The Open Mind is a free community lecture and film series that brings together thought leaders in science and culture for relevant and meaningful programs about mental health issues. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, these programs were held in-person at UCLA but are currently presented on a virtual Zoom platform, attracting a national and international audience. We are honored that the Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital Board of Advisors has joined The Friends of Semel in support of the Open Mind.

Learn more and RSVP here.

Join us on October 20 for the URI Celebration: Rise Up!  and enjoy an evening of hope, inspiration and community, celebrating the inspiring clients, partners, and supporters who every day rise up and help URI work towards our vision of a world free of domestic violence and homelessness.  Due to the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis, for the second year we will broadcast a virtual event so guests from across the country can celebrate with us from the safety and comfort of their own homes.

Find out more and RSVP here.

Maria Shriver and Seth & Lauren Miller Rogen have teamed up to bring you an event you won’t want to miss— Brain It On: 2021.

Join them as they hear from leading Alzheimer’s prevention experts and celebrity advocates during this free 90-minute virtual summit about the best ways to live a brain healthy life. 

Don’t miss Brain It On: 2021 and register today!

Learn more and RSVP here.

America’s founding document states that the pursuit of happiness is an unalienable right. But this question has preoccupied philosophers, fascinated scientists, inspired artists, launched an enormous self-help industry—and continues to elude many of us.

The Atlantic will host a live event that explores the human hold on happiness—and aims to find ways to build a more meaningful life. The event will consider happiness and relationships; the role of spirituality; how social media and other technology are affecting our happiness; and the ways in which a year of social isolation has reframed our understanding of a lasting sense of joy.

Learn more and RSVP here.

#WOW2021’s goal is to ensure that any comprehensive conversation about health always includes mental health.  At the intersection of science and culture, global thought leaders and change-makers, in conversation with preeminent UCLA doctors and researchers, impart actionable, evidence-based solutions to improve whole health and well-being for you and your community. Further, #WOW aims to raise awareness and reduce stigma associated with mental illness. 

Funds raised by this event support UCLA Friends of Semel Research Scholar Grants and UCLA Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital Board of Advisors Clinical Innovation Grants. Thank you for your support!

Find out more and RSVP here.

The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated the depths of a chronic and severe affordable housing shortage in Los Angeles County, where almost 70,000 people are unhoused. The unemployment rate topped 20 percent just a few months ago, and up to 1.8 million residents lost jobs during the pandemic, one analysis suggests. Explore the magnitude of existing problems, particularly in communities of color, during a session that will focus on solutions that avoid repeating past policy mistakes.

RSVP here.

“Bedlam” is set in Los Angeles and is the first major documentary to explore the crisis in the care of severely mentally-ill citizens. Judge Songhai Armstead, Exec. Director, Alternatives to Incarceration Initiative/County of Los Angeles (Proposition J), George Gascon, LA County DA, The Honorable Patrick Kennedy, Dr. Jonathan E. Sherin, Director, LA County Dept. of Mental Health, and Dr. Kenneth B. Wells, Director, The Center for Health Services and Society of the Semel Institute will join Dr. Rosenberg in discussion.

Register here.

The pandemic has exposed the stark gaps in this country’s social safety net. Healthy food access is one of those holes that families now struggle to fill. This year Next City has elevated numerous examples of the public health crisis spurring changes to food benefits, including online innovations that make SNAP more accessible, the advent of grocery vouchers and more. And in this time of food insecurity, the urban farming movement has leveraged city mutual aid networks to distribute seedlings, soil and produce to vulnerable populations. Each of the year’s best solutions addresses an immediate community need while illuminating a possible way forward after the economic and social devastation of the pandemic has lessened. These solutions represent not a return to “normal,” but a better path in which anyone — regardless of race, class or zip code — can access healthful food. Join us to learn how policymakers can pivot existing programs to respond to unexpected crises, and how mutual aid networks are key to recruiting and training a new generation of urban farmers. This program, made possible with support from the Reinvestment Fund, will take the form of rapid Pecha Kucha-style presentations, followed by a Q&A session hosted by the event moderator.

Find out more about speakers here and RSVP here.

Please join us to discuss Civic Space in Los Angeles.

With the election, pandemic and social justice still top of mind as we enter the Fall, people are also thinking about what our lives and common spaces may be like as we begin to reconnect.

With prospects of better testing, a vaccine, and a change in leadership, how will our transportation and open spaces evolve? Will streets given over to pedestrians, restaurants, bicycles remain like that? How can parks and other civic gathering places better accommodate the diverse needs of citizens in these new circumstances, especially the elderly and those with less access to traditional open spaces? How can the design of neighborhoods effect our public health, economics, education, civic life? 

This panel will include experts discussing the past, present, future of LA’s civic spaces in relation to neighborhoods, urban design, and environmental justice: how we got here, where we are now, and potential solutions for the healthy and beautiful city in which all can thrive. 

