ABOUT I Am Acceptance
Since 2016. I Am Acceptance has been normalizing the conversation surrounding mental health.
I Am Acceptance is dedicated to empowering students to recognize their mental health as a priority and to normalize conversations surrounding mental health and wellness. I Am Acceptance has impacted over 20 campuses and thousands of students’ lives within the United States. The organization’s mission is to empower the next generation with emotional literacy and life skills needed for self-acceptance and mental wellbeing.
Our Goals:
- Destigmatize mental illness by providing mental health education
- Increase help-seeking behavior and utilization of existing campus resources
- Introduce innovative tools to promote mental wellness practices
I Am Acceptance is a 501 C 3 non-profit organization.
ABOUT The Founder
Speaker and mental health advocate, Hakeem Rahim, founded I Am Acceptance in 2016 to ignite the conversation of mental health and wellness. An alumnus of Harvard University and two masters degrees from Columbia University, Hakeem dedicates his life to educating the community on mental health and wellness as well as sharing his own experiences with mental illnesses to inspire individuals to seek help.
Hakeem has been involved with mental health campaigns with ThriveNYC and has advocated for policy change involving mental health resources before the Energy and Commerce Congressional Committee and Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. In 2016, he was invited by the Jamaica US Embassy to represent the United States as a mental health ambassador for Mental Health Awareness Day in Jamaica, West Indies.
Creating A New Reality
By encouraging students to learn to acknowledge and speak about their mental health experiences, a new reality develops where these conversations are normalized. I Am Acceptance drives people to face their mental health and seek resources to improve their mental wellness.
Answering the Hard Questions
The I Am Acceptance Tour focuses on answering difficult questions by engaging with high school and college students in conversations about mental health, wellness, and communication.
During the conversations, the tour explains three critical messages:
- It’s okay to talk about what you are going through
- There is no shame in seeking help
- There is hope if you are diagnosed with a mental illness
Promoting Prevention
I Am Acceptance creates a culture of mental wellness on campuses nationwide that promotes prevention, support, and acceptance of high school and college students.
Decreasing Stigmas
The Tour decreases the stigmas surrounding mental health and mental illness by sharing the reality and frequency of mental concerns in individuals. By introducing a welcoming conversation on mental health we promote mental wellness, emotional intelligence, and empower students to take control of the state of their mental health.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER Hakeem
Speaker and mental health advocate, Hakeem Rahim, founded I Am Acceptance in 2016 to ignite the conversation of mental health and wellness. An alumnus of Harvard University and two masters degrees from Columbia University, Hakeem dedicates his life to educating the community on mental health and wellness as well as sharing his own experiences with mental illnesses to inspire individuals to seek help.
Hakeem has been involved with mental health campaigns with ThriveNYC and has advocated for policy change involving mental health resources before the Energy and Commerce Congressional Committee and Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. In 2016, he was invited by the Jamaica US Embassy to represent the United States as a mental health ambassador for Mental Health Awareness Day in Jamaica, West Indies.
Get in contact with Hakeem
If you want to work with Hakeem, contact him and see more of his work click below.
MEET The Team
Valencia studies Communications with a concentration in Media Studies at Adelphi University.
Bart studies Experimental Popular Music at the California Institute of the Arts.
Sophia studied Public Relations at St. John’s University.
“Hakeem Rahim spoke to a full house at Marymount Manhattan College. Students, faculty and staff were moved by his honest and dynamic first-person account of being diagnosed with bipolar disorder in college and living well with it in the years since. His talk helped us as a community to think through mental illness as a diversity issue and to better support those in our midst who grapple with it.”
“Hakeem’s presentation made me realize a lot of things, his story did make me tear up and I appreciate him coming to my school. He changed my attitude towards people’s lives.”
“The message that Hakeem delivered to my students about mental illness is one that all high school students should hear. My students and I were very lucky to have heard his story and feel empowered from it!”
UPCOMING TOUR DATES
Date
August. 2020
Sept. 2020
Oct. 2020
Nov. 2020
Dec. 2020
Campus
Your College!
Your College!
Your College!
Your College!
Your College!