Interview with Emily-Anne Rigal

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to interview Emily-Anne Rigal, who is the founder of WeStopHate, an organization that is dedicated to raising self-esteem in teens (teen-esteem). They do that through various social media platforms that show a positive message and hopefully will raise the confidence level in teens. I encourage all of you to check out their website and get involved. http://westophate.org/

Being a former victim of bullying, I know how hard it can get and I am working to end the bullying problem in America. I had been e-mailing Emily-Anne for a few months before our interview and I had told many of my friends about WeStopHate and the impact that it can make on the lives of teens. It was very exciting for me to finally get to talk to Emily-Anne and to interview her and the interview turned out great. Check it out below.

Q: For anyone not familiar with your organization, what exactly is WeStopHate?

Emily-Anne: WeStopHate is an organization by teens for teens and we raise self-esteem in teens as a way to combat bullying because our belief if you are happy with yourself, you are a lot less likely to put someone down. The way that we do this is that, we, originally, did this all through social media and online because we believed that we wanted to be where teens live, which is online. Now, after about two and a half years, we are now starting to do more in-person events. Right now, we have WeStopHate clubs which are really taking off and we're having WeStopHate speakers go to schools. It's now becoming an online and offline program. While we work to combat bullying, I really feel like our mission is to raise self-esteem. To raise self-esteem, we are going to be positive and happy and I think it just makes it such a better program because we're really looking at the solution side and not focusing as much the problem.

Q: What do you like the most about WeStopHate so far in the two and a half years?

Emily-Anne: I think my favorite part of WeStopHate right now is working with our team members. Right now, I have transitioned from doing almost all of the day-to-day work and really I oversee our team. They are the ones who are responding to the Facebook messages and working with kids to have them write letters; being able to work with them to help make their job as fulfilling and also as useful as it is is really rewarding for me.

Q: For anyone that is the victim or bullying or someone that is going through depression, what advice do you have for that person?

Emily-Anne: I think they should focus on trying to have a couple really good friends. I think that a lot of times when we're growing up in school, we're focused on being friends with everyone and having quantity over quality. I think that's not the way that we should think about friends and I think that if the person can surround themselves with a couple really good friends and focus their energy on those who are supporting them, I think it will make their life a lot easier. Another thing is that if you are bullied, I think trying to talk to people one on one is the best tactic because when you reach out to someone one on one, they are willing to have a more authentic conversation. So, I think those are two good things to do.

Q: How can somebody get involved with WeStopHate?

Emily-Anne: The best thing to do right now is to join our online community and that includes all the different social media sites that we use: subscribing to our YouTube page and watching and commenting on our video, Like our Facebook page, and follow our Tumblr where we upload multiple letters each week for our Love, Yourself program. Those are our big social media sites. I think that the best way to really get involved is not only to be engaged in the content, but also to comment and to write to other people who are commenting and try to join the community on WeStopHate. When you comment on a photo or video, people read that and they respond to that and it shows the support that WeStopHate has. I think that getting involved with the online content right now is a great way to be involved.

Q: What are some things that you've learned from starting WeStopHate?

Emily-Anne: I've learned so much. WeStopHate really has been my life, especially for the first two years, it was all I did. I guess one of the big things I've learned along this journey is to think big. I've gotten the opportunity through WeStopHate to attend events and conferences and converse with some great people who have been really successful. The thread I see is that people dream really big and I think that when you think big about what you want to do, even if you don't end up doing exactly what you want, you'll still be in a really good position. I think that if you think big and stay bold is one thing I've learned and I use that lesson throughout my life.

Q: What does the future hold for WeStopHate?

Emily-Anne: Right now, I think we are definitely focused on clubs so I want to see more of that going forward. I think that we are going to re-strategize our YouTube a little bit and see how we can get more people to watch the videos and engage with the videos. I think we are going to continue to raise self-esteem and to learn along the way the best way to do that.

Q: Do you ever get e-mails or messages that say "Thank you for helping me"?

Emily-Anne: I get them all the time and getting the letters is so amazing and inspiring. It really motivates me to keep going and encourages me during the hard times because sometimes WeStopHate is a lot of work and a little bit overwhelming. We get amazing letters from young people and for us, it helps us know that we are making a difference and really encourages myself and the rest of the team during the difficult times.