Welcome to the Coalition Blog

A place for innovators and thought leaders to share their insights on how we can mitigate social isolation & loneliness.

  • Beyond Pride: Recognizing the Impact of Social Isolation and Loneliness Among LGBTQ+ Youth

    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…

  • Conversations on Belonging, Connection, & Wellbeing: A Reflection

    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…

  • Reflections from the Wellbeing Summit

    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…

  • A Call For Prevention

    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…

  • Upstream Approaches to Young Adult Mental Health: Reflections from Resilient Georgia

    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…

  • Beyond Differences: A Story of Youth Identity, Agency, and Belonging

    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…

  • A Synergy of Pandemics – Parkinson’s Disease, Loneliness, and COVID-19

    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…

  • We’re Getting Together Again…But Chronic Loneliness is Still Real

    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…

  • Reflections on the First French Action Summit on Social Isolation

    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…

  • Are You Feeling Burned Out? Connecting with Colleagues May be the Antidote

    If you’re feeling burned out, you’re not alone. According to a survey by Indeed, over half of respondents experienced burnout in 2021. This is an alarming number when you consider the toll that burnout takes on health and wellbeing. The World Health Organization recognizes these…