OUR STORY

It doesn’t matter if a million people see it, if it didn’t impact a single one of them.

 

Impact one person with a real conversation…

that has the potential to change their life.

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– High School Student

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This quote resulted from a roundtable discussion with high school students. However, our story began years prior, with foundation co-founder Summer Nilsson speaking to her niece about self-worth and mental health.

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At that time, Summer’s niece, age 10, had begun to question her potential. She was exposed to social media. Like many young girls, she believed the filters she saw on smart phones.

 

Summer spent over two decades working in national media and publishing, having represented clients including Who What Wear, People, Food Network, InStyle, and ELLE. She understood the ramifications of an evolving media landscape, where newer content delivery formats were immediate and unaccountable to the long-term effects on kids.

 

Summer attempted to instill self-esteem in her niece, but the young girl needed the message to be delivered differently… and on her terms. Summer saw an opportunity to develop storylines rooted in fantasy, and told through the lens of animals, to facilitate discussions regarding mind chatter, false narrative, and mental health.

 

The Loodor Tales book series was born. In the beginning, many challenged whether kids would engage in such deep thinking. It quickly became clear that adolescents did not just wish to engage. They drove the discussions.

 

Using books to bridge dialogue, Summer then built the “HOO Are You?” education platform to fuel an ongoing movement for connection. Through school tours, important conversations with kids ensued.

 

Students ranging from 5th grade to 10th embrace the opportunity to participate and feel heard. The platform accommodates elementary, junior high, and high schools. Students discuss issues including cyberbullying and digital safety.

 

Today's youth are cyberbullied in ways that adults can’t comprehend. The “HOO Are You?” platform provides students with an opportunity to safely engage and speak about their experiences. By redefining what it means to “share”, adolescents are taught to silence self-doubt, lead with empathy, and comment with kindness.

 

The Open A Dor governing board funds content, school programs, and activities that instill self-worth, offset the effects of social media, and educate youth about the power of words, including the “HOO Are You?” platform.

 

Social media use among adolescents has risen to 95%. "As social media became a primary area of teenage communication, there was a significant increase in suicide," U.S. News & World Report.

 

The World Health Organization declared the second leading cause of death among adolescents is self-harm/suicide.