Healthy Communities Coordinator
Extension Milwaukee County | FoodWIse
Hometown: Grew up in Alabama
Born under an Asian sun, raised in the Appalachian foothills, and now living in WI, Prasanta is an accomplished author, speaker, and public health professional. She works to improve food access in Milwaukee County and is dedicated to fostering community connections and relationships. Her recently published book, Beyond Ethnic Loneliness, is a Finalist for the 2024 Foreword Reviews Book of the Year and speaks into the loneliness epidemic, the need for social connection and bridging understanding. She is passionate about making our communities healthier and better connected.
Talks:
Loneliness and Social Connection: How Can We Connect Better?
Maybe you’re heard we are living in a loneliness epidemic. Why is that important and why does it matter? This talk will look at the implications of the loneliness epidemic, why it matters to each of us, and share some practical how-to’s we can use in our everyday lives to better connect with one another.
Ethnicity and Loneliness: What it Means and Why it Matters
This is a unique and peculiar kind of loneliness. Have you ever been told to go back to where you came from or felt you didn’t belong due to your ethnicity, race, or culture? This talk explores some of the research from Prasanta’s book Beyond Ethnic Loneliness, to help us learn and create greater awareness of what this means and why it matters. The talk will conclude with practical suggestions for the ethnic minority audience on managing this kind of loneliness, and for the majority culture audience, suggestions on being a friend and advocate in work and personal spaces.
Storytelling Workshop
The Storytelling Workshop is a workshop-based activity meant as a team-building exercise to break the ice or to bring teams closer together. Participants will be asked to do a brief and easy (for all ages) writing activity, facilitated by Prasanta.
Farmers Markets as a Means of Social Connection
How can Farmers Markets serve as a way to bring communities together? This talk shares a few strategies for fostering community connections.
Principles of Debate and Respectful Dialogue
What is debate? It isn’t really arguing. How can we respectfully disagree and discuss ideas with one another? This talk will outline a few guidelines and principles we can employ in our daily lives, in formal as well as informal settings.