Change It Up

Welcome to episode 17!This week Sara sits down with the fantastic founders of the Cookie Jar App Lis & Hans to discuss their process of creating, launching and running their social impact startup. Based on the positive psychology technique 'cookie jar' the app allows you to create cookie jars for yourself or with your friends to capture moments of joy, that you can return to to get a boost of postive neurotransmitters and emotions. We chat about their personal mental health journeys and relationship with social media and how it inspired them to create the app and company as well as the lessons from running a digital platform of young people with employees all over the world. Tag along for a hearty, fun and inspiring conversation!Get in touch with Lis and HansDownload the app here: Appstore PlaystoreHead to Cookie Jar Moments website hereFollow Cookie Jar on Insta hereWant more from the Humanity Up fam?Follow Humanity Up on Insta here Head to our website here Preorder our merchandise here Apply to our 2022 (starts May) ambassador program hereFollow Sara on Insta hereThis podcast was brought to you by Humanity Up and hosted and produced by Sara Gustafson#changeitup

Welcome to episode 16 of Change It Up!This week Sara is joined by four of our amazing 2021 ambassadors Millie, Godwin Kevin, Vaidehi and Kico to chat about their experience of the ambassador program, their journeys and their best advise for aspiring ambassadors and young change makers. Godwin Kevin is an 18 year old from Calabar, Cross River State in Nigeri. He's north star is to empower young african leaders and changemakers all over the african continent and inspire them to create extraordinary social impact in their communities and the world at large.His organization INSPIRE FOR GREATNESS was founded in 2018 his organization identifies connects and empowers young african leaders and changemakers with impactful Global Changemakers, Leaders, Entrepreneurs, CEOs, Scholars, Leaders, Sports People, Scientists, and Health Professionals from around the world, who provide Proffesional and personal mentorship in our various programs. Through his organization Godwin has impacted over 1500+ youths from over 7 countries which include (Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Egypt, and Tunisia.Millicent is a 17 year old mental health activist from the UK. After struggling with her own mental health she started an online presence called Our Happy Notes where she posts pictures of the notes she leaves in public for people to find with positive messages on them. Over time she has moved into mental health awareness and advocacy; she hopes to destigmatise mental health and provide hope in order to create change. Besides mental health she's also passionate about theatre, acting and writing.Vaidehi is a 22 year old mental health advocate from India. She raises awareness about women’s safety issues, support sexual assault victims and create conceptual content on the internet & indulge in icecreams:). She believes we all shift the world a little bit with our choices and strives to make better ones everyday.Kico is a 20-year-old student born and raised in Myanmar. Growing up in a very poor country immensely shaped his vision for the world. Every time he would leave his home to go abroad either for holiday, it felt like he would be leaving one world for another. When he left Myanmar to study abroad at14, it was only then he realized despite living on one Earth, many people live in completely different worlds. His dream is to bring all those different world's together and see what people can create when united together. To see what humanity can do when they come together and see what miracles we can achieve.Want more from the Humanity Up fam?Follow Humanity Up on Insta here Head to our website here Preorder our merchandise here Apply to our 2022 (starts May) ambassador program hereFollow Sara on Insta hereThis podcast was brought to you by Humanity Up and hosted and produced by Sara Gustafson#changeitup

Welcome to episode 15!This episode features the amazing award-winning poet, artist and activist Fanta Ballo. As a true harlem native Fanta speaks to the heart of the experience of what it feels like to be young and growing up in today's world. In 2020 she became the first ever recipient of the Shawn Mendes Foundation's Wonder Grant to finish her amazing book of poetry "For All the Things I Never Got to Say". The grant is awarded to “young changemakers and creatives using their voices, visions & abilities to make positive change in the world,”. Besides teaching poetry to kids in her local community, she wants to create financial literacy classes for young people and she's finishing up her first album of spoken poetry, which we can't wait to get our hands on!This episode Fanta shares her journey and process from starting writing as a kid to studying economics, winning the Wonder Grant and taking the leap to own her truth and become a full time artist. We also get into the importance of having a supportive community and how to create one, the intersection between art and activism and all her best tips and advice for young artists and activist.This conversation is a real treat with a truly inspiring and extraordinary human being!Get in touch with FantaHead to Fanta's website hereFollow Fanta on Insta hereBuy "For All the Things I Never Got to Say" here and hereWant more from the Humanity Up fam?Follow Humanity Up on Insta here Head to our website here Preorder our merchandise here Apply to our 2022 (starts May) ambassador program hereFollow Sara on Insta here This podcast was brought to you by Humanity Up and hosted and produced by Sara Gustafson#changeitup

