Social Change: How You Can Make a Difference

Picks from the people who bring you the Boulevard Sentinel

The problems of the world are also local problems. Here are several ways in and near NELA to learn more about the issues and work toward solutions.

Free workshops at the Audubon Center at Debs Park give participants the knowledge and tools they need to help solve social and environmental problems. Each workshop explores an issue and then teaches specific skills for effective advocacy.

The workshop topic for Tuesday, June 18 is “Creating Healthy, Sustainable Cities/Meeting with Elected and Public Officials.” The topic for Tuesday, July 23 is “Environmental Policy/Community Organizing.”

The topic for Tuesday, Aug. 20 is “Water in L.A./Voting and Letter Writing.” (Previous workshop have covered “Climate Change/Municipal Advocacy,” and “Urban Green Space and Park Equity /Neighborhood Councils”.)

The workshops are led by experienced professionals and grassroots enthusiasts. / 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. / The Audubon Center at Debs Park / 4700 Griffin Ave. / Montecito Heights / Light refreshments will be served. / To register, visit: LAWorks.com/opportunity-search and enter “Environmental Advocacy Bootcamp” in the keyword search.

In the Social Justice Book Club for Kids, children ages 5 to 12 read and discuss books with plots and characters that explore social issues.

The book club meets at the Eagle Rock Branch Public Library on the first Monday of each month from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The book for Monday, June 3 is El Deafo by Cece Bell, a novel in graphic format about the author’s experiences with hearing loss at a young age, including using a hearing aid, learning to lip read and discovering her “superpower.”

The selection for Monday, July 1 is Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De La Peña. The selected books are available to borrow at the Information Desk. Participation is free and family members are welcome. Eagle Rock Branch Public Library / 5027 Caspar Ave.

The Men’s Group is one of the longest running programs at The Wall-Las Memorias Project, a community health and wellness organization serving Latino, LGBT and other underserved groups.

Through conversation, education and community engagement, the group seeks to empower gay and bisexual men to take a leadership role in healthful living. At the meetings, which are facilitated by The Wall-Las Memorias staff members, participants are challenged, encouraged and guided toward finding common understanding in culture, sexuality, peer education and brotherhood.

The Men’s Group meets every Tuesday. The upcoming meetings are June 4, 11, 18 and 25 and July 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30 / 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. / The Wall-Las Memorias Project office / 5619 Monte Vista St. / Highland Park / For more information, contact David Solorio at 323-257-1056 ext. 30 or by email at: david.solorio@twlmp.org.

Exhibits at the Museum of Social Justice in the historic La Plaza United Methodist Church near Olvera Street depict the social, racial and economic forces that have shaped L.A.

One upcoming exhibit tells the story of Goodwill Industries in Southern California, which opened in 1918 to serve refugees from the Mexican Revolution and has offered help to people in need ever since.

Another exhibition will display photographs by American photojournalist Richard Cross, who documented the wars in Central America from 1979 to 1983, when he was killed while on assignment in Honduras. The wars depicted in Cross’s photos propelled the largest contemporary migration of people from Central America to the United States.

Goodwill: Its Founding and History in Southern California runs from June 6 to July 28. Visualizing the People’s History: Richard Cross’s Images of the Central American Liberation Wars (1979-1983) runs from Aug. 8 to Nov. 4. / Museum of Social Justice / 115 Paseo De La Plaza / Downtown / Free admission / For more information, visit: museumofsocialjustice.org