Nonprofits, Celebrities and Experts Present Facebook Live Event on Resilience and Empathy

“Resilience, Empathy, and Healthy Screen-time: An Honest Conversation” will take place on March 25 via Facebook Live.

Non-profit organizations including the YMCA of the USA, the Pop Culture Hero Coalition and the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital are collaborating with actress Jameela Jamil, comedian Joe Gatto, and a number of psychologists, experts and authors, to present an online event addressing the negative mental health effects of COVID-19 on families.

The event will address effects such as anxiety, depression and loneliness, and provide attendees with relatable tools to turn struggles into strengths, so children, teens and adults can become heroes for themselves and each other.

Hosted by actress Chase Masterson, the founder and CEO of the Pop Culture Hero Coalition, the event will feature meaningful and educational discussions with experts and authors on the topics of youth mental health, trauma and resiliency one year into our screen-dependent pandemic.

“We empathize with the feelings families have when they hear rampant reports of community violence and bullying in schools and in the workplace,” said Masterson. “For eight years, the coalition has created the Heroic Journey curriculum, which is a toolkit for community centers, homes and schools so children, teens and parents can navigate their feelings of depression, anxiety, loneliness and fear. We are proud and honored to offer the Heroic Journey curriculum, which helps people turn their struggles into strength.”

Masterson commented on the recent shooting in Boulder, Colorado, and emphasized the rising tide in violence is likely based in mental health. “That’s why this work is so important,” she said. “We are in a national crisis. And people need tools that are relatable and accessible. That’s what we’re here for – that’s what we’re here to give.”

Furthermore, Dr. Chris Coker, the CEO of the YMCA of Northern Colorado, and adjunct professor at the University of Colorado, spoke on the opportunities the event will provide to attendees and what takeaways can be expected.

“We’re giving attendees a big-box tour from a number of experts in these fields,” said Dr. Coker. “They will be able to take away a significant number of tools and resources they can refer back to for a deeper look at any areas where they feel their community, programs or participants are having issues.”

Dr. Coker elaborated virtual events, such as this one, are a very efficient and timely way to get information into the hands of your staff and participants. “I highly recommend this remote learning model,” he said. “You can get a lot of information very directly. And everybody has an online presence anymore, so being able to refer back to the information is easy.”

Here are the details for attending the free, online event “Resilience, Empathy, Healthy Screen-Time: An Honest Conversation.”

When: March 25, at 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT

Duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Event Page: popculturehero.org/honest-conversation

Featuring:

• Jameela Jamil: The Good Place, The Misery Index, I Weigh
• Joe Gatto: Impractical Jokers, The Misery Index
• Rob Lee: Author, A Sin by Any Other Name, Stained Glass Millennials
• YMCA of the USA president and CEO Kevin Washington
• Harvard associate professor and “Mediatrician” Dr. Michael Rich; founder and director, Boston Children’s Hospital Digital Wellness Lab
• Rheeda Walker: Author, The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health, professor of Psychology, University of Houston
• Janina Scarlet: Author, Superhero Therapy; Super-Women, Super-Survivors, Therapy Quest, Dark Agents
• Chris Coker: CEO, YMCA Northern Colorado, adjunct professor, University of Colorado
• Andrea Letamendi: UCLA associate director of Mental Health Training, Intervention, and Response interim director, Student Resilience Center
• Pop Culture Hero Coalition co-founder and curriculum director Carrie Goldman: Author, Harper Collins’ Bullied: What Every Parent, Teacher, and Kid Needs to Know About Ending the Cycle of Fear
• #HalfTheStory founder Larissa May
• Hosted by: Star Trek’s Chase Masterson, founder and CEO, Pop Culture Hero Coalition

Pop Culture Hero Coalition is the first 501(c)(3) to teach mental health and social emotional learning skills using an intersection of evidence-based psychology and relatable stories from TV and film. Created by psychologists and educators, the coalition’s groundbreaking Heroic Journey Social Emotional Learning and Bullying Prevention Curriculum is used in schools and YMCA USA.

“After a year of profound isolation due to social distancing and the global pandemic, we are seeing that children need social emotional skills more than ever before,” said Carrie Goldman, Pop Culture Hero Coalition co-founder and Heroic Journey curriculum director. “Pop Culture Hero Coalition and the YMCA are working together to teach kids self compassion, resilience, empathy and other crucial social emotional skills that will help them re-integrate into our normal social society. We are so grateful for this opportunity to be working with the YMCA of the USA, and we’re using fun relatable pop culture stories to teach kids critical social emotional learning lessons.”

The Heroic Journey at Home: Mental Health During COVID-19 is an emotional support tool-kit for children, teens and parents, available free of charge in English and Spanish. For more information, contact Chase Masterson at Chase@PopCultureHero.org

This event is sponsored by BeKindMerch.org. Pop Culture Hero Coalition’s #BeKind campaign has led to the creation of this popular merchandise line, with 100% of proceeds going to programs to teach children and teens crucial mental health skills and end bullying in all its forms.