Lyndsay Schaeffer
Oakland, California

What kind of work and/or volunteering do you do?
I teach fourth and fifth grade and am also a parent to a 7-year-old. I use articles and artwork from YES! frequently in my work. YES! provides content that informs and inspires me to write new and engaging curriculum, as well as ideas that challenge me to reflect on and revisit my teaching practice and pedagogy. 

Why do you support YES! as a donor?
Though there are many aspects of the future that concern or even frighten me, accessibility to honest and diverse media is something I feel very strongly should be protected. 

Young people have such a reliance on media to understand the world around them and perspectives other than their own. They will need media sources that inspire them in the future.

How does YES! support your values and your work to build a better world?
As a white woman, I feel like any opportunity to get outside of the bubble of my own life is an opportunity to grow. I like that the articles are not designed to make every reader comfortable. It’s important that we question ourselves and challenge our thinking. Reading YES! allows us to do that.

Why do you feel the work of YES! is important?
Two things stand out to me the most about YES!:

First, it’s visible on the pages of the magazine that the target audience cannot be described as any one demographic, and that the complex intersectionality of our identities as readers is honored and brought into the stories. 

Second, there is intentionality in allowing all readers to access the stories. I think it’s so important that YES! is thinking about the creative ways that readers can visually and audibly experience the stories if reading might not be their first choice, or might not even be accessible to them. 

If a friend was considering supporting YES!, what would you say to them?
I always say, “Check it out,” and when they do, they always keep reading!