HAT DOSOMETHING ADDRESSES?
MARY NOEL Mental health, because it is so critical for young people to be rid of the stigma.
SHIVANI BANKER Anything to do with educational equity/ equality.
GLEB BOUNDIN
MARLY LEIGHTON
My favorite campaign is Give a Spit About Cancer, because it literally saves lives!
That’s like asking me to pick my favorite kid! And my favorite kid is voting, because it affects all the other causes.
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SUMMER INTERNS: THE FANTASTIC 15 Our interns are AWESOME (and paid)! They represent so many different experiences, identities, and strengths, which is one of our favorite things about them! Our interns aren’t here to make coffee runs, they’re here to tackle organizational priorities, take on important projects, learn a ton, become best friends, occasionally wear matching t-shirts, eat copious amounts of pizza, and keep staff updated on the latest memes. (Oh! And 20% of our current staff are former interns!) Meet our summer class: incredible interns with a passion for social change and young people!
ALEGRA LOPEZ
CARRISA ANDERSON
IVORYONA WILLIAMS
Video Production Intern
Business Development Intern
DoSomething Strategic Intern
IZZY ROUSMANIERE
JACKIE MENJIVAR
JOSHUA COLLADO SOLER
Campaigns & Civic Action Intern
Writing Intern
Engineering Intern
KIYA AMOS-FLOM
LENA LELAND
LIZZY MANEVICH
DoSomething Strategic Intern
Campaigns Intern
Marketing Intern
MALIK SANCHEZ
NIKKI IANNANTUANO
PATRICK DYKIERT
Campaigns Intern
Digital Marketing Intern
Campaigns Intern
SABINA AKTER
STEPHANIE HUYNH
TESSA OWENS
Engineering Intern
Campaigns & Community Intern
Campaigns Intern
WE ASKED OUR INTERNS... WHAT WAS YOUR MOST BALLER MOMENT AT DOSOMETHING?
NIKKI IANNANTUANO
When Shawn Mendes and David Harbour (Hopper from Stranger Things) replied to my DoSomething Instagram DMs.
IVORYONA WILLIAMS
Coordinating this Culture Book!
JACKIE MENJIVAR
Writing The Breakdown. The first time they let me do that was really validating and cool—like, “Wow, they really trust me to do this.”
IF YOU COULD BE DUNKED IN ANY SUBSTANCE, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
MALIK SANCHEZ
Skincare products.
JOSHUA COLLADO SOLER
Water. I love water.
ALEGRA LOPEZ
The stuff that makes you glow in the dark. Is that neon? But not die from it.
WHAT’S BEEN YOUR MOST CLASSIC NYC MOMENT?
PATRICK DYKIERT
Have you ever seen New York Minute with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen? Every day I feel like I’m living in that movie.
SABINA AKTER
When I was waiting for the bus and the app showed it coming in 5 minutes but then it never came. I was waiting a long time.
STEPHANIE HUYNH I had a woman grab my arm and tell me that she “saw something” in me and ask me if I wanted to have a psychic reading to talk about it.
WHAT’S SOMETHING YOU GEEK OUT ON?
KIYA AMOS-FLOM I’m a HUGE Lord Of The Rings geek. I have Argonath bookends and I routinely look for special editions of any book that Tolkien ever wrote.
IZZY ROUSMANIERE
Musical theatre. I saved all my discretionary income to see Broadway shows this summer. I cried during most of them.
LENA LELAND
I get really excited when I get a new water bottle. People get water bottles for A mermaid. me as presents. I just really love water bottles.
WHAT SURPRISED YOU ABOUT YOUR SUMMER AT DOSOMETHING?
TESSA OWENS
The high-quality level of snacks in the office.
LIZZY MANEVICH
That there’s a whole Slack channel for pictures of pets, and how adorable everyone’s pets are.
CARRISA ANDERSON How willing everyone is to help to grab coffee and provide advice for you. It’s also transparent—I didn’t know an organization could be all about transparency and communication.
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CAMPAIGNS: SUPERCHARGING IMPACT
A campaign is a movement that young people join to make a positive impact in a specific cause space. Each campaign includes a problem, solution, and a call to action — this can be anything from sharing a tip about anti-bullying to running a voter registration drive. Campaigns are the core of our work here at DoSomething. They give our members the tools, resources, and guidance they need to be agents of change in their own communities. Here are some of our favorites!
