YWCA Pasadena-Foothill Valley hosting "TALKING THE TALK: FACE YOUR FEARS" Community Forum on the Election and its Aftermath at Flintridge Center on January 25th.

The YWCA Pasadena-Foothill Valley invites you to attend Talking the Talk: Face Your Fears, the latest in the community conversation series on Wednesday, January 25th, from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm. This community forum will be held at the Flintridge Center, located at 236 W. Mountain St. #117, Pasadena, CA 91103.

After a grueling election season, and the current political climate, the YWCA hopes to give the Pasadena - Foothill Valley community the opportunity to share their concerns, questions, experiences, and solutions. The event will be facilitated by Ernst Fenelon Jr., Program Coordinator for the Prison Education Program at Cal Poly Pomona. The event will start at 5:30 with Ernst Fenelon Jr. introducing the event, followed by the main program including group discussions on current fears, counsel for those concerns, a general discussion, and calls to action by participating organizations. These organizations and co-sponsors include Day One, Planned Parenthood Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley, San Gabriel Valley LGBTQ Center, Coalition for Human Immigrant Rights Los Angeles (CHIRLA), National Immigration Law Center (NILC), All Saints Church, Flintridge Center, Pasadena/Altadena Coalition of Transformative Leaders (PACTL), Assemblymember Chris Holden, ACLU of Southern California -Pasadena-Foothill Chapter, Peace Over Violence, League of Women Voters, and the National Women's Political Caucus.

Ernst Fenelon, Jr. is the Program Coordinator for the Prison Education Project, an innovative "inside and outside" approach which

enhances educational experiences of inmates and parolees while equipping them with practical, real-world tools for successful reintegration. Aside from being the facilitator for the YWCA Pasadena “Talking the Talk” series, he is also a facilitator for "Trust Talks." Mr. Fenelon provides a unique perspective to prison education, reintegration and rehabilitation discussions, and was featured on NPR radio in December 2015

Emely Ortiz is a marriage and family therapist who practices in Pasadena with a focus on increasing mental health through awareness of self and mindfulness-based therapy. She graduated from Antioch University in Los Angeles in 2010, and has been in practice for 5 years. She will be facilitating the counsel portion of the event, leading and guiding participants in ways to calm their minds and meditate on solutions for the problems that they are facing, or will potentially face, due to the current political landscape.

The YWCA Pasadena’s Talking the Talk series brings our community together to discuss hot button topics and strive to come up with solutions. These moderated discussions allow individuals to see many different viewpoints on the given issues, find like-minded individuals, and have a safe space to discuss their point of view. We hope that you can join us. Entry is free and open to the public. Please RSVP by phone at 626.296.8433 or by email at info@ywca-pasadena.org.

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About the YWCA Pasadena-Foothill Valley: The YWCA acts via a wide range of programs that strive towards the elimination of racism and the empowerment of women and girls in Pasadena and throughout the Foothill Valley. Learn more and donate to the programs of the YWCA at www.ywca-pasadena.org.  (626) 296-8433. The YWCA is located at 1015 N. Lake Avenue, Suite 205, Pasadena, CA  91104.