Focusing on The Team Approach

SAN DIEGO


,


Sept. 5, 2023


/PRNewswire/ — The Matt Stevenson Junior Tennis Tournament (NY), which will again take place at Flushing Meadows, NY, right after the U.S. Open, is expanding its Mental Health mission to include “The Team Approach.” New this year are interactive exercises for parents/guardians on supporting the emotional well-being of their junior tennis players.

This Tournament is unique in that it is the first and only junior tennis tournament in the country to promote the importance of Youth Mental Health as part of the event. Inaugurated in 2019, the Matt Stevenson Tournament came to

New York

in 2021 during National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month in September. The Tournament aims to address the national teen depression, anxiety, and suicide crisis by engaging adolescents through a sport they love and promoting dialogue and understanding of mental health issues. The Tournament is growing in popularity, as 303 junior players competed in this NY event last year, up from 207 from the previous year.

Youth Mental Health Crisis

Recent data released by the CDC in

February 2023

have sadly confirmed our suspicion that the pandemic has exacerbated what was already a national crisis in Youth Mental Health. According to CDC’s Report, “Nearly all indicators of poor mental health and suicide thoughts and behaviors increased from 2011 to 2021.”

1

The Report found that the percentage of teenage girls who persistently felt sad or hopeless increased from about 36% in 2011 to 57% in 2021. By 2021, approximately 69% of LGBTQ+ students felt sad or hopeless, and 45% seriously considered attempting suicide.

Adding to their struggles, some competitive tennis players feel pressure to win, experience performance anxiety, and end up with depressive symptoms after losing a match. On top of competitive pressures, junior tennis players may be especially vulnerable because they are still dealing with the general ups and downs of adolescence. More touring professionals are finally talking about their mental health issues, which may include suicidal ideation. Sport psychologists are now part of the tour to help them deal with their struggles both on and off the tennis court.

In

December 2021

, the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr.

Vivek Murthy

, issued an Advisory recommending that all types of organizations – not just health care providers, but also schools, community organizations, foundations, and other institutions – have an important role to play in supporting the mental health of children and youth.

2

Promoting

The Power of Mental Health

®

The Matt Stevenson Junior Tennis Tournament, founded by the ProtoStar Foundation, brings this awareness about mental health issues to the junior level. As in previous years, the Tournament will distribute age-appropriate information about depression, anxiety, and suicide prevention provided by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and materials available from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The mission is to help adolescents understand the many aspects of mental health, including what it means to be mentally healthy and how to take care of their mental health. We call it

The Power of Mental Health

®

. Please view a

short video

of the Tournament’s mental health mission.

The Team Approach

In 2022, the Tournament added Sport Psychology materials to help junior players understand the interconnection between mental performance on the tennis court and mental health off the tennis court. We focused on the junior tennis player’s development as both a human being and an athlete. This year, we are building on that theme by adding materials for parents/guardians. For example, the updated version of the interactive Sport Psychology Workbook will include not only more exercises for the junior players, but also new exercises that junior players could work on together with their parents/guardians and even those that parents/guardians could do on their own.

Sanctioned by USTA Eastern

Because of its popularity last year, the Doubles and Mixed Doubles events (L5) were held in July at Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning in the

Bronx

. The Singles events (L6) will take place over two weekends on

September 16-18, 2023

(14u and 18u) and

September 23-25, 2023

(12u and 16u). The Tournament is sanctioned by the United States Tennis Association (USTA), Eastern Section. Players can register for the Tournament on

USTA’s tournament website

by searching for ”

Matt Stevenson

.” A link to the Tournament is also on

ProtoStar’s website

.

About

Matt Stevenson

The inspiration behind the Tournament came from the late

Matt Stevenson

, a young, generous, and passionate tennis professional who ran successful junior tennis programs in the

Washington, D.C.

area. Before tragically taking his own life in 2017 at the age of 32, he had written extensively about his own mental health issues and had asked that kids be made aware of the importance of mental health and to seek help if needed. This Tournament aims to turn a tragedy into something positive.

All proceeds from the Tournament will benefit the

Matt Stevenson Junior Tennis Fund

, which supports junior tennis programs and promising junior players needing financial aid. A portion of the net proceeds will be donated to AFSP, Flushing Meadow’s junior tennis programs, and the Junior Tennis Foundation, a NY-based nonprofit organization that supports tennis programs for underserved youth and people with disabilities.

