Toss up some greens, cheese, and a healthy dose of pasta in this salad! With the summer heat (and laziness), this pasta salad is an easy, quick, and tasty meal. See the recommended ingredients below:
Cooled Pasta (fusili recommended)
Cucumbers
Cherry tomatoes
Mozarella or feta cheese
Bell peppers
Sundried tomatoes
Olives
Enjoy a refreshing drink this summer such as an Arnold Palmer, lemonade, strawberry lemonade, or iced tea!
The Spins- Mac Miller
Summer- Calvin Harris
Heatwaves- Glass Animals
I Don't WantTo Be- Gavin DeGraw
You're The One- KAYTRANADA, Syd
Solar Power- Lorde
Sweet Nothing- Calvin Harris
Trouble- Cage the Elephant
Island in the Sun- Weezer
Sunflower - Post Malone
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry (Romance)
Beach Read by Emily Henry (Romance)
Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand (Fiction)
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Literary Fiction)
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (Literary Fiction, Romance)
The Maidens by Alex Michaelides (Mystery/Thriller)
Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner (Mystery)
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston (Romance)
The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo (Historical Fiction)
Bela's Dog: Leonardo aka Leo is roughly 3 years old and is a Chihuahua and Shih Tzu mix. 2 winters ago a small puppy showed up at my gate, he looked similar to my family's other dog (Maddy), also a Shih Tzu, so my dad brought him inside thinking it was our dog. He then realized it was a stray dog that was extremely close to death. He had been roaming around the streets for what seemed like months. He was unnourished and had long matted hair. After a few weeks looking for his owners, I fell in love with the little dog. It became clear he was abused in his last home and was frightened of just about everything. Over the past year he has made progress but still follows me around everywhere. Leo is now best friends with Maddy, our other dog, and has a home.
Ground yourself and be present while you walk, run, or get drive around outside with these 10 scavenger hunt items to find on your way!
5 different types of flowers
A stuffed animal in a window
A license plate starting with a letter in your first name
Someone wearing the same color shirt/jacket as you
A street name that incorporates a color into it
A door that is a primary color (blue, yellow, red)
A tree with a birds nest on it
Succulents
A butterfly
A cloud in the shape of an animal, mythical or real
Palm Springs
A romantic comedy with a twist. Two wedding guests at a beautiful summer wedding get stuck in a time loop. A unique play on the Groundhog Day-esq movie.
Luca
Set in the Italian Riviera, the animated movie follows a young boy throughout his memorable summer. This coming of age story is all about a boy sharing adventures with his new best friend, trying not to reveal his secret.
Moonrise Kingdom
Wes Anderson directed movie following two twelve year olds who decided to run away from their New England residence.
Thelma and Louise
A perfect road trip wedding. A 1991 classic following two best friends on a wild/somewhat illegal adventure.
Bela: Water Bottle, I always bring a water bottle when I travel because I prioritize being hydrated.
Anouschka: Earbuds/headphones - I can’t live without music, so I always bring a way to listen when I’m traveling!
Brodie: Lip Balm - If I am on a plane the change in altitude always makes my lips very dry so lip balm is extremely helpful.
Neta: Book - I like reading before bed because it makes me feel tired and helps me fall asleep, and bringing a book is always helpful especially when I’m bored.
On July 6th, we presented Myths and Facts about Mental Health
to the SYAB! Thank you all who joined us and shared wonderful feedback.
Myths and Facts about Mental Health
We were thrilled to receive a personal invitation from Mayor Laura Parmer-Lohan, of San Carlos to be a part of their community event celebrating PRIDE!!!!
Thank you everyone who helped table our outreach and engagement efforts!
Binh Au, Crisis Support Services Crisis Line Director
Crisis Support Services, Alameda County
Oakland, CA
Crisis Support Services, Alameda County
Mira and I received the opportunity to shadow Binh Au, the Crisis Line Director at the Crisis Support Services of Alameda County. As someone who is passionate about access to mental health care in low-income communities of color, I was excited to hear about Binh’s experiences and reflections in the mental health field. Mira and I drove to Oakland and spent the morning interviewing volunteers and listening to crisis calls. In the afternoon, Binh drove us to different crisis centers in Alameda County.
This experience was incredibly eye-opening. My experience in mental health activism has targeted a very specific audience. Bettering the mental health of teenagers in communities like Palo Alto and Menlo Park is necessary; however, we must also look beyond these areas. Annie Kim introduced me to the word “nonserved.” Some communities in the Bay Area are not underserved in terms of mental health care but are actually not served. There are little to no resources to support these individuals. Furthermore, there is a serious lack of funding and staff in the crisis centers that do exist.
From this experience, I became interested in learning about the diversity of mental health care professionals. Binh showed us a wall with pictures of staff members and volunteers. I was surprised to see that the majority of the individuals were white. I wondered if communities of color were less willing to utilize the crisis center’s resources because of this. As a queer woman of color, I felt even more empowered to explore careers in mental health care.
My last key observation can be summarized by a single word: awe. Listening to Binh and the other volunteers utilize their empathy skills and patience to support struggling individuals was extremely powerful. I admire them for being able to handle the weight of their clients’ emotions and still come home to their families at the end of the day. I left the center feeling grateful for their work and empowered to one day better mental health care systems in communities around the country. ~ Samina, Core
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Shadowing Binh Au at the Crisis Support Services of Alameda County was an eye-opening experience because it exposed me to a community and service so rarely discussed. Driving to the crisis center in Oakland immediately exposed the bubble we, as SafeSpace members, do our work in. We service our schools and direct community very well, but there is a larger population close by that has little to no resources. As community members passionate about mental health, we should all make an effort to learn about those outside our bubble and what we can do to help.
One observation that stood out to me greatly was the lack of diversity within employees and volunteers at the center. When needing something as personal as mental health care and support, callers want to feel understood. However, most of the agents were white, and can often not understand the cultural background of several callers. Bihn explained that the center does not have enough funding or appeal to hire more diverse employees. This revealed a much-needed improvement for centers like these, but also a call for more diversity and funding for all mental health care.
Additionally, Binh explained that they try to involve the police as little as possible with crisis calls. After questioning this for a while, it made absolute sense to me. Several groups of people have felt targeted by the police, especially in recent years. If someone scared of the police was in a crisis situation, they would undoubtedly be terrified by police cars showing up to their house with their sirens blaring and their guns out. I was shocked to find out that not all police officers were required to take training to manage crisis situations. To me, this exposed a need to reform the law enforcement system so that all officers can be equipped to prevent crises correctly.
Listening to crisis calls and being in such an underserved environment was very heartbreaking; however, I felt a strong sense of hope from Binh and in the office. The agents at the center are told to focus on the light in the caller's lives and what they might hold onto for just another day. It was inspiring to see that in the face of such tragedy in these people’s lives, they still found the strength and hope to call, confide in someone, and seek help. This trip was so inspiring; I will definitely keep what I learned in mind as I work more with mental health advocacy and care. ~ Mira D., Core, Digital Media & Resource Lead
Core member + Menlo Park Community Co-Lead
Core member + Social Media Co-Lead
Core member
Core member, Digital Media, and Resource Lead
Core member + Communications Co-Lead
Core member
Youth Board Liaison + M-A High School Lead
San Mateo Lead
San Mateo Community Lead
Communications Co-Lead and Nueva Lead
Social Media Co-Lead
Sacred Heart Lead
Pride Sub-Committee Lead
Menlo School lead and MP Community Co-Lead