I end most of my emails with the words “With Gratitude.” This is not only to show my genuine appreciation to whomever I am writing, but to remind myself that I am grateful. At a time when so much of the news is overwhelmingly negative and the challenges we face both economic and environmental are very real, there is much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving week.
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Democracy held firm
We just went through a highly anticipated and consequential midterm election. With very few exceptions, that the candidates who lost their elections admitted defeat is not something to take for granted. As Rep. Tim Ryan said when he conceded the Ohio Senate race To J.D. Vance, “the way this country operates is that when you lose an election, you concede.” Voters rejected Secretary of State candidates who denied the results of the 2020 Presidential election in the battleground states of Arizona, Nevada, and Michigan.
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Young people are making their presence felt
Seeing the engagement and passion of young adults gives me hope for the future. The first member of Gen Z elected to Congress, 25-year-old Maxwell Frost, isn’t the only young person who cares about politics. An estimated 27% of voters between the ages of 18-29 cast a ballot in the midterms. While not as high as it could be, it’s the second highest youth voter turnout in almost three decades. Youth interest in the world also extends to retail where according to Small Business Trends, Gen Z and Millennials are more likely to see consumerism as activism, do homework on the companies they buy goods from and embrace second hand retail.
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Nonprofits are determined to help
Economic challenges are not deterring nonprofits from helping those in need. Teak Media is lucky enough to work with several nonprofits that show inspiring persistence, creativity, and heart to make a difference in the causes they support, which include ending food insecurity, mitigating the effects of climate change and reducing gang violence and urban poverty. Also, despite concerns about inflation, people are still willing to give. The Why America Gives 2022 report found 90% of those who responded plan to donate the same or more in 2022 than last year.
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Community media heroes are emerging
Although the local media landscape is shrinking, there have been some bright spots. Nonprofit news outlets, which generate revenue from grants and donations, are on the rise. The Institute for Nonprofit News says local nonprofit news outlets are launching at an average of one per month, with 14 starting in 2021, bringing the total to 66 outlets launching since 2017. A quarter of them are focused on covering communities of color. To keep local outlets from disappearing, CherryRoad Media expanded to 79 newspapers in 14 states, including four papers in Massachusetts they bought this year: The Landmark, The Leominster Champion, The Millbury-Sutton Chronicle and the Grafton News. The organization is vowing to protect local journalism with one executive saying, “You’re not seeing the same article that is running in 20 papers. It’s about your hometown community news.”
Recognizing and acknowledging gratitude is not only the right thing to do, research has shown giving thanks can improve your mental and physical health as well as your relationships. One study split a group in half and had half write thank you letters every day for a month and the other reflect on negative experiences. The group that wrote notes of gratitude reported lasting improvements in their mental health. On a personal note, I’m grateful to have the support of family, friends, and colleagues as well as the ability to do work that fulfills me both economically and personally. Thank you for reading this.