About ProtoStar Foundation

The sponsor and organizer of the Tournament is the ProtoStar Foundation, a

California

nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization based in San Diego. It is part of the

ProtoStar Group

, a set of pioneering companies that find resourceful ways to fund, develop, or incubate innovative projects and organizations that have a unique, compelling, and impactful social mission.

Media Contact:

Gary P. Poon

,

gpoon@protostargroup.com

, (202) 360-1160

1

CDC, “Youth Risk Behavior Survey: Data Summary & Trends Report-2011-2021 (2023).

2

“Protecting Youth Mental Health,” The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory (2021).

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SOURCE ProtoStar Foundation

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www.mindfulweightloss.com

Understanding the reasons behind weight struggles is the key Mindful Weight Loss uses evidence-based medications, mindfulness, therapy, & personalized coaching.

Weight loss is hard! Whether weight has been an issue forever or for the last few years, it is completely unfair and the traditional advice to “eat less and move more” often seems futile.”

— Dr. Vivek Gupta, Board Certified Obesity Medicine Specialist

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, UNITED STATES, August 22, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ — Mindful Weight Loss Opens in Las Vegas, Nevada: A New Approach to Health and Weight Management

Mindful Weight Loss, an emerging holistic health and wellness center, has announced its new branch in Las Vegas, Nevada. This expansion aims to provide residents with a comprehensive and unique approach to health management.

Unlike traditional weight loss centers, Mindful Weight Loss emphasizes understanding the underlying reasons for weight challenges. While many face difficulties due to prevalent fast food chains and addictive food choices, Dr. Gupta, one of the leading practitioners at the center, notes, “The traditional advice to ‘eat less and move more’ can often feel challenging in today’s environment.”

Key Features of Mindful Weight Loss:

• Comprehensive interventions using mindfulness techniques, therapy, and personalized coaching

• An initial one-hour session to understand the patient’s individual needs

• Ongoing monthly appointments, meditation classes, meal preparation guidance, and group sessions

What Sets Mindful Weight Loss Apart

While many weight loss centers exist, Mindful Weight Loss focuses on providing a tailored plan for each individual. The center believes in optimizing all factors contributing to weight management challenges.

Dr. Gupta and Dr. Misra, the center’s esteemed doctors, bring a wealth of medical expertise, ensuring patients receive a high standard of care.

The summer expansion to Nevada and Arizona underscores the center’s commitment to reaching out to more communities.

Benefits to the Las Vegas Community

The Las Vegas community will now have the option to explore a different approach to health and wellness. Mindful Weight Loss doesn’t merely offer weight loss services; it provides a comprehensive view of health, incorporating mindfulness, therapy, and coaching.

According to Dr. Gupta, “Understanding the root causes of weight challenges is crucial. With 70% of the population facing weight issues, the solution lies in addressing the true causes.”

About Dr. Vivek Gupta: Dr. Vivek Gupta is a board-certified physician specializing in obesity and internal medicine. He founded Mindful Weight Loss with a vision of helping individuals through education and mindfulness.

About Dr. Amit C. Misra: Dr. Amit C. Misra is a board-certified physician with expertise in Pediatrics, Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, and Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care.

For further information or to schedule interviews with Dr. Gupta and Dr. Misra, media representatives, and interested parties are encouraged to contact Mindful Weight Loss.

Chelsea Schneider
Mindful Weight Loss Marketing
email us here
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Revolutionizing Wellness: Mindful Weight Loss Expands to Las Vegas, Offering a Transformative, Compassionate Approach to Health and Weight Management

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PHOENIX – Valleywise Health is opening a second First Episode Center, an outpatient behavioral health center for young adults experiencing their first serious mental health episode.

It can’t come soon enough, health professionals say.

There is a dire need for programs that address mental health in young adults not just in Maricopa County but across the country, said Dr. Aris Mosley, a psychiatrist and medical director of the Valleywise Health First Episode Center in Avondale.

“When you have someone who has a brain health condition such as schizophrenia, you want to catch it early,” she said.

