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X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Bedari Kindness Institute
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260520T153000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260520T170000
DTSTAMP:20261113T111042
CREATED:20260413T224652Z
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UID:10000051-1779291000-1779296400@kindness.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Undergraduate Research Roundtable Exploring Human Connection\, Conflict\, and Community
DESCRIPTION:On May 20th\, the Bedari Kindness Institute and the UCLA Initiative to Study Hate will be hosting an Undergraduate Research Week roundtable featuring undergraduates who are conducting or interested in research that redefines human connection\, conflict\, and community. \nFood will be provided. \nRSVP HERE.
URL:https://kindness.ucla.edu/event/undergraduate-research-roundtable-exploring-human-connection-conflict-and-community/
LOCATION:Luskin School of Public Affairs Rm. 4317
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://kindness.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Undergraduate-Research-Roundtable.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260603T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260603T170000
DTSTAMP:20261113T111042
CREATED:20260415T191212Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260506T155216Z
UID:10000052-1780491600-1780506000@kindness.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:UCLA Bedari Kindness Institute and Initiative to Study Hate Impact Symposium
DESCRIPTION:Join the BKI community for an afternoon devoted to sharing research findings drawn from the study of hate and kindness—and to thinking of ways in which we can make a real difference in the world.   The BKI Impact Symposium will explore some of the most critical issues in the world today\, including navigating AI technologies\, reducing political and social polarization\, and building practices of compassion and community. The symposium will feature the following three panels\, along with research project posters: \nToward a Better AI? Can It Combat Hate with Kindness?   \nThe danger AI poses to society is becoming clearer by the day.  AI technologies have already been explicitly implicated in the spread of mis- and dis-information\, risk developing lethal means of destruction\, and perpetuate sexual violence against women and girls. This panel will consider the very real social\, economic\, and political threat that artificial intelligence poses and how we can insist on accountability from big tech\,while also considering how AI might be used as a tool to combat hate and encourage compassion. \nReplacing Polarization and Hate with Compassion \nPolarization is a ubiquitous and toxic presence in politics\, media\, and popular culture in the U.S.  It discourages meaningful  interactions and connections across social\, political\, and ideological divides. This panel will consider compassion-guided and prosocial-driven initiatives to reduce polarization and increase people’s sense of shared reality and community across differences. \nFortifying Practices of Compassion and Community  \nA growing trend in research suggests that practices informed by altruism\, prosocial behavior\, and acts of compassion and kindness have a significantly positive impact on our mental and physical well being. This panel will discuss the effects of such acts and initiatives on both the individual and community level\, ultimately exploring how they might benefit our collective humanity. \n**At the culmination of 4 years of research\, the Initiative to Study Hate\, a community of almost 130 multi-disciplinary researchers\, has supported 107 projects to understand and mitigate hate. During the 2025-2026 academic year\, BKI has welcomed over 40 researchers on 18 projects seeking to create a more kind and compassionate world. \nDate and Time: Wednesday\, June 3rd from 1-4pm\nA reception will follow from 4-5pm \nRSVP HERE\nLocation details will be sent upon rsvp.
URL:https://kindness.ucla.edu/event/ucla-bedari-kindness-institute-and-initiative-to-study-hate-impact-symposium/
CATEGORIES:Events
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261022T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261022T200000
DTSTAMP:20261113T111042
CREATED:20261006T194930Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261015T155414Z
UID:10000059-1792695600-1792699200@kindness.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Bruin Bridge Builder Fund Information Session
DESCRIPTION:The Dialogue across Difference (DaD) Initiative is excited to host a info session for students who would like to get more involved with dialogue work on campus. Learn about funding available for UCLA undergraduate\, graduate\, and professional students who want to plan or host dialogue programs on campus (Program Grants) or access dialogue training opportunities (Training Grants). \nHear from Bruin Bridge Builder Fund (BBBF) recipients about their experiences with dialogue and how they’re integrating dialogue into their professional and academic trajectories! \nThis event will be hosted via Zoom. \nRSVP here \nNOTE: This event has been rescheduled to Thursday Oct. 22\, from 7-8 PM. 
