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Supporting Syria’s Refugees with Cook For Syria

To learn more about the nonprofit, follow @cookforsyria) on Instagram.

Serena Guen, a London-based magazine founder, felt compelled to help those driven out of Syria by civil war. She brought together a network of chefs for a charity dinner one night in October — then things with Cook For Syria (@cookforsyria) took off. “Around 150 restaurants across London modified signature dishes with a Syrian twist and gave 2 pounds per order to UNICEF’s Syria relief appeal,” says Serena, one of the nonprofit’s co-founders. Helping spread the word was co-founder @clerkenwellboyec1, a restaurant critic. “As we started collecting #CookForSyria-inspired recipes and the stories behind them, it made sense to compile these into a cookbook,” he says. “This crisis will be continuing a lot longer than 2017,” Serena says. All proceeds from the book will be donated to UNICEF’s Children of Syria Fund. “To date, Syria has lost four decades of progress already and will take years to rebuild. It is everyone’s responsibility to help.”

photography, syria, cookforsyria, refugees, serena guen, unicef, instagram,

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Celebrating the Most Followed Person on Instagram with Fernando Monroy

We’re looking back at some of the moments, trends and community members who inspired us in 2016. Check #IGYearinReview for more.

In 2016, the most followed person on Instagram (and the person with the most-liked photo and most-liked video!) is Selena Gomez (@selenagomez). “She’s a fighter,” says Fernando Monroy (@fmonroyr), an artist and one of Selena’s fans, who lives in Mexico City. “The whole world has seen her grow and that must be difficult.” The 20-year-old visual communication student created this digital sketch, celebrating Selena and her outlook on life. “I truly think she’s a kind and amazing person. She loves her fans a lot and that’s important — to be grateful for the people.” #IGYearinReview

photography, selena gomez, IGYearinReview, fan art, fernando monroy, instagram, illustration,

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Tackling the Plight of the Rhino with James Suter

We’re looking back at some of the moments, trends and community members who inspired us in 2016. Check #IGYearinReview for more. To see more of James’ work in Africa, follow @jamessuter on Instagram.

“Coming face-to-face with the northern white rhinos — the last three on earth — was a very powerful moment in 2016,” says conservation videographer James Suter (@jamessuter), whose work we featured in June. In 2016, James and his team traveled extensively, documenting the stories of the rhino and their fearless caretakers. “We recently returned from a rhino orphanage where we were filming a 360 virtual reality piece with @empowerafrica and the team at @careforwild. Our hope is to give people in other parts of the world that will never experience meeting rhino orphans an idea of what is involved in caring for these animals and to learn about the poaching crisis and how they can help,” he says. “Without teams like this one, I shudder to think what we would do when it comes to rhino poaching.” #IGYearinReview

photography, ig year in review, northern white rhino, rhino, endangered species, africa, james suter, instagram,

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Weekend Hashtag Project: #WHPcometogether

Weekend Hashtag Project is a series featuring designated themes and hashtags. For a chance to be featured, follow @instagram and look for a post every week announcing the latest project.

The goal of #WHPcometogether was to capture what brings your family and friends together. Each week, we feature some of our favorite submissions from the project, but be sure to check out the rest here.

weekend hashtag project, WHPcometogether, family, friends, togetherness, video, WHP, photography, Instagram,

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Freezing Time for the #MannequinChallenge with Legendary Shots

We’re looking back at some of the moments, trends and community members who inspired us in 2016. Check #IGYearinReview for more.

One of our favorite Instagram trends from 2016 = the #MannequinChallenge. “We think the challenge took off because everyone brought something new and creative to it,” says @legendaryshots, childhood friends from Hoover, Alabama, who love trick shots and made this video to participate. With only four people, including actress and singer Alyson Stoner (@alysonstoner), they ran from room to room, making costume changes and rotating positions without using any special effects. “The challenge was fairly simple at the beginning, but with each take we continued to add more intricate details, increasing the complexity.”

legendaryshots, MannequinChallenge, Hoover, Alabama, IGYearinReview, Alyson Stoner, instagram, video,

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Dispelling and Dismantling Myths: Checking in with Mama Cax

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be looking back at some of the moments, trends and community members who inspired us in 2016. Check #IGYearinReview for more.