Free Registration Here:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_eK7CJrqFStCqjNrydEqXEQ

The cascading crises of 2020 have not only brought into stark relief the immediacy of the global climate emergency but also the deadly costs of racial and economic inequities. With little hope for another round of stimulus funding from Congress before November, VX Hack-a-thon Session #3 will explore opportunities, regardless of the election’s outcome, for paving the road to recovery with multi-benefit and community-driven green infrastructure investment.

Continuing the conversation sparked at VX2020 in January, join Milken Institute Director, Dan Carol; Stockton Sr. Economic Development Advisor, Ann Rogan; and i(x) Investments President, Christine Harada, who lead this hack-a-thon highlighting mechanisms for aligning, expediting, and optimizing green infrastructure investment with local, state, and federal COVID recovery efforts in the months to come.

Register here.

Learn what cities, developers and restaurants are doing to help the restaurant industry and Main Streets survive amidst, and even thrive despite, the impacts of COVID-19. Hear from experts on both short and long-term effects of social distancing protocols and how present & future urban design and policies can be beneficial to the urban fabric and streetscapes. Insights will be shared and discussed amongst panelists from these different vantage points, as well as what to expect with Al Fresco 2.0 and the evolving urban fabric.

Learn more and register here.

On Wednesday, September 16 at 1 p.m. Eastern time, join Next City for a webinar with guest presenter Lindsey Walker, who will discuss how Philadelphia maintained clean parks in the face of pandemic related budget cuts.

Due to the pandemic, more and more folks have begun to flock to outdoor green spaces for recreation. Unfortunately, the pandemic has also impacted how these parks are being managed. Parks in Philadelphia saw the cancelation of hundreds of volunteer events. Additionally, park maintenance was slashed due to budget cuts. With an increase in park usage came an increase in litter and fewer people to clean it up. 

To address this problem, Love Your Park, a collaboration between Fairmount Park Conservancy, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, and Philadelphia’s Park Friends Network developed a solo cleanup program to replace the collaboration’s usual group volunteer events. This initiative offers Philadelphians a safe outdoor activity that simultaneously provides the city with critical park maintenance, thus creating clean and positive spaces for all. 

Volunteers are encouraged to clean up their local parks alone or with other members of their household. Love Your Park’s Solo Cleanup Program provides Philly residents with clean-up kits that include gloves, trash bags, cleanup instructions, safety and social distancing tips, and a Fairmount Park Conservancy bandanna. Additionally, the organization encourages volunteers to track the amount of litter they remove from the parks. 

To date, Love Your Park has engaged more than 500 volunteers and distributed more than 400 cleanup kits. They’ve also raised over $2,000 in donations to support the program and recruited new members to their organization. This has resulted in over 500 hours of service. 

“Many of us feel a bit helpless right now, and many of us are seeking a way to find peace and community during a truly difficult time,” says Walker. “This program is giving people something positive and tangible to do, and encouraging people to explore our parks.”

Walker is the volunteer and environmental program manager at Fairmount Park Conservancy. She is developing the Conservancy’s first volunteer leadership and environmental

education programs and also organizes Love Your Park. Lindsey has a Master of Environmental Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and her favorite park in Philly is FDR Park.

This webinar is to pay what you wish to register. Pay any amount that you would like or nothing at all. Those who become sustaining members of at least $5 a month, or who make a one-time donation of at least $20, may receive “19 Best Solutions of 2019” — Next City’s solutions of the year magazine. Your contribution toward this seminar will be used to find even more amazing guests, cover hosting fees and organize seminars like this one more frequently. A video of the webinar will be made available to those who register.

RSVP here.

Cities and states are starting to reopen, but medical experts say that maintaining social distance remains essential to containing COVID-19.

How should Americans navigate this socially distant summer? 

Join Atlantic staff writers James Hamblin, Kaitlin Tiffany, and senior editor Paul Bisceglio, for a conversation on the science of the pandemic and our new social norms.

Find out more and RSVP here.

On Wednesday, July 1, at 1 p.m. Eastern, join Cindy Jurie, Ph.D, Director of Research and Special Projects at the Early Learning Coalition of Orange County (ELCOC). During this webinar, Jurie will discuss how ELCOC stepped up to support child care providers through the pandemic. 

Despite child care services being listed as “essential” during the COVID-19 pandemic, early learning centers across the U.S. have seen a large number of closures. Providers have found themselves struggling to find supplies to help maintain a clean facility. Others have been faced with the daunting task of seeking financial assistance through the CARES Act. 

With the goal of supporting the early childhood community in Orange County throughout the pandemic, ELCOC assembled and distributed cleaning supplies to providers, eased confusion by regularly dispensed information related to the pandemic, and pivoted their business program to provide coronavirus relief consultations. 

With these supports in place Jurie has found that their community members are more hopeful of their ability to remain open, some of whom have begun to receive grant funding for their programs. 

“Orlando has a strong tradition of coming together in crisis to support our community,” says Jurie.  “Our Early Learning Coalition team has worked collaboratively with our child care community to ensure our children have the best care possible in this time of crisis.”

