Media Statement
As PTL grows, we continue to evaluate how we can best share our story and the stories of the communities we work with. We have found that there are challenges to sharing our story and work. With the rise in social media and storytelling, we have watched how other organizations tell their stories through photos and videos. We have grown increasingly uncomfortable with the way at-risk communities are portrayed for the sake of fundraising and media attention. Children are routinely portrayed as hopeless and their families are often portrayed as helpless, and in turn the organization is portrayed as a superhero. While we want to show our supporters the need in the community, we also want to walk a strong line of empowerment for the people we serve. We refuse to market the children we serve for the benefit of our own work.
While we have spent time in the refugee settlements and other at-risk communities, we have found little opportunity where we felt comfortable asking our liaisons if we could take photos. In many situations, we have been speaking to refugee children and their mentors about highly sensitive memories and needs, and we, as outsiders, felt it was unethical to take a photo for our own gain. We are learning to find ways to best tell the story of what we do, but we are making slow and deliberate steps.
During 2017, we consulted with marketing professionals and a diversity of nonprofits on best practices for sharing the work we do for fundraising benefits. Going into 2018, we are still learning and growing towards an effective and empowering marketing campaign. This is an area we hope to focus on in 2018, as we recognize it is vital for organization success.
While we have spent time in the refugee settlements and other at-risk communities, we have found little opportunity where we felt comfortable asking our liaisons if we could take photos. In many situations, we have been speaking to refugee children and their mentors about highly sensitive memories and needs, and we, as outsiders, felt it was unethical to take a photo for our own gain. We are learning to find ways to best tell the story of what we do, but we are making slow and deliberate steps.
During 2017, we consulted with marketing professionals and a diversity of nonprofits on best practices for sharing the work we do for fundraising benefits. Going into 2018, we are still learning and growing towards an effective and empowering marketing campaign. This is an area we hope to focus on in 2018, as we recognize it is vital for organization success.
Past News Publications & Interviews
Media Coverage From Our Large Ebola Response, 2014
“Not every charitable organization working on the ground is fighting disease. Playing to Live is running a pilot program in Liberia for children orphaned by the disease, hoping to aid their recovery with art therapy and play. The project is headed by Alexis Decosimo, a doctoral student in East Tennessee State University’s College of Public Health, who says the therapy can “build resiliency and hope, and create a safe place to process trauma.”
- John Schwartz, The New York Times
- John Schwartz, The New York Times
See our program through the eyes of our staff and children in this UNICEF video:
See our story on ABC NEWS: "Playing to Live! Groundbreaking Program Tackles Trauma"
Click on the links below to read articles and watch videos that highlight the work Playing to Live programming with our partner organizations! We are honored to have been highlighted by both national and international news organizations.
ABC News: March 2016
Playing to Live! Groundbreaking Program Tackles Trauma
Devex: April 2015
From Art Therapy Student to Non Profit Founder by Alexis Decosimo
VICE NEWS: April 2015
On The Line: Kayla Ruble Discusses the Ebola Outbreak in West Africa
The New York Times: November 2014
Doing Good in Harm’s Way: Relief Work in Ebola Zone Is Fraught With Risk by John Schwartz
Harvard Gazette: October 2014
A Return to Liberia in Ebola Time by Jessi Hanson
Harvard Gazette: October 2014
Witness to Anguish: Ed School alum worked with quarantined children in Liberia by Alvin Powell, Harvard Staff Writer
Chattanooga Times Free Press: October 2014
Relief at ground zero: Two Chattanooga natives are at work helping with the Ebola crisis by Kevin Hardy
Playing to Live! Groundbreaking Program Tackles Trauma
Devex: April 2015
From Art Therapy Student to Non Profit Founder by Alexis Decosimo
VICE NEWS: April 2015
On The Line: Kayla Ruble Discusses the Ebola Outbreak in West Africa
The New York Times: November 2014
Doing Good in Harm’s Way: Relief Work in Ebola Zone Is Fraught With Risk by John Schwartz
Harvard Gazette: October 2014
A Return to Liberia in Ebola Time by Jessi Hanson
Harvard Gazette: October 2014
Witness to Anguish: Ed School alum worked with quarantined children in Liberia by Alvin Powell, Harvard Staff Writer
Chattanooga Times Free Press: October 2014
Relief at ground zero: Two Chattanooga natives are at work helping with the Ebola crisis by Kevin Hardy