Here at Groundswell, we believe that advocacy and journalism is rooted in the most human phenomenon: creativity. In our modern media landscape, we often see expression simplified into something more commercialized or streamlined. We want to bring back individuality in creating journalism and emphasize how imagination can bring forth a better world. More importantly, we want to emphasize individuality in a way that unites us all. Our hope is that by reading stories, thoughts and creations from real people, we can bring about a world where empathy, critical thought and conversation is at the forefront of our society.
Welcome to Groundswell! We are a media-based youth-led initiative aiming to spread advocacy through art, interconnection and community. Our page is dedicated to sharing individual experiences, lessons, opinions, and ideas—whether you’re an established content creator, an organization spreading goodness in the world, or a person without a platform who just wants to share their thoughts, Groundswell seeks to amplify your voice.
About Us
If you’re interested in making a contribution, please see our “have a story?” tab located in the site header (right above all this text!). We encourage you to speak your mind—writing is an incredibly vulnerable task; for the world to witness your inner thoughts can be a daunting task. But, we believe that by sharing our individual ideas, we can better understand each other and foster interconnectivity.
The world can be scary, but we want to fight against negativity by bringing about a new era of journalism, where individuality isn’t divisive, but a force that unites us all. We hope that you enjoy our work, and the work of different contributors around the world!
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To ensure that our work is accessible, you may see links to educational resources in pieces. This way, if a definition or discussed concept is unclear (or something you’ve never been exposed to), information is readily available for your convenience!
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We strive to maintain only real voices on our page. If you see the “100% Human” label, the article you are reading is verifiably AI-free. At a time where AI content is rampant, we want to ensure that human creativity is emphasized, and that we maintain transparency in our work. This extends to our graphics too! Our graphics are made by real people—images used in our graphics may be personally created, sourced from Canva or the Library of Congress’s Free to Use and Reuse platform.
Please note that for articles where the label is not present, this does not necessarily mean AI was employed, but that we cannot 100% validate that it is AI-free. If AI is knowingly used, a note will be present at the bottom of an article noting how AI was utilized. We will try our best despite being an open platform! If you do employ AI in a submission, please make a note of it in your inquiry.
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If you have any questions, comments, concerns or suggestions, please see our “contact us” tab located in the header! We are always happy to hear your thoughts on how we can improve our platform. Moreover, we want to prevent the spread of misinformation, and we try our hardest to uphold journalistic integrity. However, we are a small team of students running this page. If you catch any inaccurate information, plagiarism or non-cited work, please contact us regarding your concern!
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You can submit anything that you like—-artwork, creative writing, experiences, lessons, passion projects, music, opinions,—we value your creative freedom! We only ask that you couple your pieces with a written piece that explains your motivation, thought processes, etc. behind your work. Submissions may take up to 5 business days to review.
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If you have an idea for a piece, but don’t feel comfortable writing yourself, please feel free to pitch your idea anyways! Tag your message with “Writing Request”, and our team can work with you to bring your thoughts to life!
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Please know that whatever work you submit is your OWN. We do not claim ownership over any creative works, and believe you should have control over your own pieces. We will work with you to create content (graphics, videos, etc) based on your content if that is your wish, and will ensure that the post is up to your standard as a creator! You will always have final approval before posts, and will always have the right to take something down.