There’s a lot happening at I’m From Driftwood and I wanted to share a few updates about the work we’ve been doing and where we’re headed next.
Partnership with Kind Clinic
We’re thrilled about a major collaboration with Kind Clinic, a Texas-based LGBTQIA+ health organization that provides affirming healthcare across the state.
Together, we produced nine new stories filmed across Texas, highlighting lived experiences connected to sexual health, bodily autonomy, and community care. We’ll be publishing stories from the partnership throughout the year.
- Watch our second one (6 mins)
New Video Interviews from the IFD Community
Our amazing intern, Vuong, has been producing a new series of short video interviews featuring members of the I’m From Driftwood community. These conversations include people deeply connected to our work, from myself and Program Director Damien Mittlefehldt, to board members, storytellers, and others who help make this project possible.
These videos offer a behind-the-scenes look at the people and perspectives that shape I’m From Driftwood and the mission that has guided us for nearly two decades.
We’ll be publishing them regularly this month on Instagram and YouTube, so be sure to follow along.
University of Texas Empower Your Pitch
Later this month, Damien and I have been invited to serve as judges for the University of Texas’s Empower Your Pitch competition. It’s an “engaging, dynamic research communication contest designed to equip participants with the strategies needed to effectively communicate complex ideas in just three minutes.”
We’re proud to take part in this program, especially because the University of Texas has helped connect us with exceptional interns over the past three years, including our current intern Vuong. These students have made a meaningful impact on our work, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to continue building this relationship.
The Storytelling Impact Fund
We’re also beginning work on an ambitious new initiative called the Storytelling Impact Fund.
This effort is inspired in part by groundbreaking research recently conducted by the Gill Foundation, which found that one of the most effective ways to shift people’s attitudes towards the queer and trans community is through narrative storytelling.
Stories have the power to reach people in ways that facts and arguments often cannot, and that’s what we’ve been doing for 17 years.
Through this initiative, we plan to dive deep into our archive of LGBTQIA+ stories, repurpose them into new formats, and strategically share them with audiences who may not otherwise encounter them, including moderate and conservative Americans.
Our goal is to help foster understanding by putting authentic LGBTQIA+ stories directly in front of people who need to hear them most.
Strengthening the LGBTQIA+ Story Archive
For 17 years now, I’m From Driftwood has been collecting and preserving LGBTQIA+ stories from across the country and around the world.
As we look ahead, we’re taking steps to further evolve this work into a lasting institutional archive, ensuring that these stories remain preserved, accessible, and meaningful for future generations. We hope to begin working with a digital archivist within the next year.
The experiences captured in this archive are an important part of LGBTQIA+ history, and we are committed to safeguarding them for decades to come.
I'm From Driftwood Anniversary
“You are not alone” has always been at the heart of I’m From Driftwood.
For 17 years, people around the world have shared their stories through this project, helping others see themselves reflected, find hope, and realize they are part of a much larger community.
As we celebrate this milestone, we’re also raising support for the next chapter of our work: expanding our storytelling, strengthening our archive, and ensuring these stories continue reaching people who need them most.
If these stories have ever inspired you, comforted you, or helped someone you care about, we hope you’ll consider helping us raise $17,000 to celebrate 17 years of I’m From Driftwood.
Your support helps ensure that LGBTQIA+ people everywhere can continue to hear the message that has guided our work from the beginning: you are not alone.
With gratitude,
Nathan Manske, Founder & Executive Director
MORE:
I'm From Driftwood (IFD)Address: 144 North 7th St., 356, Brooklyn, NY 11249, USA