About Us:
Heart Yourself is a collaborative transmedia project developed and curated by four masters students in the University of Oregon’s multimedia journalism and strategic communication programs. Our goal is to create a sense of empowerment in girls and young women through inspirational videos, pictures and blogs on the web and foster serious conversation about the issues they face in today’s society. We encourage girls to upload their own content to the site in the hope that it will gain a “life of its own” though user-generated content.
Mission Statement/Vision:
Girls and young women face tremendous pressure from the media and their peers to look a certain way, act a certain way and purchase certain brands. We want young women to realize they are independent from these influences and free to decide how to look and feel based on what makes them happy. We understand this is not an easy proposition, and the vast power of corporations and advertisers to influence choices can be overwhelming. Knowing full well these challenges, we hope to promote an environment where girls are comfortable with their bodies and their appearances, speak their minds on issues that are important to them and, of course, heart themselves.
We envision a world where girls and young women are free from outside influence to pursue own sense of meaning and happiness. A world where young women are empowered to make up their own minds about what’s important to them and set goals for their future. A world where opportunities are based on merit and hard work, not gender. And finally, a world where loving yourself is the true secret to happiness success.