Welcome to the Coalition Blog
A place for innovators and thought leaders to share their insights on how we can mitigate social isolation & loneliness.
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By Laura Belazis, Senior Director of Strategy and Impact at Meals on Wheels America If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it’s just how valuable connection is to each and every one of us. Months of physical distancing, limiting our interactions and staying at…
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Feelings of isolation and loneliness have existed among the LGBTQ+ community for many years due to the fear of persecution, violence and seclusion that comes along with being a member of the LGBTQ+ community in a heteronormative society. Looking at the evidence: Despite these alarming…
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By Shannon Vyvijal, Social Connection Fellow at the Foundation for Social Connection “At a cultural level, we have to say this is something we want to talk about and prioritize. We have to frame this as a need for survival. It should be as normal…
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I’m honored to have been invited to engage with other world leaders at The Wellbeing Summit for Social Change in Bilbao, Spain this week. This event represents the coming together of changemakers from 60 nations around the globe to drive systemic culture change for the improved…
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I’m finding it very hard to focus today. Do you feel the same? It’s 21 weeks into the year and America has already seen 213 mass shootings. I keep looking at my phone, reading the next headline, the next tweet, looking at the faces of…
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Being a young adult comes with unique challenges, with many individuals preparing to make huge life changes that include moving out or away for the first time, going to college or getting a job, and forming new sources of community and belonging. For those who…
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A few months ago, at one of the regular zoom meetings that I attend as a member of the Beyond Differences National Teen Board, I was asked to share a piece of advice that I would give to my 7th-grade self. This is what I…
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Social connection is a basic human nutrient just like food and water. There has been very little attention paid to this key determinant of health in neurological disease even though there is a robust literature on the dramatic impacts on health of loneliness and social…
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I recently visited my 90-year-old grandfather, whom I lovingly call, “Papa.” He lives alone, in a two-story house, with a landline phone (he refuses to turn on his cell phone), and piles of organized chaos everywhere (for fear of forgetting where things are). He has…
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One of the many great things about representing the Global Initiative on Loneliness and Connection is the chance to work with other countries, even other continents in their efforts to tackle loneliness. This week I was therefore thrilled to support and co-host an amazing event in Grenoble, France…
