By Atlas Novack
The Youth Movement Against Alzheimer’s (YMAA) is a non-profit charity founded in 2015 at UCLA, that promotes awareness of Alzheimer’s Disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that causes extreme loss of memory, by providing young adults opportunities for volunteering.
The organization held a 16-hour event on the summer solstice, involving 16 people providing an hour of their day each, in order to raise a minimum of $1,600 for the cause of curing Alzheimer’s. Each person raised money in a different manner from the last,
“People dedicated an hour of their time with ventures such as studying for the MCAT, golfing, dancing, sailing, conducting research (both for Alzheimer’s and for other causes), and more.
Similar to the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, it was a social media campaign to raise awareness and show the widespread effects of Alzheimer’s disease,” said YMAA National Media Correspondent Shani Shahmoon.
The group has been expanding following this event, having branches established on over nine college campuses in addition to the five it already has, with new additions including Boston University, Duke, and Rutgers University. Many young adults have been getting involved with the project all over the country.
“Dedicating my post-graduate years to clinical research on Alzheimer’s and Dementia has been nothing short of rewarding. Putting in an extra hour is the least I can do for the 5.4 million Americans that suffer from this disease,” said Norma Boster, the Vice President of Operations for the YMAA.
The Youth Movement does not plan to have a major event in the near future, as they are in a “growth phase” as stated by Shahmoon. However, they remain active year round, and hope to host an event in Winter 2016, if possible.
For more information on the Youth Movement Against Alzheimer’s, visit theyouthmovement.org, or call 530.968.8466.