Arizona youth ranked 49th in the 2022 edition of Mental Health America’s annual report on the state of mental health in America. States with low rankings had a higher prevalence of mental illness such as depression, substance use disorder or some other emotional disturbance, as well as a lower rate of access to care.

“We want people to be able to access the service near where they live,” said Dr. Alicia Cowdrey, Valleywise’s outpatient medical director of behavioral health services, in discussing the First Episode Center’s new location in Mesa. (Photo courtesy of Valleywise Health)

Dr. Alicia Cowdrey, Valleywise’s outpatient medical director of behavioral health services, estimated that the community needs 14 more facilities similar to the First Episode Center to meet the current prevalence of young people with serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia in Maricopa County.

Behavioral health experts say early treatment for young adults who have had a psychotic incident can be the difference between having a productive life and one spent in and out of hospitals and psychiatric treatment facilities. Early intervention also can take some pressure off understaffed inpatient psychiatric hospitals.

About 100,000 young people experience psychosis each year in the U.S, according to the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Alliance on Mental Illness. They say a person could be experiencing psychosis if they have delusions, hallucinations, incoherent, confused or inappropriate speech or behavior.

“Any time we have any sort of insult to the brain, it’s going to cause it to develop differently,” Cowdrey said. “We always want to intervene early with psychosis, and every person is different. It typically presents in young adults … but we always want to intervene early so that we can ensure that we can protect the brain.”

Cowdrey likened it to treating a broken arm. “If you went straight to the emergency room and got treatment, you are going to have a better outcome than if you were to wait a year or three years to get treatment. It’s not going to go back together quite as well.”

A patient decompresses with a computer game at Valleywise Health’s First Episode Center in Avondale. (Photo courtesy of Valleywise Health)

Research published in 2018 in JAMA Psychiatry concluded that the early intervention approach for psychosis can improve outcomes. An analysis of 10 randomized controlled trials compared treatment at centers for 2,176 patients with first episode psychosis over two years. The ones in early intervention programs had fewer hospitalizations, were more involved in school or work and were more engaged in treatment than those who received traditional care.

Valleywise’s First Episode team is comprised of a clinical coordinator, medical assistant, nurse, psychiatrist, recovery coach, a school and employment specialist, three team specialists, a registrar and program assistant and two front office staff members. Each client also is assigned a peer support specialist who has had a similar experience in terms of medication and possibly hospitalization and may be able to connect with the individual on a deeper level than the rest of the team..

Since psychosis is typically found more often in young adults, Mosley said, the center provides individual and family support, education and treatment as quickly as possible because the potential damage done to the brain heightens the longer the condition goes untreated.

The center, which treats young adults ages 15 to 25, opened in 2017 in Phoenix and relocated to Avondale the following year. Six years later, the facility is at full capacity with 89 patients. The second location in Mesa received its licensing June 27 and is expected to open in August.

Valleywise Health’s First Episode Center staff enjoys a game of basketball with patients at their fall festival. (Photo courtesy of Valleywise Health)

Understanding psychosis

Psychosis and its connection to schizophrenia is often misunderstood. Cowdrey said psychosis occurs when a person has elevated levels of dopamine in the brain. The high dopamine level can alter a person’s perception of reality, she said.

Typically, “people might be seeing or hearing things that other people don’t see,” she said. “They might also become paranoid and perceive that things around them are different than how they are. Essentially, the brain is perceiving reality as different, so voices, hallucinations, delusions and paranoia can be common.”

The altered perceptions can cause inflammation in the brain, which can decrease cognition, Cowdrey said.

The initial psychotic episode is what Mosley called the “first break,” adding that many times that phase appears in the form of a mood disorder such as depression. It’s crucial to intervene early, she said, because the combination of dopamine levels and altered perceptions can cause the brain to develop differently, making it harder to treat later.

“It’s an incredibly alarming experience for people to have, as you can imagine,” Mosley said. “If you’re experiencing the world in one way that everyone around you isn’t, it’s pretty uncomfortable.”

What is schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is one of the most common causes of psychosis, and it tends to affect more males than females. According to an article from Harvard Medical School, psychosis affects three out of 100 people in their lifetime, but only one out of 100 people will be diagnosed with schizophrenia.

