music monday + HUGStronger

by zoe

mmmm, the promise of a new week!

(source)

kicking it off with beautiful music always helps wash away those monday blues.

today imma introduce you to phantogram.

i first heard phantogram over the summer when i spent three blissful days at outside lands in san francisco. a friend i was with at the festival loved them and took me to see them. recently, the same friend included them on a CD she made for me. um.

i’m hooked.

the band consists of two people, a man and a woman. they’re flipping awesome. i’ll start you off with the first song i ever heard and let you adventure a little more if you choose to. (choose to).

MOUTHFUL OF DIAMONDS :: PHANTOGRAM

before i wrap up and wish you a pleasant monday, i want to share something else. over the weekend a reader named kaleigh e-mailed me about blog community she started for young women in college: HUGStronger. i took a peek around the site and all i have to say is this: i wish i had a community like HUGStronger when i was in school!

instead of me trying to sum up what HUGStronger stands for, i will allow kaleigh’s own words to explain:

Kaleigh Somers’s college years were plagued by periods of personal doubt and depression, issues with body image, and academic obsessions.

To help empower college students and reassure them that they are not alone in their struggles, be those personal, professional, academic, or athletic, she developed HUGstronger, a content-driven blog community that operates on the belief that honest, authentic storytelling can change the world. The site categorizes posts into relationship struggles, being away from home, health issues, fitting in, academics, and letters to undergraduates in the same field of study.

HUGstronger launched on January 9, 2012 with a team of more than twenty writers. Updated daily, the site continues to drive new visitors as it reaches across the country—Michigan and Iowa, New York and Georgia—and across the globe—Australia, the United Kingdom, India and the Philippines.

“My close friends from home and school were struggling with extreme dieting, sexual promiscuity, panic disorders and suicidal thoughts,” says founder Kaleigh Somers. “I couldn’t sit back and let that drive their college experiences, and I knew empowered storytelling could change that.”

In just ten years, the number of women battling anorexia has increased by more than 75 percent. In the last year alone, bullying-related suicide has dominated the national news. Depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues are rising at dramatic rates. Now, more than ever, undergrads need support.

The HUGstronger team believes young adults need to rise up against the biggest issues they face, but first they must know the team is here, extending a hand, offering them a virtual hug.

On January 30, HUGstronger launched a campaign on IndieGoGo to increase marketing efforts and pay for site redesign costs. Within a week, the team had already raised more than a third of its goal and donations continue to flood in.

College-aged individuals can read informative, empowering posts by like-minded individuals at http://www.hugstronger.com . They can also submit their stories , share how they’ve helped others grow since coming to college, and join the HUGstronger team .

HUGstronger continues to seek new writers to join the team and contribute on a one-time or regular basis. The more stories shared, the more likely readers will connect with the team and its mission.

can we talk about amazing people? because kaleigh is definitely one of them. a lot of girls and young women struggle silently in college. we feel disconnected and isolated in our problems. we don’t know how to speak up and speak out. kaleigh has not only created a platform for this, but a community as well. you’ll find people to connect with, people to share with, people who understand. take a look around HUGStronger. fight for what you believe in and fight against all you don’t. doing it with other people makes the cause that much stronger.

one more time for good measure: HUGStronger.

have a lovely monday!

namaste

zoe

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