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15 Years of Saying YES!

Video: 15 years ago, YES! Magazine's founders wondered if, amidst the doom and gloom, there was a place for journalism about hope and possibility. They found their answer.

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posted Jun 03, 2011

Video by Christa Hillstrom

15 years ago, a powerful idea took off!

There's plenty of journalism about what's going wrong in the world—and, from climate change to an unjust economy, plenty of things going wrong to write about. But if things are to change for the better, don't we need a place to learn about all the under-the-radar ideas and movements that are actually working? Don't we need a vision we can say yes to?

In 1996, in the basement of a rented house, YES! Magazine was born. Founded on the idea that a better world is possible, YES! uncovers stories and solutions that show people how to make positive change in their own lives and communities.

15 years and later, YES! is a nonprofit, subscriber-supported media organization, reaching more than 150,000 readers with each quarterly print issue and hundreds of thousands more through YesMagazine.org. We were recently selected as a nominee for the Utne Independent Press Award for General Excellence, and were the editors' pick for Best Business & Politics Website for Treehugger's Best of Green Awards.

This video features work from YES! in print and online, including the following films:

We Are Wisconsin
Meet the people making history in Wisconsin.
The Economics of Happiness
How going local can restore our ecosystems, our societies, and our spirits.
The Story of Citizens United
Annie Leonard's new film asks: Why have corporations gotten so powerful? And what can we do about it?
Chocolate Country
Video: A happy tale of the success of a cacao cooperative in the Dominican Republic.
Journey of Action
Bellingham, Washington—a local living economy.

Get involved!

Watch our celebration: Van Jones and Bill McKibben joined us in Seattle to celebrate 15 years of inspiring positive change. Click here to see their inspiring presentations.
Get a free issue: Click here to join our family by subscribing to our print magazine.
Get a dose of YES! each week: Click here to get our best stories of hope and change in your inbox every Friday.

YES! Magazine encourages you to make free use of this article by taking these easy steps., YES! Magazine. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License

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