Center for Healthy Minds

The Center for Healthy Minds at University of Wisconsin–Madison will celebrate 15 years at its free, public, annual event The World We Make 2024, on September 26, both in-person at Wisconsin Masonic Center and by livestream.

This festival-style event will offer in-person guests a very special interactive journey through the programs and people of the Healthy Minds community. The evening will culminate in an in-person and livestream discussion with Dr. Richard J. Davidson, founder and director of the Center for Healthy Minds and Dr. Yuria Celidwen, senior fellow at the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC-Berkeley and author of the upcoming book Flourishing Kin: Indigenous Foundations for Collective Well-Being, with moderator Steve Paulson of Wisconsin Public Radio's To The Best of Our Knowledge on the topic of “Collective Flourishing,” with a special performance by Dr. Dalal Abu Amneh, resident scholar at the Center for Healthy Minds, neuroscientist, and renowned Palestinian singer.

“We are thrilled to invite dear friends and colleagues as well as anyone interested in learning more about the Center to join us for this very special celebration. Our growing community makes our research and programs possible and moves us forward together toward realizing our vision of a kinder, wiser, more compassionate world,” says CHM director and founder Dr. Richard J. Davidson.

Event Details

Date: Thursday, September 26, 2024

In-person: 5-9:30 PM (CST) | Wisconsin Masonic Center, Madison, WI | Guests are invited to arrive for portions of the event that fit their schedule.
Livestream: 7-8:30 PM (CST)

Free registration required:

• In-Person Event Register Now >
• Livestream Event Register Now >

Event Schedule

5-6:30 PM

In-person guests are invited to journey through the building for hands-on, immersive experiences centered around the programs and science of the Healthy Minds community.

The Learning Lab, hosted by Healthy Minds Innovations

In The Learning Lab, guests will discover how to apply the four pillars of the Healthy Minds Innovations Framework: Awareness, Connection, Insight, and Purpose, to learn and enhance wellbeing skills. HMI director of learning and development Stephanie Wagner, together with HMI scientists and experts, will demonstrate how to optimize wellbeing with tools from the science lab and answer questions.

Exploring Deep Resilience, hosted by the Loka Initiative

The Loka Initiative at CHM is a capacity-building and outreach platform for faith leaders and culture keepers of Indigenous traditions, centered on the vision that inner, community and planetary wellbeing are interdependent and cannot be achieved separately. Through Exploring Deep Resilience, Loka director Dekila Chungyalpa and the Loka team will lead guests through a contemplative practice to address joy-centered ecological resilience and the importance of community in the midst of the deep uncertainty our world faces.

Arts for Healthy Minds

Last winter, CHM partnered with UW–Madison Division of the Arts on a new grant opportunity for faculty, staff and grad students called “Arts for Healthy Minds: Centering Interdisciplinary and Inclusive Arts Practices in Advancing Human Flourishing, Belonging, and Wellbeing in Higher Education.” As a result, $35,000 was awarded to five recipients to embark on creative arts research activities that embody these insights. Guests who visit the Arts for Healthy Minds room will meet grant recipients Erin Celello (Odyssey Beyond Wars) Lily Smith and Katherine Kraemer (Rhythms in Community), as well as campus and community arts partners, and learn more about the integral nature of arts and science.

Featured activity | Imperative Stitches: Quilting to Mark Passages (ongoing and open to all): Guests will explore Arts for Healthy Minds grant recipient Christine Holm’s research project and take part in a hands-on activity inspired by one aspect of “the world we’ve made” - landfills, trash and refuse. What if the change we consider today is consuming less? Reusing and repurposing more? Together, guests and a facilitator will use discarded fabrics to assemble a community quilt and reimagine the “world we want to make.”

Wellbeing in Practice

The Wellbeing in Practice room will be dedicated to limited capacity group contemplative practice sessions. See current opportunities below and stay tuned for more.

(Registration currently full for this featured activity) | 5-5:45 PM Rhythms in Community Movement Workshop: An interactive workshop led by Arts for Healthy Minds grant recipients Katherine Kraemer and Lily Smith. Katherine is an award-winning dancer and choreographer; Lily is a graduate student at Center for Healthy Minds. Together guests will explore the idea of rhythm through community connection, mindfulness and movement.

Meet the Scholars Scavenger Hunt

As they journey through the building, guests will be invited to engage with friendly Center for Healthy Minds scholars to learn more about them and their work.

Celebrating 15 Years: Key Moments in the History of the Center for Healthy Minds

Guests can visit the main lobby hallway to see objects and photos that highlight exciting moments in CHM history.

Snack Station

Snacks and water provided by Kavanaugh’s supper club.

6:30-7 PM

Activities throughout the building that are described above will come to a close as guests move into the Large Auditorium for the featured event, which is also available by livestream.

7-8:30 PM - FEATURED EVENT

In-person and livestream

Collective Flourishing: A Discussion with Dr. Richard J. Davidson and Dr. Yuria Celidwen, moderated by Steve Paulson, with a special performance by Dr. Dalal Abu Amneh

The Western mindfulness movement is largely focused on individual self-improvement. But our world is facing crises that require a focus on community and planetary wellbeing. This focus is already deeply rooted in Indigenous traditions. What has brought us to this moment and how can Western and Indigenous sciences work together to recalibrate current practices in service of global wellbeing?

Guests will experience an inspiring discussion with Dr. Richard J. Davidson, founder and director of the Center for Healthy Minds and Dr. Yuria Celidwen, senior fellow at the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC-Berkeley and author of the upcoming book Flourishing Kin: Indigenous Foundations for Collective Well-Being, with moderator Steve Paulson of Wisconsin Public Radio's To The Best of Our Knowledge, who will explore this and more.

Then, join us for an inspiring and transformative musical experience with Dr. Dalal Abu Amneh, a resident scholar at the Center for Healthy Minds, neuroscientist, and renowned Palestinian singer. Dalal will present captivating selections from the rich tradition of Arabic music, guiding the audience through an engaging call-and-response performance.

Through this interactive experience, she will demonstrate how music, even when unfamiliar, has the profound ability to uplift and expand our collective consciousness.

8-9:30 PM

In-person guests will be invited to connect with others about their experiences at The World We Make 2024, and enjoy delicious vegetarian and vegan catering by Kavanaugh’s supper club.

Special Thanks to Our Sponsors:

CHM thanks generous sponsors Jim and Judy Hirsch, Marcy Heim - The Artful Asker, Delta Properties, WCCN and program partner Healthy Minds Innovations, whose contributions make The World We Make 2024 possible.