Fostering Wellbeing, Compassion and Social Connection in Los Angeles

Social support networks

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

We address the pervasive social problems of loneliness, social isolation, and community fragmentation, which have been exacerbated by economic, socio-political, and environmental crises. According to the US Surgeon General’s 2023 advisory on "Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation," 50% of Americans report feeling lonely, leading to significant health risks and increased premature death. This loneliness is compounded by broken police-community relations, overwhelmed educators, and marginalized groups feeling unsafe. Close to 2 million people are incarcerated in the US, over 60% being People of Color. The rate of recidivism is 44%, indicating a severe lack of support for community reintegration. In LA County, police-community relations are strained, political divides deepen, communities of color continue to be under-resourced, and burnout and attrition are rampant amongst public safety agencies–all of this further frays the social fabric and feeds into an atmosphere of adversarialism.

We are living in a watershed moment: our institutions and communities can either sink further into division, oppression, and antagonism, or we can reverse this dangerous path through repairing our fraying social fabric and laying the foundation for a healthier, more abundant future. Our work through Beyond Us & Them provides programming and trainings that offer a practical pathway for easing suffering, cultivating wellbeing, increasing engagement, and flourishing together as a community at a time when this is desperately needed. Leveraging ten years of work within a fiscal sponsor, Beyond Us & Them has recently relaunched as an independent 501(c)3, with a new Board, a strengthened organizational structure and an expanded mission and vision. We will continue to provide programming for incarcerated and formerly-incarcerated individuals, schools, CBOs, healthcare professionals, and law enforcement agencies. In addition, we will now be able to expand our impact as the leading provider of practical, evidence-based programming to enhance wellbeing, disrupt division, nurture relationships and deliver tangible results to an even wider variety of organizations, agencies and communities. Funds from this grant will support our nascent, innovative organization in establishing the infrastructure and procedures necessary to scale our organization to transform Los Angeles into a connected and resilient community.

Communities throughout Los Angeles County will be more connected, inclusive, and resilient as a result of the expansion of our programming. Over ten years, our work has been proven to decrease loneliness and social isolation, as individuals engage in meaningful relationships and support networks. Marginalized groups, including those impacted by incarceration, will experience greater inclusion and support through expanded mentoring programs and council facilitation. Additionally, public safety will improve through strengthened police-community relations, fostering trust and collaboration and educational institutions and community organizations will cultivate empathic, supportive cultures, leading to systemic changes that will address institutional oppression, equitable access and reduced recidivism. Overall, Los Angeles County will thrive as a model for social connection, where diverse communities work together to overcome challenges and build a healthier, more vibrant society.

We measure our work through qualitative and quantitative methods. Researchers affiliated with UCLA and RAND found that incarcerated participants in our programs demonstrated socio-cognitive improvements such as reduction in physical/verbal aggression and PTSD symptoms, and increases in social connectedness, mindfulness, perspective-taking, and resilience. We measure our reentry program impact by tracking mentees' progress in personal development, recidivism, and feedback from mentors and mentees. Evidence of success includes increased engagement, improved communication/empathy, and reduced social isolation and recidivism. We are also piloting research collecting biometric readings from participants to measure Heart Rate Variability (HRV). One notable trend during the course of the program was an increase in participants’ Very Low Frequency domain of HRV, which has a strong correlation with overall autonomic health, such as lower risk for cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality.