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    • Home
    • About Us
      • Our Mission
      • Our Team
      • Impact 2023
    • Our Work
      • Virtual Cafés
      • Mental Health Awareness
      • Employment Services
      • Community Outreach
    • Get Involved
      • Contact Us
      • Volunteer
      • Join our Fundraisers
    • News
    • Donate
We Are One United
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Our Mission
    • Our Team
    • Impact 2023
  • Our Work
    • Virtual Cafés
    • Mental Health Awareness
    • Employment Services
    • Community Outreach
  • Get Involved
    • Contact Us
    • Volunteer
    • Join our Fundraisers
  • News
  • Donate
Purple with yellow text, picturef os people on the computer shared screen, smiling and talking,

Virtual Cafés

Join us as we meet online to discuss issues impacting our communities! Find us on Zoom, meet new people, and discover essential resources & information for your community. 

How it works:

  1. We discuss issues existing in our communities: how we can personally help, and how learning from each other inspires us to build a better future together. 
  2. We provide essential resources and knowledge to anyone interested in helping their community, 
  3. We provide learning space to anyone who wishes to develop their individual skills or learn about diverse topics, such as financial responsibility, career change, employment possibilities, mental health, youth development, innovation, and technology. 
  4. A safe space for everyone to share their stories and connect with experts in their field. 

Our topics:

Starting second Wednesday each month, we look at different topics with guests from all over the Inland Empire. We focus primarily on Youth Development, Community Engagement, Innovation & Technology, and Economic Development. 

How to join

All you need to do is find a topic you like and click on the link to register. You will be directed to an online Zoom registration form. Fill in all required fields and click register. You will receive an email containing all information about how to join the live session. 

How it started:

Virtual Cafés were originally created by Jilska Chandrasena, with the idea to bring together youth and people from diverse communities in the Palm Springs Area. After working at a crisis center in Palm Springs, Jilska witnessed the despair and disconnect of youth in the community affected by the pandemic. She connected with other like-minded community leaders to start Virtual Cafés for our community. 


As our Virtual Cafés grew, we didn't stay limited by age, and we invite everyone, regardless of age, to come and learn with us.  

last virtual community café

Calm from Chaos: Meditation for Mental Health & Wellness with James Woods

This week's Virtual Café James Woods. As the founder of the organization "Dat Yoga Dude" James Woods manages  his organization with a focus on promoting mental health and wellness.  


  • After working as Mental Health Specialist for many years James has decided to explore different ways how to approach our mental health.  He uses his expertise as a top wellness speaker and School Stress Strategist to create programs and resources aimed at improving the mental and physical health of individuals in the educational system.  James incorporates the practice of meditation into his programs,  recognizing its benefits for reducing stress and promoting overall well-being. He works closely with educators, parents, and students to ensure that his  programs are relevant, effective, and meet the unique needs of each  individual. Through Dat Yoga Dude, James is making a tangible difference in the lives of countless people and is committed to continuing his  efforts to improve mental health and wellness in the education system. 

Watch our Community Café recordings

Using Technology for Good with Esri

 Esri is a technological company, pioneering ArcGIS - the world's most powerful mapping and analytics software. Our guest, Kymberli Fieux, who is currently working as Senior Account Executive, introduced us to their work and to opprtunities within. 

Inclusive Employment for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities

We were happy to welcome Esteban Ortiz, a Community Program Specialist, from the San Bernardino regional office of The State Council on Developmental Disabilities (SCDD).

Holiday Traditions in Our Diverse Community

IN this Virtual Café please welcome Juanita Garner, who will tell us more about their Mexican-American traditions, Zubair and Dr. Augustine Kposowa will teach us about Kwanzaa and African traditions, and Lily Khanbegian will help us discover the magic of Armenian Christmas. 

Youth Workforce Development and Sustainable Tourism in Greater Palm Springs

In this Café we focused on the future of sustainable communities and how this can be achieved in the Greater Palm Springs. Our speaker, Lauren Bruggemans, the irector of Sustainability and Community Engagement at Visit Greater Palm Springs is perfectly matched to bring knowledge and inspiration into how community partners can work together to build a better future. 

Other topics we discussed

Branding for Social Change

Engaging your Focus Groups with Zachariah Rabah

Storytelling in Marketing with Vladana

Lauren Bruggemans led a workshop about branding and how our approach shifts when creating messages and content for social impact enterprises or social issues. 

Storytelling in Marketing with Vladana

Engaging your Focus Groups with Zachariah Rabah

Storytelling in Marketing with Vladana

Every brand needs a story. We learned about the structure of stories and discussed how important tone of voice and branding personas are for building a personal brand. 

Engaging your Focus Groups with Zachariah Rabah

Engaging your Focus Groups with Zachariah Rabah

Engaging your Focus Groups with Zachariah Rabah

Zachariah Rabah led a series of focus groups teaching us how data visualization works and how we should disseminate results and apply them in the community development process. 

Financial Literacy with Mark Taylor

Community Leadership with Ricky Wright Jr.

Engaging your Focus Groups with Zachariah Rabah

We want our young people to be equipped with valuable and useful skills. That's why we invited CPA and financial advisor, Mark Taylor, to talk about money management, budgeting, debt, investing and tax preparation. 

Community Leadership with Ricky Wright Jr.

Community Leadership with Ricky Wright Jr.

Community Leadership with Ricky Wright Jr.

Teacher and community leader Ricky Wright Jr. shared his story about how to give back to your community. After spending years working with youth outside Palm Springs, he decided to come back to help build the next generation of leaders. 

Mental Health Series

Community Leadership with Ricky Wright Jr.

Community Leadership with Ricky Wright Jr.

 We are privileged to have mental health professionals such as Kate Emerson, Maureen Misuraca, and James Brown join our Mental Health themed cafés. Find their Virtual Cafés at our Mental Health Awareness focus page. 

Participant testimonials

Facilitating a process that engages everyone in building a greater capacity for learning and development has been fun, enlightening and serious work. I admire the organization’s ability to live its values and organize an incredible group of youth to inspire dream-worthy action in their community.

Attending We are One United’s virtual cafes showed me how we still can work together towards common goals, for the benefit of our community, even if it’s virtually.

Be a part of the movement

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We Are One United

777 East Tahquitz Canyon Way, Suite 200-31, Palm Springs CA 92262

(909) 486-3775

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