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It’s easy to get caught up in one’s own achievements, pursuits and earnings. We live in a society that constantly tells us that our value is wrapped up in what we gain for ourselves. But the truth that might surprise you is that genuine joy isn’t found in receiving– it’s in giving. It’s a data-backed reality. Research out of Zurich University reported on in Study Finds shows that people who participate in acts of kindness towards others, experience what they describe as a “warm glow.” The research also showed that people who regularly behave generously report feeling happier than those who rarely behave generously.
People have a core need to feel connected and to feel useful. As part of an ongoing and comprehensive project called The Harvard Study of Adult Development, researchers have found that, over a lifetime, the happiest people feel the most connected to their community. So, now we know: generosity and a sense of purpose are two keys to happiness. That makes Giving Tuesday all the more meaningful. Giving Tuesday was created as a way for people around the world to reimagine a life in which they are more generous. If you’re looking for ways to participate, here are Black women-led nonprofits to contribute to this Giving Tuesday. These organizations exhibit extreme generosity every day, so perhaps you can share some of yours with them today.
Black Women’s Blueprint
Black Women’s Blueprint takes a holistic approach to addressing systemic disadvantages, neglect and abuse experienced by the Black community with both preventative and healing measures. Their services and workshops often take a multi-prong approach to healing. For example, their Seeding program relies on the healing powers of agriculture. Through farming and growing workshops, this program fights health disparities in the Black communities and leans into the healing powers of intimacy with nature. The organization’s healing communities branch utilizes open space in nature to put on workshops and retreats that address generational trauma, societal abuse and other forms of trauma. Black Women’s Blueprint relies on generous donors to host their events that are vital to the healing and progress of the Black community.
