Nonprofit Spotlight: LookUp

Giving

In August 2021, PennyLoafer donors collectively gave to LookUp!

The Rundown

Years founded: 2019
Leadership: the founder, Susan Reynolds, is a former teacher with 20+ years experience in digital wellbeing, mindfulness and youth leadership. Read more about the team.
Issue they address: young people (notably Gen Z) are experiencing burn out, anxiety, loneliness and more fueled by digital overload, 24/7 connectivity and social media.
What they do: support youth-designed solutions for tech/life balance.
How they do it:

StartUp Grant Competition: they find, fund and mentor young social innovators to develop their solutions to the youth mental health crisis through digital wellbeing and ethical technologies.
Leadership Lab: skills development for young social innovators and youth leaders to spark social change.
Create online hubs and spaces for youth to connect, advocate and mobilize, including their global gathering called Youth4Youth iSummit.

Why they were chosen

It’s a newer nonprofit that takes a unique approach to youth mental health. I love how they center youth voice, believing that young adults have the answers to the complex digital issues that face them. And they foster social entrepreneurship and innovation. Rock on, Gen Z save us all from doom scrolling.

For more, check out LookUp’s 2021 Grant Project Winners

Learning

Stats on Stats

On average, Americans spend over 4 hours on their mobile devices a day
We check our smart phones an average of 58 times per day
44% of adults under 50 years old report they go online “almost constantly”

Is this impacting our mental health?

We don’t know yet. However, it’s important to remember that how we use technology can determine what impact it has on our health (i.e. are we connecting with loved ones, or staring at a picture of a girl we used to work with on a yacht for her bachelorette).

If you enjoyed this and want to get involved, you can support the Mental Health cause on PennyLoafer, starting with as little as $5/month. Each month, you’ll support and learn about a different nonprofit working to make the world a healthier place.