Welcome to ep. 13!This week we have invited to of our fellow founding team members, Cassidy and Alex, on the podcast to chat about the story of our platform and our ambassador program, what we see as the greatest challenges our generation is facing, what we have learned along the way as young activists and social entrepreneurs, our best advice and so much more. Get ready to get a real scoop and insight into the quirky, hilarious and somehow magically powerful dynamic that is our team!Want more from the Humanity Up fam?Follow Humanity Up on Insta here Head to our website here Preorder our merchandise here   Apply to our ambassador program here    Follow Sara on Insta hereThis podcast was brought to you by Humanity Up and hosted and produced by Sara Gustafson#changeitup

Welcome to episode 12! This week Sara sits down with the founder and CEO of Thred Jenk Oz to chat about his journey and the behinds the scenes of Thred as well as hoe social media activism is not a scam, but has shown to provide ground for real social impact and change. Thred is a multimedia platform catered to Gen z's covering all aspects of youth culture through the lens of social change. Named the youngest CEO in the UK Jenk launched the platform iCoolKid in 2017 at age 11 which transitioned into Thred in 2019. Thred reaches young people in 150+ countries and has been awarded numeral awards including an International Davey Award. Jenk is a member of the Google Z-Council, Oracle for Startups, Microsoft Surface young entrepreneur team and The Knowledge Society (TKS) and has been featured in 250+ articles including Forbes, Business Insider, Oracle for Startups as well as having won several awards including the Diana Award Honour Role 2021, Top 100 Digital Leaders 202. What we, however, found most inspiring about him and his story was how he has been able to capture the multi-passionate aspect of himself and our generation and utilise it to create a coherent and powerful platform and community. Get in touch with Jenk Follow Jenk on Insta here Follow Thred on Insta here Head to Jenk's website here Head to Thred's website here Want more from the Humanity Up fam? Follow Humanity Up on Insta here  Head to our website here    Preorder our merchandise here    Apply to our ambassador program here    Follow Sara on Insta here This podcast was brought to you by Humanity Up and hosted and produced by Sara Gustafson #changeitup

Tag along for episode 11 of Change It Up. This week Sara sits down with mental health activist and founder of the Philippine youth-lead mental health organisation Talang Dalisay, which has grown into a global branch called My State Of Mind. Macy has worked with different commiunites and organisations globally to combat the stigma surrounding mental health conditions and support young people with dealing with mental health issues  in marginalised communities. We chat about the behind the scenes of how and why she stated the organisation and the journey she's been on since to grow it into a global community and network.  Get in touch with Macy Head to My State of Mind's website here  Follow My State of Mind on Instagram here Head to Talang Dalisay's website here Follow Talang Dalisay on Instagram here Follow Macy on Instagram here Want more from the Humanity Up fam? Follow Humanity Up on Insta here    Head to our website here    Preorder our merchandise here    Apply to our ambassador program here    Follow Sara on Insta here This podcast was brought to you by Humanity Up and hosted and produced by Sara Gustafson #changeitup

Welcome to episode 10 of Change It Up! This week Sara sits down with the amazing photographer, activist and founder of the renowned photo campaign Cheer Up Luv. The campaign retells accounts of sexual harassment. Each photo reflects the location and harassment the subjects experienced and acts as a stage to speak up about their experience and reclaim the space. Starting in London in 2017 the campaign has spread globally and has been featured in media such as ELLE, Dazed and The Guardian and partnered up with organisations such as UN Women, Apple and The BBC. But above all else it aims at tackling the normalisation surrounding sexual harassment and creating a community for those who don't have a public voice. Get in touch with Eliza Follow Cheer Up Luv on Instagram here Follow Eliza on Instagram here Head to Cheer Up Luv's website here Head to Eliza's website here Want more from the Humanity Up fam? Follow Humanity Up on Insta here   Head to our website here   Preorder our merchandise here   Apply to our ambassador program here   Follow Sara on Insta here This podcast was brought to you by Humanity Up and hosted and produced by Sara Gustafson #changeitup

Welcome to episode 9; tag along for an inspiring and immersive conversation about daring to speak up about some of the worlds most systemic issues and finding solutions for them. This week Sara sits down with CEO and founder of Helena, Henry Elkus. Whilst a sophomore at Yale University Henry find himself pondering over how to find solutions to the critical societal problems we face in the 21st century and the future. After dropping out he founded Helena, a problem solving organisation focused on creating these solutions through exceptional and collaborative projects and by engaging and connecting different leaders in their fields, Helena Members. Helena members include Nobel prize literates, fortune 100 CEO's, Academy Award winners and more. In the conversation Henry lets us in on how he founded and grew his organisation and connected with so many leading voices in various fields. We chat about the key question he asked them, what he sees as the greatest challenges and significance of our current time, America In One Room, his best advice for his fellow young people and the joy and power of reading. Get in touch with Henry Follow Helena on Instagram here Head to Helena's website here Check out Henry's reading Instagram here Check out Helena's members here  Want more from the Humanity Up fam? Follow Humanity Up on Insta here   Head to our website here   Preorder our merchandise here   Apply to our ambassador program here   Follow Sara on Insta here This podcast was brought to you by Humanity Up and hosted and produced by Sara Gustafson #changeitup