Charlas/Community Conversations

As part of our endeavor to connect with the community we serve, the charlas (community conversations) were started in order to bring the HERE Center’s presence into the San Fernando Valley. Our goal is to let the community know that we are here to partner with the diverse neighborhoods in the Valley to address and reduce health disparities. As the largest higher education institution in the Valley, we envision developing health disparity priorities and projects as a result of patterns emanating from these conversations and partnerships.

The HERE-VyC charlas are:

• A virtual community gathering where community members and academic researchers come together and talk about local health issues in the neighborhoods or around a specific topic. 
• A collaborative project with Visión y Compromiso and promotores from the San Fernando Valley committee that aims to listen to community concerns, promote awareness about local health-related issues, build trust and community engagement in research
• Thus far, our focus areas have been Van Nuys, Canoga Park, and Sun Valley, as well as topics on environmental health, mental health, and subgroups of the population such as youth in the Valley. 
• View Our Charla Executive Report (English version) here

Community Town Halls:

The town halls are a collaboration between the HERE Center, our partner Visión y Compromiso and various community stakeholders. The townhalls are a place where changemakers, research in action, and the community come together on current and pressing topics. Thus far, we have covered a number of topics that respond to the current needs or interests identified through our community conversations or charlas, Visión y Compromiso’s active work in the communities and more. These events have allowed us to work with other vested stakeholders in the community that want to share their work, their passion, the dedication to discuss, if not address, some of the health-related problems in the Valley.

To date we have had a panel with local politicians, an event where the community could ask questions related to the vaccines and youth, and one on houselessness in the Valley. All these townhalls have been recorded if you would like to learn more.  
 
For more information, please contact Dr. Lisa Chaudhari at lisa.chaudhari@csun.edu

Previous town halls:

• Move to Your Own Beat: Dance, Walk or Run on April 27, 2022
  • View and download resources for physical education
  • Ver y descargar recursos para educación física
• Promotoras Tackling Social Inequities During COVID-19 in the Latino Community on March 25, 2021
• “I am Next!... Should I get the COVID Vaccine?” on May 24, 2021 
  • • View video recording of the town hall here.
• The Impact of Houselessness on the Mental Health and Wellbeing of the Community on December 8, 2021 
  • • View video recording of the town hall here.