{"id":76140,"date":"2025-10-09T17:53:06","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T00:53:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=76140"},"modified":"2025-10-09T17:53:06","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T00:53:06","slug":"amid-societal-division-california-urges-residents-to-go-serve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=76140","title":{"rendered":"Amid Societal Division, California Urges Residents to \u2018Go Serve\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By<\/span>Sunita Sohrabji<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Amid growing division nationwide, California is urging its residents to create stronger connections in their own communities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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California state Senator Scott Weiner (left) with California Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday. (Sunita Sohrabji photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Amid growing division nationwide, California is urging its residents to create stronger connections in their own communities.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, Oct. 8 in San Francisco, the Governor\u2019s Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications kicked off the first of eight convenings aiming to battle this societal division through community engagement in cities throughout the state.<\/p>\n

Approximately 250 people representing 100 local community organizations, nonprofits and government attended the event at the Hyatt Regency<\/p>\n

The \u201cCalifornia Connects\u201d convenings are part of the state\u2019s\u00a0GO-Serve program<\/a>, established last year to encourage paid service and volunteerism for residents to meet the most pressing issues in their communities, including climate change, health and mental health care, elder support and immigration help.<\/p>\n

\u201dWe are living in a different moment in our history. People feel divided, isolated, polarized. We are asking you: How can we bring together the 40 million people that call our state their home?\u201d said California Chief Service Officer and GO-Serve head Josh Fryday, who kicked off the day-long event. \u201cAs the federal government shuts down, California is powering up. That\u2019s what this day is about.\u201d<\/p>\n

State Senator Scott Weiner, who chairs the Senate Budget Committee and represents San Francisco, was the keynote speaker.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople have become super disconnected, propagandized and even brainwashed in some respects. And that is so deeply unhealthy for society,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need to continually strengthen infrastructure and connections at the local level so people don\u2019t feel disconnected.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe work that California Connects does is so important. We need to replicate this all across the country and rebuild the social infrastructure that\u2019s been around for so long and that has been deteriorating in recent years,\u201d he continued, thanking the audience for \u201cfighting for a better society.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Anni Chung, president and CEO of Self Help for the Elderly. (Christopher Alam photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Serving communities in San Francisco<\/h2>\n

The GO-Serve initiative is backed by $225 million from the state this fiscal year.<\/p>\n

Last year, the San Francisco-based nonprofit Self-Help for the Elderly received a $300,000 grant from GO-Serve.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did one-on-one phone banking, and also getting out into the community and doing street fairs, health fairs and workshops. It was a very successful year,\u201d said Anni Chung, president and CEO of the organization, which helps seniors citywide \u2014 particularly Chinese Americans \u2014 maintain independence in all areas of their lives.<\/p>\n

This year, with a slightly smaller budget, Self-Help for the Elderly will prioritize mental health resources for Chinese American seniors, many of whom live with trauma associated with fleeing their country of origin.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are 200,000 Chinese Americans living in San Francisco alone, but just eight clinicians to support them,\u201d said Chung. \u201cDepression, anxiety and suicidal ideation and attempts go unaddressed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one can really address it because we are so short of bilingual, bicultural clinicians,\u201d she continued. \u201cSo this year, we hope that with state support, we can bring back a couple of our clinicians who are retired but still hold their license. We can give them a stipend, so they can provide some of these desperately needed services for our seniors.\u201d<\/p>\n

The San Francisco regional convening also highlighted the\u00a0Men\u2019s Service Challenge<\/a>, a $5 million investment through the GO-Serve initiative, announced by Governor Newsom last month, seeking to recruit 10,000 mentors, coaches and tutors for boys and young men.<\/p>\n

\u201cCivic society is in need of men to step up and serve in their communities while also understanding the various challenges that they might be facing,\u201d said Luis Jimenez Romo, deputy director of external and legislative affairs at GO-Serve.<\/p>\n

In partnership with organizations including Big Brothers, the YMCA and Mentor California, this new initiative will \u201chelp young boys who are finding their way in life,\u201d he added.\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cWe\u2019re encouraging this generation to get off their screens and to get out in the community and make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

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