VIEW FORUM VIDEO HERE Within hours of the COVID shutdown, Central New York agencies serving refugees and immigrants set up 24/7 hot lines in 20+ languages and launched aggressive outreach efforts to help the community understand the severity of the virus and protective steps needed. Panelists for the Jan. 22, 2021, Forum were Haji Adan, […]

VIEW VIDEO The topic of the free FOCUS Forum for December was mental health. Video will be available soon to let you hear from three experts as they discuss the impact the pandemic has had on the mental health of our community and share their thoughts on the short- and long-term effects on children and […]

NOW ON VIDEO HERE Panelist bios at this LINK Leaders of four local philanthropies explain how their organizations have adapted to help meet needs in a time of COVID in the Friday Nov. 20, 2020, FOCUS Forum. You can learn more about the work of the Allyn Family Foundation, Gifford Foundation, Central New York Community […]

Community Dialogue in a Time of COVID video HERE The Oct. 16 FOCUS Forum was about maintaining community dialogue in a time of pandemic and change. This free virtual FOCUS Forum features a few experts on bringing people together in Central New York. You can see it now at the link above. JahQuan Bey-Wright and […]

NOW ON VIDEO HERE Syracuse Stage, CNY Jazz Arts, and Point of Contact Gallery are three very different arts organizations and each evolved new ways of reaching their audience this year. The combined virtual FOCUS Forum and Thursday Morning Roundtable was 8 a.m. Thursday Oct. 29, 2020. Bob Hupp and Jill Anderson from Syracuse Stage, […]

Housing in a time of COVID The free virtual Forum for September provided insight into how the pandemic has affected housing in Central New York for buyers, sellers, renters, landlords and developers. Three experts in the local housing market spoke about how COVID has changed the housing market and the pandemic effect going forward.   […]

8-20-20 Forum on Video HERE – Healing the Earth Former SUNY ESF President Neil Murphy and Onondaga Environmental Institute President Ed Michalenko explore the opportunities and challenges for the environment in a new virtual FOCUS Forum. While the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked horrible tragedy, the resulting shutdown has provided some time to heal. This forum […]

6-25-20 Forum on Video HERE Social Distancing and Isolation Under COVID: Coping with Physical and Mental Health Challenges The FOCUS Forum is now in a virtual format. The first virtual forum featured FOCUS Wisdom Keeper Sharon Brangman, MD, Chair of the Department of Geriatrics at SUNY Upstate Medical University and Tracey Musarra Marchese, Professor of […]

FOCUS began 2020 with a Forum on the Future on Friday Jan. 31. Attendance at FOCUS Forums roughly doubled year-over-year in 2019 driven by topics of vital interest to the community, coordination with like-minded organizations, and introductions to new leadership in city and county government, police, and broadcasting. Thank you to Syracuse University’s Office of […]