An individual experiencing schizophrenia has experienced symptoms for a period of time that’s notably longer than psychosis, Cowdrey said.

“If we were to look out the window, most likely … everyone would see a blue sky. But if I had schizophrenia, and I’m looking out the window, my brain might be telling me that the sky is red. There’s nothing that you’re going to be able to do to convince me that the sky’s not red because my brain is telling me that it’s red,” Mosley said.

Patients at Valleywise Health’s First Episode Center celebrate at their fall festival. (Photo courtesy of Valleywise Health)

Treatment at First Episode

The majority of those treated at the outpatient center are referred from hospitals. Each person has an individual program that could include medication, one-on-one therapy and group sessions.

When a person begins treatment at a clinic for brain health conditions or disorders, they typically will see their psychiatrist once a month, Mosley said. She sees her patients once a week during their first month of treatment.

“That allows me to get to know the young person on a better level instead of letting so much time go,” she said. “If I see you once a week, I’m also going to be able to recognize if there are any side effects or difficulties with the medication. I’m going to be able to get those medications under better control and get them optimized more appropriately and quicker for the individual.”

Medication typically plays a role in treatment and that could be a pill or an injectable, Cowdrey said. Antipsychotic medications will help reduce the dopamine level in the brain, she said, adding that young people often need low doses to keep symptoms under control.

Valleywise Health provides care for Maricopa County’s public health care system and is the primary provider of inpatient psychiatric beds for Maricopa County residents who have been court-ordered to get mental health care. Valleywise hopes to change the stigma around psychosis and schizophrenia, as 43.8 million adults experience mental illness each year, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The Mental Health Foundations reports that 90% of people with mental health problems say stigma and discrimination play a negative role in their lives.

Cowdrey said the Valleywise approach can “show people that there’s hope that, if they’re diagnosed with a brain health condition, they can get back on track with their life.”

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A year ago when we announced the Microsoft Entra product family, we asked what the world could achieve if we had trust in every digital experience and interaction.1 This question inspired us to offer a vision for securing the millions and millions of connections that happen every second between people, machines, apps, and devices that access and share data.

Protecting identities and access is critical. As our work and lives become increasingly digital, cyberattacks are becoming more frequent and more sophisticated, affecting organizations of every size, in every industry, and in every part of the world. In the last 12 months, we saw an average of more than 4,000 password attacks per second, an almost threefold increase from the 1,287 attacks per second we saw the previous year.2 We’re also seeing far more sophisticated attacks, including ones that manage to evade critical defenses, such as multifactor authentication, to steal access tokens, impersonate a rightful user, and gain access to critical data.

To help organizations protect their ever-evolving digital estates, we’ve been expanding beyond managing directories and authenticating users to securing and governing access for any identity to any app or resource. Today, we’re thrilled to announce the next milestone in our vision of making it easy to secure access with two new products: Microsoft Entra Internet Access and Microsoft Entra Private Access. We’re adding these capabilities to help organizations instill trust, not only in their digital experiences and services but in every digital interaction that powers them.

Secure access to any app or resource, from anywhere

Flexible work arrangements and the resulting increase in cloud workloads are straining traditional corporate networks and legacy network security approaches. Using VPNs to backhaul traffic to the legacy network security stack weakens security posture and damages the user experience while using siloed solutions and access policies leaves security gaps.

Microsoft Entra Internet Access is an identity-centric Secure Web Gateway that protects access to internet, software as a service (SaaS), and Microsoft 365 apps and resources. It extends Conditional Access policies with network conditions to protect against malicious internet traffic and other threats from the open internet. For Microsoft 365 environments, it enables best-in-class security and visibility, along with faster and more seamless access to Microsoft 365 apps, so you can boost productivity for any user, anywhere. Microsoft 365 scenarios in Microsoft Entra Internet Access are in preview today, and you can sign up for the preview of capabilities for all internet traffic and SaaS apps and resources that will be available later this year.

Microsoft Entra Private Access is an identity-centric Zero Trust Network Access that secures access to private apps and resources. Now any user, wherever they are, can quickly and easily connect to private apps—across hybrid and multicloud environments, private networks, and data centers—from any device and any network. Now in preview, Microsoft Entra Private Access reduces operational complexity and cost by replacing legacy VPNs and offers more granular security. You can apply Conditional Access to individual applications, and enforce multifactor authentication, device compliance, and other controls to any legacy application without changing those applications.

