The Kids and Covid: A Good News Mailer

We don’t know about you, but we’re loving the recent wave of celebrating good news (especially about the kids and Covid). Our media landscape is warped to focus on negativity, as news outlets fight to harvest our clicks by stoking outrage and shock. The last few months have only intensified these tendencies, making social media and the news even more toxic than normal. We’re getting burnt out just trying to keep up.

So, we’re here to highlight inspiring stories that have slipped through the cracks. Good things are happening every day all over the world, and with over 500,000 people recovered from COVID-19, we think it’s time to focus on the positive side. We encourage you to seek out the good news in your own life and rescue yourself from slipping into the dismal – goodness is ready to be found for those who seek it.

With the sudden change of pace in our lives, many have started directing their energy to use their resources, skills, and time for the common good. In England, the National Health Service received over 750,000 applications for Volunteer Responders. A figure that is three times their anticipated number of applicants, they’ve temporarily paused recruitment to process the sheer number of inquiries. A community organization executive, Jackie Rosenberg, says this rush to help out “is about people trying to get a degree of agency and control in their life when they feel so helpless. Somehow, staying at home, even though that is the main thing you can do to help, does not feel enough.”

Across the pond in New York, a small group of creatives organized the relief effort, Pictures for Elmhurst, inspired by the crowdfunding program in Italy, 100 FOTOGRAFI PER BERGAMO, which raised almost $750,000. Pictures for Elmhurst sold prints from 187 New York photographers, like Tyler Mitchell, Petra Collins, and Ethan James Green, and donated over $1.3 million to the heavily-impacted Elmhurst Hospital in Queens. These are but a few examples of initiatives, both big government-run and small independents, that are popping up everywhere and doing what they can. Whether it’s sewing masks for essential workers or offering to pick up groceries for elderly neighbors, this burst of neighborly support can be felt at all levels of society.

Mother nature is certainly taking some R&R right now, as in Recovery & Restoration. With 2020 set to see the biggest dip in CO2 emissions since WWII, the environment has the chance to flourish a little harder without all the human interaction. Wildlife has taken over national parks, with bear populations quadrupling in Yosemite, California and lion prides napping on roads in Kruger National Park, South Africa. Green trees have returned to Wuhan, China and the canals of Venice, Italy are seeing clear water and schools of fish once again. Even in manmade settings, wildlife is getting a little more comfortable with fewer humans around. In a Hong Kong zoo, Ying Ying and Le Le–two pandas who had lived together for 13 years with no success–finally mated, and we’re happy for them.

It’s a difficult time to engage as a brand, which is why the ones who are doing it right have caught our attention. Ford quickly collaborated with GE Healthcare and 3M to begin producing ventilators and other healthcare equipment, while also tailoring their media strategy towards informing Ford owners about car payment relief programs, rather than promoting new models.

Nike is another stand-out example, whose donations to local organizations in their HQ state of Oregon now exceed $17 million. But by also offering free access to their in-house training programs, Nike is showing up for the community they’ve established since their beginning – asking them to play inside, play for the world.

The music industry often responds to the public need for respite in difficult times with truly monumental gestures, and last weekend’s digital mega-music festival, One World: Together at Home, was no different. The 6-hour concert featured a vast collective of musicians and talent from around the world. Curated by Lady Gaga, and in partnership with Global Citizen and the World Health Organization, the live-stream concert raised a staggering $127 million for frontline healthcare workers. Contributions like these have a huge impact in providing societal relief, but also in bringing some much needed cultural stimulation to make these anxious times just a little bit easier.

These are just a handful of the stories that have brought us joy in the past few weeks, but sometimes the best joy comes from the perfect viral moment. These photos of Mashi the Pomeranian’s…ahem, terrible at-home haircut–done by London-based fashion influencer and our Aussie friend, Hermione Olivia–were everywhere from Channel 7 Sydney to the New York Post. Mashi is showing us that even with our awkward quarantine cuts, we can still feel cute.

Now, we turn it over to you. Where are you finding positivity at this moment? Let us know at our IG or info@theprojects.com.

Lots of love,

the projects*