The "Awareness" Experience

Awareness = Knowledge or perception of a situation or fact. Having knowledge or cognizance. To be aware is to have full consciousness of something.

As an aspiring Naturalista (to practice a whole natural lifestyle, my personal definition) I am constantly reading up on natural hair articles, health related articles, spiritual encouragement, and self help books. I also consider myself to be a Natural Hair Advocate. I support others in their natural hair journey and give back to naturals in need of hair care products. My organization Nattalicious was created in part of that love of giving back and supporting others accomplish their goal of achieving healthy natural hair.

The purpose of this post is to bring awareness to the many awareness organizations that are blossoming over our social media waves. Of course we have your obvious awareness organizations such as Autism awareness, Breast Cancer awareness, Cancer Awareness, Diabetes Awareness, and HIV/AIDS Awareness, but what about these awareness programs that you are not even sure you should be made aware of?

Pinkie toe awareness, my boyfriend cheated on me awareness, twerking awareness, deadbeat dad awareness, deadbeat mom awareness, I don't like your natural hair awareness, the make aware awareness, I like to party awareness, hopefully these are not real awareness organizations, but you understand where I'm coming from. Awareness organizations are EVERYWHERE!

It seems as if everybody is creating an awareness group, but they are not making me aware of the problem. The target who is good at creating such foolery? Your local social club. We all know a good social club right? A group of "mature" women ranging from 25 - 120 years of age, with a mission to empower women and create a bond of sisterhood. Depending on the month or season,  they are bringing awareness on everything from a-z to create a revenue for their social club. After a successful awareness fundraiser, they have a celebratory event at a local club or should I say "Lounge" and they throw themselves a nice party and hand out awards to other social clubs who donated the most money to help this party become a success. Doesn't that just irks your nerves? in case it doesn't, let me be the first to share the it irks mine! lol!

*Now is a good time to let the readers know, I am not against social clubs and other awareness groups, there are some excellent groups out there with a real mission to change lives and bring real awareness, this is simply to encourage everyone to do your research before joining a group and supporting any awareness*

With that being said, my heart is very soft for those awareness group geared towards cancer (or any health related condition), domestic violence, abuse towards children, and HIV/aids awareness. I may not always donate financially towards these organizations, but I offer my support and resources to these causes. I believe awareness organizations should be an organization that mentors on prevention, healing, and recovery. Most organizations speak about an awareness simply to gain "Likes". Your awareness should not be a popularity contest. Speak or make aware about a subject that you have overcome, a subject you were affected by, or a subject that God has called you to make others aware of. Do not use the empathy of others as a get rich quick tool or as a fundraiser avenue to finance your next party.

For those of you who share a soft heart such as myself and you truly look for ways to improve the quality of life, then here are a few of my recommendations when looking for organizations to support.

1. Look for an organization who is consistent about there awareness.
    Its common for other awareness programs to partner with other programs to bring change and
    awareness but most organization who promotes awareness about a specific topic do so all year  
    round. Christmas time should not be the only time we hear of your awareness.
2. If you are not successful in finding an awareness that speaks to your heart, then be the change you
    want to see. Are you annoyed by the amount of information people share on social media? Then
    create a social media counseling program that will help individuals who need someone to vent to.
    Tired of seeing half naked young women? Then create a mentoring program that teaches young girls
    how to dress and the importance of protecting their body. Then take the extra step and raise money to
    purchase affordable, age appropriate clothing.
3. Partner with an organization that you believe in. Two are better than one. It is extremely challenging
    to operate an awareness organization with no funds to use towards marketing. If someone is doing
    something that you agree with, meet with them, share your ideas, and partner/market
    with that organization to make it successful.

As the holiday season quickly approaches us, use this message as a formal awareness on how to distribute your dollars, time, and resources.

If you would like to donate natural hair products to Nattalicious, contact us @ nattalicious.info@gmail.com.

Want to make us aware of your organization or social club that is creating a true change in your community? Comment below or contact us to shout out your organization and mission statement! We would love to hear and support those who are truly making a change in your community!

Monthly awareness topics:
http://www.nellis.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-111213-022.pdf

Happy Awareness!
#Nattalicious