SOME RECENT CAMPAIGNS THAT CRUSHED IT (Don’t) Read This Book Stocked local libraries with 30,000+ books, which included our “warning” bookmarks to catch young readers’ attention. #RedefineBlack Compelled online dictionaries to create a more racially inclusive definition of “Black.”
Celebrate Pride! Crowdsourced 4,400+ tips to create a national LGBTQ+ ally guide that’s for students, by students. Supplies, Sealed, Delivered Donated 63,000+ daily essentials to homeless shelters around the country.
A FEW OF OUR GREATEST HITS Voter Registration Powered historic youth turnout by registering 118,706 new voters in 2018 alone.
Teens for Jeans Donated over 1 million pairs of jeans in a single year, enough to clothe half of all US youth experiencing homelessness.
Defend Dreamers Made 6,000+ calls in one week to lawmakers in all 50 states, demanding Congress defend DACA. (One lawmaker received 125 calls from DoSomething members alone!)
Give a Spit About Cancer Saved lives by adding 16,793 new and diverse potential donors to the bone marrow registry.
Diversify My Emoji Powered the petition that compelled Apple to create emojis representing people of color.
Power to the Period Donated 585,965 period products to homeless shelters in the firstever national period product drive, because everyone deserves dignity.
You’ve Got the Power Crowdsourced 39,441 tactics to create the largest crowdsourced anti-bullying guide.
Comeback Clothes Recycled 1.4 million pounds of textiles to save water, energy, and space in landfills.
Get the Filter Out (GTFO) Cleaned up 3.7 million cigarette butts to protect the planet.
Sincerely, Us Made and mailed 41,287 Happy Ramadan cards, which were distributed to every mosque in the US.
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OFFICE: OUR SECRET HIDEOUT
CONFERENCE ROOMS
Our conference rooms are named after famous superhero spots, which means you might find yourself attending a meeting in Wakanda, dropping into a brainstorming session in Xavier’s School, or retreating to the Fortress of Solitude for some quiet time.
THE GONG
The sound of the gong lets us all know something BIG is about to happen! Maybe we’ve hired a new staff member or launched an exciting campaign, but when you hear that ring, stop what you’re doing and march to The Pit. (It might also be an announcement that there are cookies in the kitchen, which is just as important.)
THE KITCHEN
We trust in few things as much as we do our beloved kitchen. It’s always got you covered with a selection of drinks and snacks to get you through a busy day. We don’t do boring snacks, either -- think whole watermelons, make-your-own flavored popcorn, and the occasional rainbow bagel.
THE HACIENDA
(Short for the Ha Ha Hacienda, where the Joker hides out.) Whether you’re looking for a soft place to sit or just need to soak up some sun, this cozy little corner of the office is the place to go. The Hacienda is the perfect place to write down your thoughts or design some new shiny features for the website. If that wasn’t enough, it also has one of the comfiest couches in the entire office!
THE PIT
Picture a central, open space where the team assembles... sometimes for dancing under the disco ball. This is The Pit, and some might call it the hottest spot in the office. It’s where we chat, host screenings, and gather round for meetings with the entire staff. Plus, it’s also home to our Intern Pods!
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SABBATICAL: UP, UP, AND AWAY! After working at DoSomething for two years, our staff earns the incredible (and paid!) opportunity to spend one month volunteering anywhere in the world.
As much as we love our NYC office (and trust us, it’s awesome), here at DoSomething we know how important it is to spread those activist wings, lend our time and skills, and expand our knowledge of social impact by working with other orgs. Our staff return to DoSomething re-energized, equipped with new ideas, and ready to take the org to the next level.
BEN KASSOY
AFRICAN LEADERSHIP ACADEMY, JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
“For my second sabbatical, I worked at the African Leadership Academy (ALA) in Johannesburg, South Africa. ALA is a two-year boarding school for teenagers representing 40 different African countries, and I helped them create a web publication highlighting the writing, photography, and artwork of students, faculty, and alumni.”
MORGAN RICH
BELTLINE PARTNERSHIP, ATLANTA, USA
“I worked with the Beltline Partnership in Atlanta, GA. I helped them organize the office, worked on site during their 5k/8k fun run to celebrate the opening of the Beltline in the West End of Atlanta and consulted on an SMS solution so they could improve engagement with folks using the Beltline.”
