Shining The Light On Our Youth Ambassadors
At Gabriel’s Light, we welcome and rely on collaboration and support from others to achieve our mission. Our Youth Ambassador program is a perfect example of this.
Participants in one of our Youth Ambassador programs will learn about Gabriel’s Light and work with us to forward our mission, but they also help us to learn about the demographic we strive to reach: tweens and teens.
Our Spring 2021 Youth Ambassadors learned about viral social media campaigns and then collaborated to come up with one for Gabriel’s Light. Our #ShineTheLight campaign was born. The campaign encourages youth, or anyone really, to spread kindness and #ShineTheLight on friends or family on social media, spreading compliments and love their way.
Now its our turn to #ShineTheLight on them, our dedicated Youth Ambassadors, and the work they’ve done to help spread our mission!
Fall 2021 Social Media Youth Ambassadors
#ShineTheLight on Suicide Prevention
This fall’s high school aged Youth Ambassadors helped us extend our social media campaign. In September, to coincide with National Suicude Prevention Awareness Month, our high school ambassadors helped us to #ShineTheLight on Suicide Prevention. In addition to learning about Gabriel’s Light, our mission, and some basic branding principles; they learned the warning signs of suicide, how to help someone at risk, and how to encourage others to do the same. They took this information and ran with it, announcing their role as a Youth Ambassador for Gabriel’s Light on their own social media channels and reaching their peers by posting potenitally life-saving messages focused on suicide prevention. Thousands of young people have been reached through our amazing Social Media Youth Ambassadors. THANK YOU, Youth Ambassadors, for using your social media for good!
Fall 2021 Social Media Youth Ambassadors
#ShineTheLight on Kindness
October is National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month and our Fall Youth Ambassadors have been helping to #ShineTheLight on Kindness. Our aim is to determine new ways to reach kids and encourage kindness to themselves and others as a means to improve wellbeing. We once again turned to our high school aged Youth Ambassadors to help us come up with ways to spread kindness throughout October and they did not disappoint! In addition to posting on social media, with their help, we came up with three tools our ambassadors could use throughout the month: 1) fill out a “compliment card” to post on social media OR tuck a printed version into their friends lockers or backpacks, 2) complete their “Kindness Bingo” card by checking off acts of kindness, and 3) tack up posters in their school lockers, bathrooms, bulletin boards, wherever! to help remind their peers to spread a little kindness. THANK YOU, Youth Ambassadors, for spreading a little kindness this month!
Summer 2021 Youth Ambassadors - Plan a Fundraiser
We are so impressed with our summer Youth Ambassadors and the fundraisers they conducted for Gabriel's Light! The ambassadors ranged in age from 9 to 17. Some put together events such as car washes, lemonade stands, bake sales and even organized a fun run! Others sold handcrafted items like bracelets, tie dyed sweatshirts, purses made from vintage clothing, and #ShineTheLight water bottles. Participating youth learned skills integral in planning and executing a fundraiser, taught people about the importance of our mission, and raised money for Gabriel's Light. Together our summer Youth Ambassadors raised almost $4,000. What a success! THANK YOU, Summer Youth Ambassadors, for your creativity and hard work!
Help us #ShineTheLight and save lives! You can also find more information about our Youth Ambassador Program here.
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About Gabriel's Light
In 2019, Carol and Brendan Deely founded Gabriel’s Light in honor of their son who died by suicide at age 12. In honor of Gabe and all those lost to suicide, they share their journey with the hope that others may learn and grow from their tragedy. Focusing on three pillars of cyber safety, suicide prevention, and kindness campaigns, through outreach, programs, partnerships, and funding, they raise awareness and inspire youth, parents, and educators to take action and help forward their mission.