The I'm Not My Project
The I’m Not My Project
By: Maddy Rambeau
The I’m Not My Project
By: Maddy Rambeau
The mental health community has been an extremely popular and rather controversial topic this year. Mental health has been brought up when discussing privilege, gun violence and control, feminism and positivity, and is a big part of the 2016 presidential campaigns. I decided to write about a new project that is beginning to make an impact in the mental health community: The I’m Not My Project.
The I’m Not My Project (let’s shorten it to TINMP for the sake of my tired typing fingers) was founded by Amrit Abbasi. She is 17 years old and is from Washington, United States. She has built this project to reach the point it is at now and continues to work to get it to grow even bigger! Amrit is a passionate mental health advocate and intersectional feminist. You can contact her at amritabbasi@icloud.com. Amrit hopes that TINMP will help people come to realize that we are not our mental illnesses (hence where the words “I’m Not My” come from).
The I’m Not My Project (let’s shorten it to TINMP for the sake of my tired typing fingers) was founded by Amrit Abbasi. She is 17 years old and is from Washington, United States. She has built this project to reach the point it is at now and continues to work to get it to grow even bigger! Amrit is a passionate mental health advocate and intersectional feminist. You can contact her at amritabbasi@icloud.com. Amrit hopes that TINMP will help people come to realize that we are not our mental illnesses (hence where the words “I’m Not My” come from).
TINMP is only roughly 6 months old, but it already has a Youtube channel, website (complete with an online magazine), Twibbon campaign, Google+, Twitter (with its own hashtag - #ImNotMy), Tumblr, and Instagram. TINMP works to erase the stigmas around mental illnesses, raise awareness, and spread positivity throughout the mental health community.
One way TINMP achieves their goals is through their online magazine, Abossytalks. Abossytalks consists of articles about mental health issues. The objective of the magazine is to provide an outlet for people to share their opinion pieces/research articles and also to help educate those that don't know much about mental illnesses. It started as Amrit's personal blog, but she decided to open it up to others so that they could incorporate their ideas and also to begin the evolution of an online magazine. Article submissions or ideas are always welcome.
Another way TINMP fulfills their purpose is through collective stories of chosen participant's individual battles. Selected participants come forward and share their stories about their struggles with mental illness. In doing this, it causes people to let go of the shame and embarrassment they feel from dealing with their mental illness. To be selected, you have to fill out the submission form found on TINMP’s website. Each month, 2-4 people are picked. If you are selected, this is what you should expect to happen throughout the month you have been picked for: Amrit will get to know you personally. This takes place through texting, calling, Skyping, and/or FaceTiming.
Although Amrit may ask you questions about your struggle with mental illness, this is in no way a "close up" on your mental illness, but rather how you are not your mental illness (“I’m Not My”). You will also be added into a group chat with Amrit, Maddy Rambeau (whose contributions to TINMP include Youtube videos, editing, articles, managing TINMP’s social media accounts, and ideas), and the other people that have been picked for that month as well. This project is all about you and your story, Amrit will have been taking notes the entire time she was getting to know you. She works hard to share your story to the best of her ability. You will have complete say over what Amrit writes, so don't worry about your story being twisted in a way that you are uncomfortable with. Once your month is over, Amrit hopes to continue contacting you and keeping the friendship alive. This is a fantastic way to gain new friends who struggle with mental illness just like you do and to make a difference by sharing your story.
Although Amrit may ask you questions about your struggle with mental illness, this is in no way a "close up" on your mental illness, but rather how you are not your mental illness (“I’m Not My”). You will also be added into a group chat with Amrit, Maddy Rambeau (whose contributions to TINMP include Youtube videos, editing, articles, managing TINMP’s social media accounts, and ideas), and the other people that have been picked for that month as well. This project is all about you and your story, Amrit will have been taking notes the entire time she was getting to know you. She works hard to share your story to the best of her ability. You will have complete say over what Amrit writes, so don't worry about your story being twisted in a way that you are uncomfortable with. Once your month is over, Amrit hopes to continue contacting you and keeping the friendship alive. This is a fantastic way to gain new friends who struggle with mental illness just like you do and to make a difference by sharing your story.
Yet another part of TINMP is their Youtube channel. You can apply to be a Youtuber through the submissions form on TINMP’s website. The Youtube channel is devoted to educating others on mental health issues through their videos. There is a separate group chat for the Youtube team (Amrit and Maddy included). This is an excellent way to literally use your voice to make an impact in the mental health community and gain strong friendships along the way. Submissions for ideas and topics for videos are always welcome.
As you can tell, this project covers multiple platforms. There are many other ways to get involved if you don’t want to be a Youtuber, contribute your personal story, or write an article. You can support TINMP by following them online (social medias, website, etc..), I mentioned all of their accounts in paragraph 3 of this article. Once you follow them, continue to show your support by sharing their posts and spreading their message to others. You can also support TINMP through their Twibbon campaign, which allows you to add their logo onto your profile picture. You can advocate for the mental health community by signing a petition Amrit and Maddy made for reformation of the standards of care for the mentally ill. Another easy way to get involved is by using the tag #ImNotMy to share your stories, combat stigmas, and spread positivity through quotes, pictures, and even body/mental health posi's. I encourage everyone to use this tag on social media. Pictures (body posi's, selfies, etc..), gifs, videos, quotes, and essentially anything else that can promote positivity and inspire others are welcome. Spread love. We all need it. You can find featured #ImNotMy tweets on TINMP’s website and they often retweet/follow those who use the tag!
“Part of combatting the stigma around mental illness is talking about your experiences with it. This project is open to anyone and everyone who has ever struggled with mental illness. The idea
behind it is to get the entire mental health community to get together and start talking. Here's your chance to shine. We'll make them listen.” - Amrit Abbasi.
Important I’m Not My Project links:
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