GLEB BOUNDIN
“Andela is a software engineering boot camp which trains talented African coders and connects them with opportunities at tech companies around the world. I mostly worked on IT infrastructure improvements at one of their new buildings, some tech support and documentation, and some mentorship around working remotely.”
ANDELA, LAGOS, NIGERIA
AARON SCHACTER
SMART RECOVERY, US & SOUTHEAST ASIA
“I did my sabbatical remotely for an organization called SMART Recovery. I built an iOS app version of a worksheet they give to members to use for addiction recovery. While I was working remotely, my wife and I went backpacking around Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, and Indonesia).”
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STAFF EVENTS: EVEN HEROES NEED A BREAK We tackle serious issues, but we don’t always have to be serious doing it. With parties, bake-offs, spirit days, and more, we’re always looking for a reason to celebrate. Some might even say we’re always ~doing something~.
SPIRIT DAYS
If you were a champion of high school spirit weeks or that person who picks their Halloween costume in January, DoSomething is the place to be. We have a different theme each summer Friday -- everything from “Funky Sock Day” to “Dress Like Your Parents Day.” You might get some odd looks on the subway, but it’s totally worth it for the photo opp.
BAKE-OFFS
If we’ve learned anything from our weekly Bake-Offs, it’s that our staff really knows their way around an oven. Whether it’s mac and cheese or chocolate treats, here’s your chance to channel your inner Gordon Ramsay and show off those culinary skills!
PARTIES
DoSomething turned 26? Host a birthday party. June is Pride Month? Host a Pride party. A staff member is having a child? Host a baby party...er, shower. Basically, we’re always looking for a reason to celebrate our big accomplishments and milestones -- and yes, there will be food!
POWER HOUR
On Fridays we love to celebrate all we’ve accomplished during the week...and get a running start into the weekend. Every week a staffer picks a music theme, and the rest of the office crowdsources the playlist. During the last half-hour of the day, we blast it throughout the office. Our personal favorite theme? Boy bands!
8 DOSOMETHING DOSOMETHING STRATEGIC: OUR STRATEGIC: OUR SECRET WEAPON SECRET WEAPON What is DoSomething’s secret weapon? DoSomething Strategic—our data-driven social impact consultancy arm helping brands and organizations activate their own base of young people using the power of purpose.
We leverage 25+ years of DoSomething expertise and our proprietary behavioral database of over 5 million young people to provide insights brands can’t get access to elsewhere. The best part — 100% of our profits support the work of DoSomething.org to empower more young people to be agents of social good in their communities.
ALLIE WEISS
ASHLEY DAVIS
BRIANA IACIA
Project Manager, DSS
Head of Client Services, DSS
Strategist, DSS
GARRETT RICHARDSON
IRENE PEDRUELO
MARA SPECE
Senior Strategist, DSS
MARY NOEL Director of Business Development, DSS
Director of Research & Insights, DSS
MEREDITH FERGUSON Director, DoSomething Strategic
Lead Strategist, DSS
VALERIA VILLARROEL Senior Strategist, DSS
SOME OF OUR CLIENTS
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PARTNERS: HEROES ARE BETTER IN TEAMS We can’t do it on our own.
And with amazing partners like these, why would we want to? Check out some of the corporate, marketing, and scholarship partners who power our superteam.
RECENT CORPORATE PARTNERS
Together we promote STEM education to inspire students from underrepresented groups to pursue science and math fields.
Together we’re making sure young people are armed with the habits and resources to stay healthy and help others do the same.
We’ve tackled road safety with General Motors and Chevrolet for a number of years, and we’re excited to make an increased impact on seat belt safety and youth driving behavior.
We’ve partnered with the Royal Bank of Canada to develop 21st century skills in communities across the country by improving reading skills and reducing the summer slide.
Our partnership activated thousands of young people to lead conversations with adults about digital citizenship.
We’re inspiring young people to make time for social good in communities across the country.
We’ve partnered with Cotton to promote sustainable and responsible travel to improve the natural and cultural environments of where young people visit.
We’ve joined forces with Twilio to promote onthe-ground volunteer communities through our DoSomething Clubs program.
Together we’re leading the charge to change the negative perceptions of Black beauty to redefine what it means to be Black.
