Northport Man Hopes To Spread Positivity Movement Worldwide

NORTHPORT, NY — Everything has to start somewhere.

That's the case for Best Feeling Ever, a movement which originated in Northport that its creator, Adam Silverstein, hopes can lead to positive change around the earth.

"One of the main goals of it is to find a way to bring people of all kinds together, where we can all get to know each other better, spread some positivity and feel like we’re being accepted for who we are," Silverstein, 20, told Patch. "It’s a way for people to learn how to take good care of themselves, have empathy for others, spread some kindness and positivity and spark a revolution of kindness around the world."

Silverstein, who's lived in Northport his whole life, began working on the project late 2018. He was inspired by his own feelings of loneliness and isolation he felt throughout high school and into college due to not fitting in with any cliques. As a result, he felt no one was truly accepting him for who he was.

He then started a high school club that functioned similarly to how he hopes to run Best Feeling Ever: uniting people of all different backgrounds to bond with one another and do fun activities. He booted up a similar club at LIU Post when he began his college career, where he's majoring in social work.

After Silverstein graduates next May, he hopes to pool all his focus into Best Feeling Ever. His intention is to then hold meetings and hangouts on a weekly basis as opposed to monthly. Eventually, Silverstein wants his movement to become his full-time career.

That raises the question of how he'll receive funding, since meetings are free to attend. Silverstein admitted he's still figuring that out and isn't sure if his organization will be a non-profit or something else, though he has some ideas.

Initially, Silverstein is working on a crowdfunding-type model to get it off the ground. His future goal is to work with other organizations like schools, businesses and other kinds of social groups to generate income.

"We can help them within their own organizations to kind of come together in more of that team spirit, so they could thrive and prosper more," Silverstein said. "To do that, we would offer different kinds of services like team-building workshops and stuff like that. I have a lot of plans for that goal."

In addition to financing the movement, there's also the matter of spreading its message. After all, gaining popularity in Northport, on Long Island, across the United States and then the world are each massive steps.

Silverstein has relied on word of mouth thus far. He said he's spent the majority of summer telling as many people as possible about Best Feeling Ever, including his friends and people he knows from high school and college.

He said he has garnered some interest from people living in other states and even other countries, largely thanks to the power of social media and the Internet. From there, he wants anyone who's interested to help him spread the idea. A Best Feeling Ever website and smartphone app are both in the works.

If the organization grows large enough, Silverstein said he wants to do outdoor festivals where people can go knowing they'd be accepted regardless of their background. As of now, there have been casual and informal hangouts at Northport Park that Silverstein said went really well this summer.

"Just casual little things where people can bond, meet new people, make new friends and stuff like that."

The next meeting will be held Friday, August 16 at the East Northport Library Community Room from 7 to 9 p.m. Anyone is welcome to attend, it's free and registration isn't necessary. A flyer says it will be an "informational, motivational session including games, discussions and more." Silverstein intends to discuss his story, how he started the movement, how people can get involved, as well as his plans and goals for it.

Silverstein said he's excited to see how his brainchild will grow over the next few months and coming years. It will take a lot of work for Best Feeling Ever to not only become profitable, but become the positivity-igniting force around the world Silverstein hopes it will be.

"I know that it’s a really bad feeling when you feel like you’re left out, you’re being judged for who you are or other people won’t accept you," he said. "I want to find a way of bringing people together so that we can move past the judgment and look at each other for who we truly are."

Anyone interested in learning more about Silverstein and Best Feeling Ever can reach him at bestfeelingevermovement@gmail.com or follow the social media accounts @bestfeelingevermovement on Instagram, @BestFeelingMvmt on Twitter, and "Best Feeling Ever" on Facebook.