It Starts With Us

Welcome back to another month at akitabandoutarou. As we gear up for the holidays, it’s pretty hard to believe that we are fast approaching one year of service to our community. Every month this year has given akitabandoutarou the opportunity to work with new people who are making a positive impact on the world and their surrounding community. We continue to be inspired by the generosity and spirit of service of the people we meet and work with each month. 

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, this brand is taking time to be extra thankful. We are thankful to the leadership within the organizations we partner with. It is such a pleasure to connect with such inspiring people, and building those bridges allows us to grow our audience and increase our impact. We are also incredibly thankful to those of you who have donated and made purchases on the website to help support these changemakers in our community. 

While akitabandoutarou takes a little extra time to give thanks this month, we also encourage our followers and supporters to do the same. We see akitabandoutarou as a community of like-minded people, who see the importance of interconnectedness in the community. This brand aspires to continue to expand our reach and to give back to the people around us, the other members of this tribe. 

Merging Positivity with Creativity

This month’s partner is an incredible organization that has evolved significantly in the ten years since its inception. Mirror Image Arts was founded in 2008 with the mission to encourage a positive body image and self-worth by creating an emotional connection through performance. The organization’s goal was to discourage eating disorders by giving youth a positive channel to express themselves: theater. Through performance, young people are able to send a message and share a story.

With bullying being at the root of these self-destructive behaviors, Mirror Image Arts made it their mission to encourage social-emotional learning through theater. In 2013 they shifted their mission to “use theater as language to inspire dialogue, encourage awareness and promote action in order to build a strong, compassionate and empowered community.”

Today, Mirror Image Arts continues to connect with young people to empower them to use their voice to make a change. They’ve developed programs to help youths connect with one another and grow. With in-school theater, community theater, and professional development programs designed to increase belongingness, esteem, and self-actualization.

Watching the Impact

akitabandoutarou connected with Maya Osterman Van-Grack,  the Program & Partnerships Director at Mirror Image Arts, to learn more about the organization and how it is impacting the community. Maya became involved with Mirror Image Arts four years ago upon moving to Colorado. She really connected with the organization’s artistic vision.

Photo Credit: Jamey Rabold

Maya shared with us when she really began to feel that she was making an impact. Her reflection gave us a very clear vision of the ability of this wonderful organization to make a change.

"My very first program as a contracted facilitator. I had two weeks to learn the curriculum and when I showed up at my first recreation center to lead a program I saw the immediate impact it had on the youth. They got more comfortable moving in their bodies, activating their voices, and sharing stories with each other. Every program since then is a constant reminder of why I do what I do; of how imperative it is for youth to have safe spaces to share their thoughts and feelings, to discover who they are and who they want to be."

Since the organization's rebirth in 2013 they have developed over 159 programs and connected with almost 4000 youth in Colorado. There is no denying the positive influence Mirror Image Arts has had on young people. We at akitabandoutarou have been moved and inspired by the advances this organization has made, as well as all of the young lives that have been touched, and maybe even saved, through Mirror Image Arts programming.

Looking to the Future

With a focus on your people, the positive impact of Mirror Image Arts will continue for years to come. However, the benefits of the program expands beyond just working with youths. Maya confirmed that the future is bright for this organization, “We want to ensure we continue to bring high quality, intentional programming to as many youth and the adults who work with youth as we can. I have dreams of Restorative Theatre running in every residential facility in Colorado along with a robust re-entry program with wrap around services to support true reintegration into the community.”

Photo Credit: Jamey Rabold

Mirror Image Arts continues to evaluate the needs of the community, in order to structure their programs to meet the needs of those involved. As they restructure their five year plan, their mission remains the same: to encourage social-emotional learning and empower young people.

Show Your Support

As always, akitabandoutarou has worked with Mirror Image Arts to design custom t-shirts in support of the November’s partnership. With the purchase of one of our designs, not only are you raising awareness for this fabulous nonprofit, but 50% of your purchase goes directly to Mirror Image Arts. Plus 6% of the total profits from all of the items sold on akitabandoutarou site in the month of November will also be donated to this amazing organization, allowing one youth participate in our Restorative Theatre 8 week Improvisation program for free.

In addition to a percentage of your purchase going directly to the organization, by wearing the Mirror Image Arts t-shirt you share their mission, and increase community knowledge of the impact this amazing organization has. 

If you know of a youth who might benefit from participating in Mirror Image Arts, you can get involved on their website. If you’re looking for more ways to give this nonprofit there are many ways to show your support:

• Donate directly to Mirror Image Arts via their website.
• Volunteer your time to be a part of their team.
• Show your support on social media by following along.
• Attend one of their performances or events.
• Get your tickets to their annual fundraising Gala.

Wrapping Up

As always we here at akitabandoutarou, could not be more happy to have your support. By following along on facebook you enable yourself to spread our mission of inspiring confidence and unity. You can also learn more about our monthly partners as well as new products on our website. Show us a little extra support by tagging #repthe6th on Instagram for a chance to be featured on our social media pages. 

Engaging with us, you become a true member of our tribe, and together we play an increasing role in making our community a better place. If you feel especially connected to one of our monthly causes, please share our blogs and social media posts, to enable us to give back more.

We hope you’ll take a minute to check out the Cause Collection on our website for new merchandise that supports nonprofits each month. Our goal is to inspire others to think about how they can improve not only their community, but the world as a whole. Together we are more powerful, and this month especially, we are so grateful and thankful to all of you!

As always, if you would like to submit an organization that could benefit from a partnership, we encourage you to let us know in the comments below. You can also reach us directly here. 

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

One Team. Together. One Tribe!