Jurie has worked in early childhood education  for over thirty years, as an infant/toddler/preschool teacher, director, Child Development Associates trainer and college instructor.  As Director of Research & Special Projects, Jurie has designed & implemented funded initiatives to support infant/toddler quality, early literacy, business support for directors, and early childhood mental health supports.  

This webinar is to pay what you wish to register. Pay any amount that you would like or nothing at all. Those who become sustaining members of at least $5 a month, or who make a one-time donation of at least $20, may receive “19 Best Solutions of 2019” — Next City’s solutions of the year magazine. Your contribution toward this seminar will be used to find even more amazing guests, cover hosting fees and organize seminars like this one more frequently. A video of the webinar will be made available to those who register.

Learn more about the event here and RSVP here.

Join the UCLA Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Equity, in collaboration with the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge, and Charles Drew University Center to Eliminate Cancer Health Disparities, for a webinar examining COVID-19 disparities in Los Angeles.
 

COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted Los Angeles’ Black and Latinx populations and other ethnic minority and disadvantaged groups. Persistent health disparities combined with housing patterns, lack of financial resources and other factors have put members of these groups at highest risk in the current pandemic. During this webinar we will examine the social, economic, and geographic factors that have contributed to the spread of the disease and further deepened race and class disparities. Our speakers will focus on local data showing how inequalities vary by neighborhood and shed light on some of the reasons for these neighborhood differences. A moderated discussion will follow. The goal is to provide participants with new tools to tailor the public health response and inform public policy.

Speakers:

Dr. Paul Ong's research focuses on spatial, racial and economic inequality. He has served on advisory committees or as an expert technical advisor for a number of public agencies including the Race and Ethnic Advisory Committee for the U.S. Census Bureau, the National Research Council, and the U.S. Department of Justice. As Director of the UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge, Dr. Ong is currently leading a series of research that examines the direct and indirect impacts of COVID-19 on employment, renters, financial resources, the burden of sheltering-in-place, and Census 2020 responses. He is also working with the California's Air Resource Board to develop neighborhood-level indicators related to Sustainable Community Strategies and transportation disparities.

 
Dr. Paul Robinson is a medical geographer with extensive experience in bringing concepts, theories, and methods from spatial science into medical research. He is an NIH Researcher and Director of the CDU Medical GIS Laboratory. Recently, Dr. Robinson has been researching the uneven geographic spread and disparate impacts of Coronavirus and COVID-19 outcomes.

RSVP here.

On June 26 at 12:00 p.m. ET, Washington Post Live welcomes Thrive Global founder and CEO Arianna Huffington, Harvard School of Public Health dean Michelle A. Williams and CAA Foundation executive director Natalie Tran to shine a spotlight on first responders suffering from burnout, exhaustion and mental stress in the fight against COVID-19. With a second wave already underway in 20 states, it is a problem that is only likely to grow. Guests will address this lesser-known public health crisis unfolding before us, as well as the disproportionate effect of coronavirus on minority populations and the overall impact of racism on public health.

Stream here: wapo.st/helpingfirstresponders

Find out more about the event and RSVP here.

The economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic is already the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Renters and homeowners who have lost their jobs during this pandemic are facing down an already tight housing market, in which a third of Americans are cost-burdened and minimum-wage workers can’t afford housing anywhere in the U.S. People already experiencing homelessness are struggling to find a safe place to even wash their hands, though without access to sanitation, the coronavirus may spread.

Without swift action, the housing crisis facing much of the country will only worsen, and the pandemic will be more difficult to contain.

Clearly, cities and states must act. But how?

Join Next City housing correspondent Jared Brey on a webinar Wednesday, May 6 at 1 p.m. ET, to explore solutions that cities around the country have already adopted to try to blunt the worst of the housing-related fallout from the pandemic. These solutions could be replicated elsewhere.

On this webinar, Brey will speak with:

Cambridge, MA mayor Sumbul Siddiqui, whose administration has committed to paying local restaurants to make meals for homeless shelters, where volunteers can no longer cook meals because of social distancing requirements.

Philly-based Good Shepherd Mediation’s Sue Wasserkrug, who can speak to how the organization’s landlord-tenant mediation program is helping people stay in their homes and helping landlords resolve disputes with tenants without the need for court.

More guests to be announced

Jared Brey is Next City’s housing correspondent, based in Philadelphia. He is a former staff writer at Philadelphia magazine and PlanPhilly, and his work has appeared in Columbia Journalism Review, Landscape Architecture Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, Philadelphia Weekly, and other publications.

This webinar is pay what you wish to register. Pay any amount that you would like or nothing at all. Those who become sustaining members of at least $10 a month, or who make a one-time donation of at least $60, may choose to receive a copy of “Black in Place.” Donations made for this webinar will go toward our 2020 Urban Affairs Journalism Fellowship Program. We only need to raise $8,000 to ensure this program’s success. Your donation today will go directly toward paying an intern’s stipend and managing the program. A video of the webinar will be made available to those who register.

View online details here and RSVP.