Pictured from left are Autumn Echo and Marco Scapelitte, founders of “Uplift Jamestown,” a Facebook page focused on sharing positivity. P-J photo by Katrina Fuller

Two Jamestown residents are aiming to encourage positivity for the area via social media.

You may have heard of Autumn Echo and Marco Scapelitte through the arts or the music scene. The community engaging individuals have big plans, and they aren’t waiting around for someone else to do it.

Both Echo and Scapelitte are hoping to shine a little light on the Jamestown area and the community in a big way through a newly created community-building Facebook page called “Uplift Jamestown.”

The pair hope to move beyond sharing positive posts on Facebook to creating their own content such as videos, written pieces and more that will highlight the positive and fight back against the negative stigma surrounding Jamestown. They also hope to inspire others to share community happenings and their own positive creations.

What started out as discussion regarding positivity between Echo and Scapelitte has become a social media success in the local area, garnering over 300 followers and counting on Facebook in just two days. The pair said the initiative is supposed help community members create and enjoy content from Jamestown and the surrounding area that showcases the good things that happen on a day-to-day basis.

Scapelitte said the goal is to “break through the noise” of negativity and show people there are good deeds, programs and other things that occur in Jamestown.

“(Jamestown) gets a bad wrap, but we’re trying to unwrap it,” he said. “I don’t know if ‘we’re’ trying to do it, but we’re doing our small part to do it anyway. You have to change the collective consciousness of the community.”

Scapelitte said the idea isn’t to try to impose goodness or good deeds on anyone, but rather to foster a supportive environment that will allow others in; that will accept people as they are; and share positive ideas with others.

He said it can be hard because it takes everyone doing their part to make any kind of lasting change.

“A lot of people are trying to impose it instead of allowing it to be what it is,” Scapelitte said. “I think that comes through allowing people to be who they are and allowing people to share their gifts and their passions with the community without judgement.”

Echo said she is going to approach it in the same way she approaches life and try to make a daily impact on others’ lives.

“Sometimes, you have to let the good happen,” she said. “Social media has become an important part of people’s lives, and people are going to be looking there a large percent of the time.”

Echo said that’s why they decided to start with a Facebook page. However, in the future the pair hopes to create a website that will act as a hub for any original content they may create. Currently, they are sharing any uplifting events or other content that promotes positivity.

“We’re of the firm belief that you can change the collective energy of community in a positive light by not only showcasing the acts of goodwill, benevolence and togetherness, but by uplifting and encouraging others to share their light and passion with the community,” Scapelitte said. “When you put your focus and intent on these collective small acts of love, you’ll see more manifest within the community.”

He said a lot of the time, people have good intentions to solve problems in the area such as drug addiction and violence, but it never moves beyond conversation. Instead of just talking about starting a “positivity movement,” Scapelitte and Echo decided to create one themselves. They hope their efforts inspire others to take actions on their own to help promote positivity.

Scapelitte said it doesn’t matter the size of the effort, even small acts can be helpful in making a movement toward change.

“There are small acts of love happening throughout the city, but they’re being overlooked because they’re not huge,” he said. “People need to acknowledge those small acts of love instead of looking for huge things all the time.”

Likewise, Echo said it is imperative for people who wish to make the area better to reach out to one another and have positive discourse. It is also important for a person to feel connected to the area they are in. This is an opportunity to showcase individuals who have been in Jamestown for some time, who know what it is like and have seen both the good and the bad, she said.

“We know there are people here who love it and who want the best for the community,” Echo said “I feel like that’s who we should be talking to anyway. The more you get to know the individual parts of the community, the more you’re willing to kind of jump in and say, ‘This is mine and I want to do what I can to make it better, too.'”

She said the problems are only going to be solved if people stay and help solve them.

“I hope more people are wiling to open up and realize they’re not finished here,” Echo said. “Nobody can do it if everyone leaves or if no one does anything. All I know is I’m not finished here. I feel like if I leave, I’m indirectly putting that responsibility on someone else.”

To get involved or to find out more, Scapelitte said the best way to get in contact is to find the Facebook page and message them directly.

“Don’t be shy about it,” he said. “Any small thing would be great.”