If you are a girl (or guy!) and haven’t heard of I Am That Girl, you are seriously missing out! A national organization, IATG identifies itself as “a community, a support system, and a movement inspiring girls to LOVE, EXPRESS, and BE who they are.” With about 100 local chapters scattered across the US, and a huge online community, IATG is reaching thousands of girls every day, teaching them how to feel empowered and how to love themselves.
IATG recognizes that too often, people don’t value themselves for who they are, and instead focus on what they aren’t. It was out of this realization that the Love Me For My Mind grew. The idea behind this campaign is to showcase what we all love about ourselves on social media because often, social media platforms are the first to breed uncertainty and insecurity. Julianna Claase, who is the chapter leader of IATG at Adelphi describes it as a campaign that “challenges all who participate to share a slice of their soul with the world and share what it is that makes you tick, what lights a fire in you, or what makes you feel beautyFULL.” This movement was started by Alli Lindenberg who is the chapter leader of I Am That Girl at Elon University.
Now, how did it reach Adelphi? In Julianna’s own words, “I was lucky enough to become best friends/soul sisters with the chapter leader, Alli, at the IATG retreat this past October and amongst our many conversations, #lovemeformymind is something she shared with me when talking about the awesome things that our chapters are doing. I was blown away by the idea and immediately wanted in.”
Once Julianna shared the idea behind Love Me For My Mind, the members of IATG at Adelphi couldn’t wait for November 1st to take over social media in a positive way. The best part? “People beyond our chapter that are just students and peers of ours joined and participated as well.” said Julianna, “It was living proof that everyone needs more lovin’ on their mind.”
Join the campaign by posting about what makes you feel “beautyFULL” with #LoveMeForMyMind, or come to one of IATG’s meet-ups on Wednesday at 7 pm in Hagedorn 200.
**Photo Credit: I Am That Girl at http://www.iamthatgirl.com, @kayyyhernz on Instagram, @jlombardi on Instagram, @amanda_irachee on Instagram**