Focus Topic: Belonging

A national poll reveals the complex reality and stark disparities of youth mental health while emphasizing youth voices in solutions.

I'm heading abroad with the Gambrell Foundation, hoping to learn new ways of seeing. In Finland and Denmark I want to better understand how people create and nurture belonging in everyday life, and what those lessons might mean for us at home. “We are all responsible for bringing each other alive.” — Rowan Williams

Join and be part of a powerful conversation on Sept 15 with The Learning Collaborative & Perry Counseling to set the tone for the year.

How do rural teens engage with digital tech? Hopelab’s latest research uncovers unique patterns in social media use and well-being.

In our quest to learn from global communities and support those living greatly in Charlotte and beyond, we partnered with Glocalities, an Amsterdam-based international research agency renowned for cross-cultural research into behavioral psychology and values. I sat down with co-founder Martijn Lampert to delve into their unique approach and the insights they are uncovering.

Check out highlights from the August 2025 trip to Washington, D.C. with this year's cohort of DifferenceMakers®.

What makes a city feel like home? This reflection explores how Helsinki and Charlotte each point toward deeper belonging through public space and care.

We are in the midst of a profound crisis in men’s mental health — and it is one many of us are too uncomfortable to acknowledge. Men account for nearly three out of four “deaths of despair” in the United States — suicides, drug overdoses, and alcohol-related fatalities​. That is not a statistic that can […]

Discernment: finding where your talents best meet the needs of the world. In my young(er) years, I spent a lot of time exploring this, even discerning the priesthood. Maybe I would have been an ok priest, but I remember the moment when I fully knew that God had given me the divine talent of design […]

Imagine if our cities went beyond meeting our basic needs. What if they made us feel supported, valued and cared for? How would our lives change if streets weren’t just for movement but for moments of spontaneous discovery? What if our city’s public spaces didn’t simply tolerate people using them but were designed to inspire, spark social connection, and strengthen bonds between neighbors?