Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Gaskin.
Hi Brandon, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
Hi. Thank you for having me today.
I’m Brandon Gaskin, and I’m Deaf. I am the only Deaf person in my family.
It has truly been a vision of mine, since the age of 16, to do something that would impact the Deaf community.
In 2019, the Lord stirred something in my heart. I wanted to talk about all the things that were happening within my Christian Deaf community. So, I started a vodcast (a video base podcast) in American Sign Language with a voiceover. There were 15,000 downloads within the first three episodes.
During that same time, I talked to friends and mentors about my desire to impact Deaf communities for Christ. I spent a lot of time in prayer and that was when the vision of Deaf Millennial Project (DMP) came to life. The idea and heart of it was and is Deaf people impacting Deaf people! We are creating biblical resources that impact Deaf communities and their growth with Christ.
Toward the end of 2019, DMP became an official non-profit organization to impact on a national scale.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No. No really. It hasn’t been a smooth road.
One of the biggest struggles we face is time. Our team now consists of over twenty-five volunteers from across the United States. Everyone at Deaf Millennial Project is a volunteer. Every one of us has a full-time job, family, ministry, etc. Because of that, it makes it hard to schedule meetings and accomplish our goals. But despite that, our team is very passionate. Together, we keep pushing forward, learning how to develop a healthy beat and how to be a strong team overcoming any obstacles.
I have worked in the nonprofit world for a while, but leading a nonprofit is a totally different ball game. There are growing pains just the same as any new organization. But, I’m proud that DMP continues to persevere and learn. We’ve grown in our leadership and innovation because of our limited experience.
As you know, we’re big fans of Deaf Millennial Project. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Deaf Millennial Project is dedicated to providing Deaf community outreach, digital resources, and discipleship training in American Sign Language.
In 2020, we launched a digital online conference at the height of the pandemic that brought together Deaf people from around the world. Since then, we have launched 3 new digital online conferences that have impacted over 5,000 Deaf people and have produced over 300 salvation stories.
We are passionate about our generation getting involved in Kingdom work and see Deaf lives be forever impacted and changed by Christ.
We want people to know that Deaf people and Christian resources in sign language have been overlooked for generations. Deaf people are thirsty for Gospel-centered content made freely available and accessible in sign language. Signed biblical content allows Deaf communities, small groups, and ministries to seek and reflect Christ through a visual language that impacts the heart. And that is what we do. We fill the missing gap by getting people involved.
The truth is for over 20 years the statistics have been that 98% of Deaf people do not know Christ. We want to be the generation that greatly changes those numbers.
What are your plans for the future?
I’m definitely excited about our organization’s future. Within the next five years, our goal is to raise funds that allow us to turn some of our volunteers into full and part-time workers. We want to impact the Deaf ecosystem by hiring our own Deaf employees which ultimately has an impact on the Deaf community. As well as office space for our Dallas-based team to be able to gather and work together.
Beyond that, we are going to continue to expand our digital footprint. We are going to be pushing out even more content next year, partnering with local churches to support the work and train more Deaf leaders.
The biggest thing is outreach. Within the next few years, our digital conferences are going to become hybrid conferences. Our Deaf communities are hungry to gather together again in person. So, we’re excited to make that happen.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.deafmillennial.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/deafmillennialproject
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/deafmillennialproject
- Other: instagram.com/brandongaskin
