RISE TOGETHER Ignites a Youth-led Movement
RISE TOGETHER, a 501c3 non-profit, was founded in 2013 by nationally recognized storytellers, Anthony Alvarado, Douglas Darby, and Nadine Machkovech. Together, they had a goal: to help save at least one life.
RISE TOGETHER exists to ignite a youth-led movement that is helping to SAVE LIVES by encouraging students to stand up and speak out on the issues they care most about: breaking the silence around suicide, bullying, mental illness, drugs, and alcohol. RISE TOGETHER aims to EDUCATE, ENGAGE, and EMPOWER youth primarily through storytelling.
Its solution is to provide communities with HIGH-QUALITY educational content, programs, workshops, and training that help build strong advocates and leaders.
Its cause is led by a team of dedicated professionals, all of whom have diverse backgrounds, educations, and skillsets. Alongside a national advisory board, RISE TOGETHER is working closely with communities to:
• IDENTIFY youth issues through a unique student research approach
• PROVIDE resources, mentoring, and support.
• INSPIRE youth to ask for help for the very first time
• MOTIVATE others to take action and live a “cool healthier lifestyle”
RISE TOGETHER focuses on community-level change by implementing unique strategies based on local needs determined by community assessments, surveys, feedback, and evaluating efforts. Since 2014, RISE TOGETHER has surveyed more than 7,000 students across 53+ counties. RISE TOGETHER has collected more than 3,000 testimonies from youth and people who care about them that demonstrate the lifesaving impact of its programs.
RISE TOGETHER’s youth research was featured by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; with recommendations by U.S. senators, legislators, teachers, and thousands of students.
RISE TOGETHER’s mission has not gone unnoticed. In just five years, the team has traveled over 250,000+ miles, taken the stage over 250+ times, partnered with over 150 schools, and educated more than 150,000 people. RISE TOGETHER’s life-saving work has been recognized by the White House Office of the National Drug Control Policy, and featured in countless news outlets such as Forbes, Huff Post, USA Today, NPR, PBS, NBC, ABC, CW14, FOX.
RISE TOGETHER has created a community where youth can be loved, heard, and inspired to live with hope.
THE FUTURE IS YOUTH!