A lot has happened since we featured Mama Cax (@mamacaxx) in #RunwayForAll, our series celebrating models who are redefining the industry, earlier this year. She’s visited the White House, started graduate studies and moved to France. “I’m taking part in a multi-country program in International Studies,” Mama says. “My ultimate goal is to work in the field of International Development while focusing on disability rights.” At the White House last September, Mama modeled in a fashion show that celebrated accessible design. “It was not only an honor to meet other trailblazers in the disability community but also great to see that the inclusion of disabled people is at the forefront of the Obama administration’s agenda,” she says. And Mama continues to share her adventures abroad with her fans: “I hope to continue to dispel beauty myths and dismantle the idea of what a disabled person can or cannot do.” #IGYearinReview

photography, RunwayForAll, Mama Cax, IGYearinReview, modeling, fashion, disability rights, instagram,

Video

Celebrating Christmas with Designs from Jesús Ortiz Reyes

To see more of Jesús’ art, follow @jesuso_ortiz on Instagram. Discover more stories from the Spanish-speaking community on @instagrames.

(This interview was conducted in Spanish.)

“What I love the most about #Christmas is that it becomes an excuse to be with your family,” says Jesús Ortiz Reyes (@jesuso_ortiz), a graphic designer who lives in Málaga, Spain. “At least for me, it’s not easy to gather all the family any other time of the year. During Christmas day we usually go to the countryside. In the city, I love walking at night to see the Christmas lights, it’s magical.” 🎅 🌟

photography, video, Christmas, graphic design, Jesús Ortiz Reyes, Spain, instagrames, instagram,

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Lighting the Hanukkah candles with Foxy Foxenberg

To see more what life is like for this little fox, follow @foxy.foxenberg on Instagram.

Food taster and part-time model Foxy Foxenberg (@foxy.foxenberg) loves celebrating Hanukkah. She enjoys the potato latkes, sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts) and chocolate gelt, but her favorite holiday tradition is lighting the Hanukkah candles. 🕯 “I am lucky to have a fox-sized menorah,” says Foxy, who moved in with her people three years ago. “It is very special since it belonged to the girl person’s great-grandmother.” In the spirit of the holidays, this Toronto-based fox has a special message for the Instagram community: “Remember to keep an open mind, treat everyone nicely and with respect. Never lose your sense of adventure!”

photography, Hanukkah, menorah, Foxy Foxenberg, instagram,

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Weekend Hashtag Project: #WHPcometogether

Weekend Hashtag Project is a series featuring designated themes and hashtags chosen by Instagram’s Community Team. For a chance to be featured on the Instagram blog, follow @instagram and look for a post every week announcing the latest project.

The goal this weekend is to capture what brings your family and friends together. Here’s how to get started:

What are the activities that a family gathering wouldn’t be complete without? Share photos or videos of the traditions you look forward to each year, and explain what makes them special in the caption.
Capture the tone of your event with a candid moment that encapsulates its mood — whether celebratory, relaxed or silly.
Using Instagram Stories, try our new drawing tools and stickers to get more creative with your submission, and share a favorite moment to feed with the hashtag.

PROJECT RULES: Please add the #WHPcometogether hashtag only to photos and videos taken over this weekend and only submit your own visuals to the project. If you include music in your video submissions, please only use music to which you own the rights. Any tagged photo or video taken over the weekend is eligible to be featured next week.

weekend hashtag project, WHPcometogether, family, friends, togetherness, video, photography, Instagram,

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Carving Out a New Career with Maker Luke Hope

This feature is part of #MadeToCreate, a series highlighting our community of entrepreneurs, makers and artisans on Instagram. To see more of Luke’s hand-carved treasures, follow @hopeinthewoods on Instagram.

Luke Hope’s (@hopeinthewoods) career change was inspired by his son’s boyhood adventures. “My eldest returned from a camping trip and showed me a wooden spoon he’d made,” says the 43-year-old from London. “The object he’d crafted with his hands and the way he described the feeling of making it — I was completely taken.” Two years ago, Luke had recently quit a sales job with the hope of finding more fulfilling work. Today, he’s a full-time independent maker and small business owner, crafting and designing simple, elegant wooden objects he ships all around the world. Over the winter holidays, Luke plans on staying home and spending time with his family. “Carving by the fire is a bonus of winter. And there’s a good flow of kindling and scraps to burn.”

photography, maker, woodwork, wood carving, London, Luke Hope, small business, smb, InstaGiftGuide, instagram,

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