Part 7: Looking For Community? Go Find Your 'Church' 

How To LA is back with our series on How NOT To Be Lonely in LA.

Today we explore the connection between religion…or lack thereof…and loneliness.

For decades, Americans relied on their church, temple or mosque, or other religious institutions, for a sense of built in community. But with more and more people disaffiliating from organized religion in recent decades — particularly since the 90s — we, as a society, haven't really found a replacement for those spaces, and the community and sanctity that comes with them.

Today, producer Megan Botel speaks to USC professor of religion Diane Winston about what has been lost on a personal and community level in the decline of religiosity. She also explores the Pico Union Project, a non-denominational church in L.A. that might offer a solution to some who are looking to find a place to gather with people and share in some sense of spirituality. 

Guests: Diane Winston, professor of media and religion at USC; Craig Taubman, founder and artistic director of the Pico Union Project; Ross Chait, talent booker at the Pico Union Project.

Part 7: Looking For Community? Go Find Your 'Church' 
How To LA is back with our series on How NOT To Be Lonely in LA.
Today we explore the connection between religion…or lack thereof…and loneliness.
For decades, Americans relied on their church, temple or mosque, or other religious institutions, for a sense of built in community. But with more and more people disaffiliating from organized religion in recent decades — particularly since the 90s — we, as a society, haven't really found a replacement for those spaces, and the community and sanctity that comes with them.
Today, producer Megan Botel speaks to USC professor of religion Diane Winston about what has been lost on a personal and community level in the decline of religiosity. She also explores the Pico Union Project, a non-denominational church in L.A. that might offer a solution to some who are looking to find a place to gather with people and share in some sense of spirituality. 
Guests: Diane Winston, professor of media and religion at USC; Craig Taubman, founder and artistic director of the Pico Union Project; Ross Chait, talent booker at the Pico Union Project.

Growing up, I was taught to say that I was “ok” when I really wasn’t. Mental health just wasn’t something that anyone in my family or community talked about or even had access to. Yet pretty much everyone was affected by it. 

Today, young people of color are disproportionately affected by mental health issues and are not getting the resources they need, and I want to change that.  

And this is why this podcast exists.

Yeah No, I’m Not Ok, my new podcast made in collaboration with LAist Studios, is here to open up the conversation about mental health. Every week we will explore issues that youth face all over the world (addiction, depression, anxiety, suicide, radical self love, and much much more) through conversations with friends, colleagues, activists, artists and health care professionals, all people who have gone through something life-changing and are now healing from it. 

We want to start a mental health revolution. A movement that can start by talking about how we feel. One where we’re not ashamed of our own human experience. 

What will feel like simple conversations among friends will really become a complex narrative of what is happening right now, especially to young people of color. With a real and emotional sound and few easy answers, Yeah No, I’m Not Ok will hopefully become a critical show in a critical time, a place for you to bring your complicated feelings and spend time with people who are rooting for you.

– Diane Guerrero

This LAist Studios podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp and our listeners get 10% off their first month of online therapy at BetterHelp.com/LAist

Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.

This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

Growing up, I was taught to say that I was &ldquo;ok&rdquo; when I really wasn&rsquo;t. Mental health just wasn&rsquo;t something that anyone in my family or community talked about or even had access to. Yet pretty much everyone was affected by it.&nbsp;
Today, young people of color are disproportionately affected by mental health issues and are not getting the resources they need, and I want to change that.&nbsp;&nbsp;
And this is why this podcast exists.
Yeah No, I&rsquo;m Not Ok, my new podcast made in collaboration with LAist Studios, is here to open up the conversation about mental health. Every week we will explore issues that youth face all over the world (addiction, depression, anxiety, suicide, radical self love, and much much more) through conversations with friends, colleagues, activists, artists and health care professionals, all people who have gone through something life-changing and are now healing from it.&nbsp;
We want to start a mental health revolution. A movement that can start by talking about how we feel. One where we&rsquo;re not ashamed of our own human experience.&nbsp;
What will feel like simple conversations among friends will really become a complex narrative of what is happening right now, especially to young people of color. With a real and emotional sound and few easy answers, Yeah No, I&rsquo;m Not Ok will hopefully become a critical show in a critical time, a place for you to bring your complicated feelings and spend time with people who are rooting for you.
&ndash; Diane Guerrero
This LAist Studios podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp and our listeners get 10% off their first month of online therapy at&nbsp;<a href="http://betterhelp.com/LAist" data-stringify-link="http://BetterHelp.com/LAist" data-sk="tooltip_parent">BetterHelp.com/LAist</a>
Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

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