URL:https://kindness.ucla.edu/event/bruin-bridge-builder-fund-information-session/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://kindness.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/BruinWalk_014.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261028T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261028T200000
DTSTAMP:20261113T111042
CREATED:20260904T233505Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261026T194323Z
UID:10000053-1793210400-1793217600@kindness.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Beyond the Divide: What the Science of Polarization Reveals\, Right Before the Midterms
DESCRIPTION:  \nWednesday\, October 28 at 6 p.m.\, reception to follow \nMere days before the midterm elections\, join us for a timely conversation about one of the defining anxieties of our political moment: are Americans really as divided as they seem? This Compassionate Conversation brings together two of the world’s leading researchers on political psychology and polarization to explore what the science actually shows about media\, identity\, and the surprising ways people find common ground across perceived divides. \nModerated by Aliza Luft\, Interim Director of the UCLA Bedari Kindness Institute\, the conversation will feature: \nStuart Soroka is Professor in the Departments of Communication and Political Science at UCLA. His research examines political communication\, political psychology\, and the relationship between public policy\, public opinion\, and mass media\, with particular attention to negativity in news coverage and how media shapes democratic life. He is currently an Andrew Carnegie Fellow\, leading research on how changes to media technologies can reduce political polarization and serves as Series Editor for the Cambridge Elements series on Politics and Communication. \nJay Van Bavel is Professor of Psychology and Neural Science at New York University and Director of NYU’s Center for Conflict & Cooperation. His research explores how shared identities and beliefs unite people or drive them apart\, spanning intergroup conflict\, polarization\, cooperation\, and misinformation. He is co-author of the award-winning book The Power of Us: Harnessing Our Shared Identities to Improve Performance\, Increase Cooperation\, and Promote Social Harmony (winner of the 2022 APA William James Book Award) and a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher\, ranked in the top 1% of scholars worldwide. Most recently\, Professor Van Bavel was interviewed by Oprah about his work on how to restore civility “in a mean world.“  \nTogether\, they’ll dig into what decades of research tell us about polarization — including the idea of “false polarization\,” where our perceptions of division often outpace reality — and what it actually takes to have good conversations across difference\, especially when the stakes feel highest. \nThis event is free and open to the public. \nRegister here. \n 
URL:https://kindness.ucla.edu/event/beyond-the-divide-van-bavel/
CATEGORIES:Compassionate Conversations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://kindness.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Compassionate-Conversations-1.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261104T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261104T143000
DTSTAMP:20261113T111042
CREATED:20260914T225246Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260914T225246Z
UID:10000056-1793793600-1793802600@kindness.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Speaking Across Conflict Workshop for Faculty and Staff
DESCRIPTION:The Dialogue across Differences Initiative at UCLA is proud to offer an interactive opportunity for staff\, administrators\, and faculty to delve deeper into a core skill for having more constructive conversations across charged political differences. \nBased on the methodology of Resetting the Table\, a nationally renowned organization dedicated to building honest and open communication\, this workshop will allow participants to practice speaking about divisive political topics using effective skills. The session will be highly interactive\, and we ask that participants be present for its entirety. It will be led by Ariane White. \nLocation: This session will be held in-person only on the UCLA campus and will not be recorded. Location shared upon RSVP. \nRSVP here.
