Q-MoB Science Salon: Strategies for Better Connections (Pittsfield, MA)

Spring is an important time to cultivate new connections, and now science reinforces how vital this is to our longevity, happiness, & resiliency, and in this presentation of some of the latest science on practical ways you can build broader & deeeper connections, we'll inquire together about how we can make better connections happen.

SPRING SCEINCE SALON: Dr. Charles Popper, a long-time Harvard Psychiatrist, Faculty Member, & Researcher will be reviewing some fascinating studies on how vital it is that rural queer men cultivate intergnerational community connections as a way of improving longevity, happiness, resiliency, and disease prevention and recovery. As it turns out cultivating broader and deeper connections end up being much better predictors of longterm health and happiness than more well publicized interventions like losing weght, quiting smoking, reducing alcohol, or exercising regularly. Men often overlook how vital cultivating connections are and drift into isolation by spending massive amounts of time on screens and end up comfortably numb but at much higher risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, depression, & anxiety because of creeping isolation. The Surgeon General has said there is a very simple and effective treatment for this algorhymic isolation: spend more IRL time with your friends, neighbors, family, and chosen famiy.

In this scholarly presaentation and the community conversation afterwards we will together inquire:

1. WHAT'S WORKING? How are you cultivating connections with your queer neighbors already? What's working to maintain your IRL connections with queer men?
2. WHAT COULD YOU DO TO IMPROVE YOUR CONNECTIONS WITH QUEER MEN?How could you deepen and make more regular your practice of connecting with other queer men who live relatively near you? What activities help you connect and how could you find or make spaces to connect regularly?
3. HOW COULD Q-MOB HELP YOU CONNECT BETTER? How could the Q-MoB community support your in making broader & deeper connections with your queer neighbors? How might you help us change what we do , how we do it, and where we do it so activities would more reliably help you make better connections?
4. NEXT STEPS: What do you want to do next weeek or today to implement your plan to make connecting with your queer neighbors a regular practice in your life?

WHAT TO BRING

• your ideas about the 4 important questions listed above
• A dish and/or beverage to share with about 6 other people,
• Please make a small sign for your dish that discloses if it contains any of these common allergens/restrictions: dairy, gluten, eggs, meat/chicken/fish, nuts/peanuts, MSG, preservatives, food colors, alcohol, caffeine, sugar, soy, vegan, vegetarian, paleo, etc.
• $10-$20 Tax-Deductible Donation , in cash, or check made out to "Q-MoB Inc" (Q-MoB is a 501(c)3 Non-Profit that empowers rural queer men to broaden & deepen their connections with one another by providing more than 20 social, recreation, & arts/culture activities per month in the 8 rural counties in 4 states that make up the Greater Berkshire Region), or JOIN Q-MoB and donate $25/month, $35/mo, $50/mo, $75/mo, $100/mo so you can get into all our events FREE, or donate what you can afford if you request a low-income scholarship when you register

ALCOHOL POLICY: All potlucks are open to men 18 & older, and if anyone under 21 attends, we will card everyone who wants to drink alcohol and obviously not serve alchohol to anyone under 21, and we remind everyone it is a crime to give alcohol to someone younger than 21 and for someone under 21 to use alcohol. Q-MoB takes its commitment to preventing underage drinking very seriously. Because of Eventbrite Guidelines, men under 18 are not permitted at any Q-MoB event unless they have parental consent and this consent has been verified by Q-MoB.

CARPOOLING & RIDE-SHARING: Because parking is limited, we encourage you to carpool, and Q-MoB's Ride Coordinator will be reaching out to people who indicate they ae willing to carpool and to find rides for men who don't have cars. Car pooling helps you make new friends & neighbors, save money on gas, reduce your carbon footprint, & prevents parking challenges for our hosts. When you register, let us know your cell # and home address to help us facilitate carpooling and ride-sharing.

OR : Please donate $5-$20 to help assure Q-MoB can continue to offer more than 20 activities & multiple resources & services to rural queer men all over the region. If you attend 2 or more Q-MoB events/month, please consider becoming a monthly sustaining donor member. By donating $25, $50, $75, or $100/month you can help to sustain the incredible variety of activities, services, and resources Q-MoB provides and assure all of these activities are accessible to men regardless of their age, income, or ability, and best of all you can avoid having to donate at each and every event you attend. Monthly Sustaining Members pay only once a month and then can attend all our activities with no further donation.

COMMUNICATING DAY OF THE EVENT: If you have need to cancel the day of the event, will be late, or have trouble finding us, please call or text Bart at 413-344-8162

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Host or Publisher Q-MoB (Queer Men of the Berkshires)