Looking Back on 10 Years of Mental Health Advocacy
Over ten years ago in February 2014 Dear Hope was started as a project in college and grew into something so much more.
By the end of it’s main run in 2019, the site had been visited by over 100,000 people. I was interviewed by Germ Magazine and The Mighty. I spoke at Mental Health Americas 2016 Conference in Virginia and at Westfield State University. I collaborated with MTV’s Real World star Sabrina Kennedy on a music video. I had been inspired and moved by voices and creations of people from around the world.
I remember struggling with the praise the site received back then. Trying to imagine a room full of thousands of people, and knowing that was the audience for each new post, was hard to comprehend. I look back at the headspace I was in and some of the pieces I wrote and can’t help but be proud of how far I, and so many people I met, have come since then.
Dear Hope taught me a lot about myself, the creative process, building sites and community, and truly connecting with people. It’s a testament to the fact that if you make meaningful content, the audience will be there.
The site still remains up today and has archived all of the posts and submissions from around the world.
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