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:

  1. Destigmatize mental illness by providing mental health education
  2. Increase help-seeking behavior and utilization of existing campus resources
  3. 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.

3 out of 4 Each year, 3 out of 4 college students report experience a mental heath crisis on campus. *nami.org 64% 64% of students who experience a mental health issue, withdrew from school *nami.org Colleges There are 4,726 colleges & 21,000,000 students in the U.S.

WHAT IS THE I Am Acceptance Tour?

Through a series of speaking engagements at high schools and colleges, the I Am Acceptance Tour promotes mental wellness and empowering students to take control and understand their mental health.

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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:

  1. It’s okay to talk about what you are going through
  2. There is no shame in seeking help
  3. 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.

Visit HakeemRahim.com
Hakeem Rahim
Hakeem Rahim

MEET The Team

Valencia
ValenciaHead Ambassador
Valencia’s talents are targeted to internal communications, university outreach, and ambassador programming. Her interests involving mental wellness are: developing healthy emotional relationships with ourselves and others, and increasing the conversation of mental wellness in diverse communities.

Valencia studies Communications with a concentration in Media Studies at Adelphi University.

Bart
BartHead Ambassador
Here since the beginning, Bart has been involved with I Am Acceptance since it’s inception. A Head Ambassador since 2018, Bart focuses on the training & development of Acceptance Ambassadors and the development of mental wellness resource information for students and Acceptance members. His mental wellness interests involve the use of art as a form of meditation and mental healing.

Bart studies Experimental Popular Music at the California Institute of the Arts.

Sophia
SophiaProject Coordinator
As the newest member of the team, Sophia serves as the project coordinator overseeing the completion of all I Am Acceptance initiatives. Her interests in mental health and wellness revolve around identity and trauma therapy.

Sophia studied Public Relations at St. John’s University.

THE Impact ON STUDENTS
“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.”
Katie LeBesco, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Marymount Manhattan College
“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.”
Student, H. Frank Carey High School
“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!”
Lauren Majewski, Health Teacher, Manhasset High School

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!