Are there unique ethical considerations for stories that involve minors and families?

This is one of the most common topic areas our team is asked about when discussing ethical nonprofit storytelling. The short answer is YES, but we look forward to providing clarity around this question, and many more, at our next special event…

Join us for the fifth installment of our “Narratives With Integrity” series – a MemoryFox Special Event on December 4th at 3 pm ET / 12 pm PT, led by MemoryFox’s Chris Miano, featuring expert panelists who are ALL current boots-on-the-ground nonprofit professionals:

• Ashley Dearinger, I Would Rather Be Reading
• Amina Mohamed, Cameras for Girls
• Frank Velásquez Jr., 4 Da Hood
• Demetria Lightfoot, Youth In Need

As always, your questions will lead the way! The ONLY questions we will ask during the session are directly from YOU. Please submit your questions regarding how to collect & share the stories of youth, minors & families ethically, so we can ask our expert panelists live, and get the answers you are craving.

Register Now:

About The Panelists:

Ashley Dearinger is the CEO and Co-Founder of I Would Rather Be Reading (IWRBR), a nonprofit that provides free, high-quality literacy tutoring and afterschool programs for children. She successfully leads key fundraising initiatives by building strong relationships with community volunteers and donors. Committed to ethical storytelling, Ashley ensures that IWRBR families’ stories are shared with care and respect. Under her leadership, IWRBR has expanded its programs to support both elementary and middle school students, making a lasting impact in the community.

Amina Mohamed has always had a passion for photography. She spent fifteen years exploring this passion while working in film and television as a producer and production manager on numerous movies and documentaries. In 2018, Amina designed an initiative called Cameras For Girls to teach photography and business skills to women and girls in her home country of Uganda. She provides a camera to keep and a 4-phase skills-based curriculum for girls and women who want to become journalists and photographers in male-dominated Africa but face gender-based barriers to employment. To date, Cameras for Girls has empowered 64 young women in Uganda and 25 young women in Tanzania with a camera to keep and a 4-phase photography, ethical storytelling, and business curriculum to help them get paid work in the male-dominated media space. She has also worked with countless women across Africa and offered free training through her online training platform, allowing these young women to develop and share their stories with the world.

In addition to her work with Cameras For Girls, Amina is a fervent advocate for ethical storytelling. She believes in empowering women to tell their stories authentically and responsibly, ensuring their voices are heard and respected. Amina recently attended the Vital Voices Global Leadership Summit as a speaker and has been featured in the press across Canada and the US. She continues to champion gender equality and amplify women’s voices across Africa.

Meet Frank Velásquez Jr.: Storyteller Extraordinaire, Social Justice Warrior, and Community Connector! With a heart as big as his vision, Frank dances on the frontlines of change, armed with an unshakeable belief in attaining racial and gender equity. Whether he’s dropping knowledge on the conference stage or storytelling behind the scenes, Frank’s passion for social justice is as infectious as his smile. And he creatively connects our stories, preserving the unique flavor of each one like a delicious bowl of gumbo.

As Founder of 4 Da Hood and the mastermind behind the Ascending Leaders in Color leadership program, he’s forging paths for peeps of color to lead with more authenticity, courage, and joy! Because for Frank, advancing equity isn’t just a job — it’s a movement towards building generational wealth for communities of color to thrive!

Demetria Lightfoot is the Senior Director of Philanthropy at Youth In Need, an organization that focuses on children, youth, and families. She holds a Bachelor’s degree and an MBA in Management from Fontbonne University in St. Louis, MO. Demetria has been a professional fundraiser for 15 years, raising nearly $10M dollars for nonprofits working in the social justice sector. She is a distinguished leader in her community, serving on boards, the Vice President of Inclusion Diversity Equity and Access for the Association of Fundraising Professionals St. Louis Chapter, and mentoring young professionals in the St. Louis community. Some of Demetria’s accomplishments include alum of Vision St. Charles County Leadership program in 2019, St. Louis Regional Business Council Leadership 100 Class of 2022, YWCA Leaders in the Workplace 2019, and Delux Magazine Women Who Inspire Award. Demetria is originally from California but currently lives in St. Louis, MO with her husband and daughter.