Be The Change: Happiness is a Practice: Gratitude, Empathy & Connection

This year the Be the Change Summit will be a series of virtual events that will explore themes identified by the Riverview and Sno-Valley Youth Councils, such as how to transform stress, how to avoid toxic relationships, and how to form meaningful community connections.

Featuring: Luis Ortega, Storytellers for Change

Be the Change Session #5: Happiness is a Practice: Gratitude, Empathy & Connection Happiness has a very important role in our lives, and it can have a huge impact on the way we live our lives. Although researchers have yet to pin down the definition or an agreed-upon formula or model for happiness, there’s a lot we do know about this topic. For example, we know happiness is something that can be learned and that our happiness has a reciprocal relationship with our health.

In this session, we will dive into the science of happiness, what it actually is, and why it matters. Most importantly, we will practice happiness. Yes, happiness is a practice. It’s an intentional choice to engage in specific activities that allow our minds to focus on what’s good in our lives. This is why happiness has been found to support our mental health, increase our wellbeing, and strengthen our sense of connectedness and purpose. All key ingredients to live a productive and healthy life. In a moment in which the world feels so desperately in crisis, choosing to practice daily acts of happiness might just be what we need.

Facilitator Note: If possible, bring with you pen and paper for a writing exercise. You can also complete your activity by typing on your phone, tablet, or laptop.

Key Questions Addressed by the Presenter: How do we choose happiness? What are daily practices to help us practice gratitude, empathy, and connection? How do we start ripple effects of positivity across our communities?

About the Presenter

Luis Ortega is a multidisciplinary storyteller, facilitator, empathy educator, and the founder and director of Storytellers for Change.

Over the last fourteen years, Luis has worked with youth, educators, and organizations to co-design storytelling strategies, projects, and programs to foster empathy, inclusion, and equity across communities. His work and projects have been featured at the Harvard DACA Seminar, HBO’s “Where Do You Exist?” podcast, the Seattle Design Festival, the Kauffman Foundation Disruptor Speaker Series, and the ArtPlace America Summit. Most recently, Luis was selected as a W K. Kellogg Foundation’s Community Leadership Network Fellow and has launched his first visual media book project, 100 Changemakers: Young Leaders of Social Change, at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Discovery Center.