URL:https://kindness.ucla.edu/event/speaking-across-conflict-workshop-for-faculty-and-staff-3/
CATEGORIES:Trainings
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://kindness.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/bki-training3.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261106T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261106T150000
DTSTAMP:20261113T111042
CREATED:20260914T225105Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260914T225105Z
UID:10000055-1793966400-1793977200@kindness.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Speaking Across Conflict Workshop for Students
DESCRIPTION:The Dialogue across Differences Initiative at UCLA is proud to offer an interactive opportunity for Students to delve deeper into a core skill for having more constructive conversations across charged political differences. \nBased on the methodology of Resetting the Table\, a nationally renowned organization dedicated to building honest and open communication\, this workshop will allow participants to practice speaking about divisive political topics using effective skills. The session will be highly interactive\, and we ask that participants be present for its entirety. It will be led by Joshua Mayfield. \nLocation: This session will be held in-person only on the UCLA campus and will not be recorded. Location shared upon RSVP. \nRSVP here.
URL:https://kindness.ucla.edu/event/speaking-across-conflict-workshop-for-students-4/
CATEGORIES:Trainings
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://kindness.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/bki-training3.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261112T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261112T190000
DTSTAMP:20261113T111042
CREATED:20260914T225006Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260914T225006Z
UID:10000054-1794502800-1794510000@kindness.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Deepening the Dialogue for UCLA Students
DESCRIPTION:Are you a UCLA undergraduate\, graduate\, or professional student who has already participated in a “Speaking Across Conflict” workshop? \nThis interactive session will give you a chance to keep practicing the skills you learned in this workshop in conversation with other UCLA community members about the issues that matter most to you. \nJoin together with others to “see people as they wish to be seen” and to be heard and listened to on your own terms. \nRegister here. \n 
URL:https://kindness.ucla.edu/event/deepening-the-dialogue-for-ucla-students-2/
CATEGORIES:Trainings
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://kindness.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/bki-training3.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261118T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261118T150000
DTSTAMP:20261113T111042
CREATED:20261006T193740Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261006T193740Z
UID:10000058-1795003200-1795014000@kindness.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Naming Differences Workshop (Advanced Opportunity)
DESCRIPTION:The Dialogue across Differences Initiative at UCLA is proud to offer staff\, administrators\, and faculty an interactive Part 2 follow-up workshop focused on “Naming Differences\,” a core skill for constructive conversations across charged differences. Based on the methodology of Resetting the Table\, participants will practice naming differences clearly and directly while accurately reflecting each person’s perspective. \nParticipants must have previously participated in the “Speaking Across Conflict” workshop in order to attend. \nLunch will be provided. \nRSVP here
URL:https://kindness.ucla.edu/event/naming-differences-workshop-advanced-opportunity/
CATEGORIES:Events,Trainings
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://kindness.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/bki-training2-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261208T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261208T200000
DTSTAMP:20261113T111042
CREATED:20261022T182256Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261103T212950Z
UID:10000060-1796752800-1796760000@kindness.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:The Future is Peace: A Conversation about Loss\, Hope\, and Israel Palestine with Aziz Abu Sarah and Maoz Inon
DESCRIPTION:December 8 at 6pm\nReception and book signing to follow \nAziz and Maoz are two life-long activists and co-authors of the book The Future is Peace. Aziz\, a Palestinian\, and Maoz\, an Israeli Jew\, have suffered grievous personal losses: Aziz’s brother was killed by Israeli soldiers\, and Maoz’s parents were killed in the Hamas attacks of October 7. In the wake of their personal tragedies\, they have joined forces to speak of both loss and hope\, and to dare to turn toward one another in a shared search for peace. They have since shared their message at the UN Security Council\, Capitol Hill\, The Vatican\, and major national media platforms such as TED and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. They also made history as the first Israeli and Palestinian duo to carry the Olympic torch together in Milan 2026. \nJoin us in a moving conversation about learning to live with difference\, forge unlikely alliances\, and to dream of peace even when it feels impossible. \nRSVP here.
URL:https://kindness.ucla.edu/event/the-future-is-peace-a-conversation-about-loss-hope-and-israel-palestine-with-aziz-abu-sarah-and-maoz-inon/
CATEGORIES:Compassionate Conversations,Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://kindness.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/BKI-26-27-Design-Options-A4.jpg
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