We’re working together to cancel bullying by spreading messages of encouragement and support in schools across the country.
We’ve teamed up to mobilize a movement of young people to empower and inspire friends to fearlessly pursue their passions.
We’ve joined forces for multiple years to help young people fight bullying and celebrate what makes us all unique.
Our Five Actions Challenge activated DoSomething members to tackle a new issue in their community every day -- five days, five ways!
We’re working with NFL Huddle for 100 on their nationwide volunteer effort to not only celebrate their centennial season, but also to get 1,000,000 people to volunteer 100 minutes of their time.
Our partnership, a national campaign on homelessness, helped stock shelters around the country with crucial daily essentials.
Our best friends in the air make sure we get where we need to go.
Together we’re working to eliminate bullying by encouraging young people to shred hate and choose kindness.
RECENT MARKETING PARTNERS
SCHOLARSHIP PARTNERS
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CELEBS & SOCIAL: SUPER, FAMOUS
(RECENT) CELEBS WHO’VE SUPPORTED US!
MARSAI MARTIN
JASON GENAO
DIEGO TINOCO
Little and ABC’s Black-ish Campaign: Treat Yo Friends
Netflix’s On My Block Campaign: Ride & Seek
Netflix’s On My Block Campaign: Friends On Lock
LOGAN BROWNING
GUS KENWORTHY
Netflix’s Dear White People Campaign: Supplies, Sealed, Delivered
Olympics & X Games Freestyle Skier Campaign: Shred Hate
MLB All-Star Campaign: Shred Hate
ALYSON STONER
LACHLAN WATSON
DAMON AND JO
Actor, Singer, Dancer Campaign: Take Back the Prom
Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Campaign: Take Back the Prom
Travel YouTubers Campaign: Green Your Getaway
PETE ALONSO
/dosomething 2.4m likes/follows
@dosomething @dosomethingjobs 755k followers
@dosomething 109k followers
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PRESS: MAKING CHANGE & MAKING HEADLINES From The Daily Bugle to The Daily Planet, superheroes are always making news...when they’re not writing it. And thanks to our gamechanging and world-changing members, DoSomething is making headlines too. Check out some of our recent press!
TEENS ARE BANNED FROM PROM EVERY YEAR BECAUSE THEY’RE LGBTQ OR NON-WHITE, BUT THIS GROUP WANTS TO END THAT IN 2019 “The initiative was inspired by over 1,000 students’ stories in all 50 states about the struggles they’ve faced at their high schools, from being banned at prom due to ethnicity to being required to provide evidence that they’re gay just to bring a date who is the same gender.”
FIGHT FOR ACCEPTANCE IN SCHOOLS AND ‘TAKE BACK THE PROM’ WITH DOSOMETHING AND GLAAD “GLAAD has proudly partnered with DoSomething to ‘Take Back the Prom’; stressing that there is still a concerning number of LGBTQ+ students -- especially those of intersecting identities -- that are discriminated against in schoools.”
DOSOMETHING.ORG WANTS TO MAKE VOTING COOL AGAIN “It does matter when young people see other people voting, other celebrities get involved,” Finger said Wednesday in an interview on Cheddar. “We want to make it cool for young people to get out and vote.”
PROCTER AND GAMBLE WANTS TO REDEFINE THE WORD ‘BLACK’ ““My Black is Beautiful,”...says dictionaries too often prioritize terms such as “evil” or “dirty” over those that describe the word as it relates to identity and skin color. The push is called #RedefineBlack and has a petition on DoSomething.org.”
SPECIAL LGBTQ ISSUE MORE WAYS TO HELP LGBTQ CAUSES “Through this DoSomething campaign, thousands of students have shared their discrimination stories and signed to demand change from schools...”
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VALUES: THE CODE WE LIVE BY
DOSOMETHING.ORG’S 11 CORE VALUES: 1. Passionate about changing the world 2. Live our brand: “Relevant! Inspiring! Never just meh” 3. Fight for the user 4. Believe in ALL young people 5. Take risks & fail fast 6. Data informed 7. Bring your best self and assume everyone else is too 8. We’ll never have all the answers but we’re curious to get them 9. Live and promote our culture of diversity & inclusion 10. Value honest, direct feedback, and strive to improve 11. Have fun & get s*** done
Let’s Do This! Culture Book 2019