Together, Internet Access and Private Access, coupled with Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps, our SaaS security-focused cloud access security broker, comprise Microsoft’s Security Service Edge (SSE) solution. We’ll continue to evolve our SSE solution as an open platform that delivers the flexibility of choice between solutions from Microsoft and our partners. Pricing for Microsoft Entra Internet Access and Microsoft Entra Private Access will be available when those products reach general availability.

Figure 1. Microsoft’s Security Service Edge (SSE) solution.

Neither identity nor network security alone can protect the breadth of access points and scenarios that modern organizations require. That’s why, as cyberattacks get more sophisticated, we’re adding identity-centric network access to our cloud identity solutions. We’re converging controls for identity and network access so you can create unified Conditional Access policies that extend all protections and governance to all identities and resources. With a single place to safeguard and verify identities, manage permissions, and enforce intelligent access policies, protecting your digital estate has never been easier.

Microsoft Azure Active Directory is becoming Microsoft Entra ID

When we introduced Microsoft Entra in May of 2022, it included three products: Microsoft Azure Active Directory (Azure AD), Microsoft Entra Permissions Management, and Microsoft Entra Verified ID.1 We later expanded the Microsoft Entra family with Microsoft Entra ID Governance and Microsoft Entra Workload ID.3 Today, Microsoft Entra protects any identity and secures access to any resource—on-premises, across clouds, and anywhere in between—with a product family that unifies multicloud identity and network access solutions.

To simplify our product naming and unify our product family, we’re changing the name of Azure AD to Microsoft Entra ID. Capabilities and licensing plans, sign-in URLs, and APIs remain unchanged, and all existing deployments, configurations, and integrations will continue to work as before. Starting today, you’ll see notifications in the administrator portal, on our websites, in documentation, and in other places where you may interact with Azure AD. We’ll complete the name change from Azure AD to Microsoft Entra ID by the end of 2023. No action is needed from you.

Figure 2. With the name change to Microsoft Entra ID, the standalone license names are changing. Azure AD Free becomes Microsoft Entra ID Free. Azure AD Premium P1 becomes Microsoft Entra ID P1. Azure AD Premium P2 becomes Microsoft Entra ID P2. And our product for customer identities, Azure AD External Identities, becomes Microsoft Entra External ID. SKU and service plan name changes take effect on October 1, 2023.

More innovations in Microsoft Entra

Today we’d also like to highlight other innovations in the Microsoft Entra portfolio that strengthen defenses against attackers who are becoming more adept at exploiting identity-related vulnerabilities such as weak credentials, misconfigurations, and excessive access permissions.

Prevent identity takeover in real time

Several exciting changes to Microsoft Entra ID Protection (currently Azure AD Identity Protection) help IT and identity practitioners prevent account compromise. Instead of reactively revoking access based on stale data, ID Protection uses the power of advanced machine learning to identify sign-in anomalies and anomalous user behavior and then block, challenge, or limit access in real time. For example, it may trigger a risk-based Conditional Access policy that requires high-assurance and phishing-resistant authentication methods for accessing sensitive resources.

A new dashboard demonstrates the impact of the identity protections that organizations deploy with a comprehensive snapshot of prevented identity attacks and the most common attack patterns. On the dashboard, you can view simple metric cards and attack graphs that show risk origins, security posture over time, types of current attacks, as well as recommendations based on risk exposure, while highlighting the business impact of enforced controls. With these insights, you can further investigate your organization’s security posture in additional tools and applications for enhanced recommendations.

Figure 3. New Microsoft Entra ID Protection dashboard.

Automate access governance

An important part of securing access for any identity to any app is ensuring that only the right identities have the right access at the right time. Some organizations only realize they need to take this approach when they fail a security audit. Microsoft Entra ID Governance, now generally available, is a complete identity governance solution that helps you comply with organizational and regulatory security requirements while increasing employee productivity through real-time, self-service, and workflow-based app entitlements.4

ID Governance automates the employee identity lifecycle to reduce manual work for IT and provides machine learning-based insights about identities and app entitlements. Because it’s cloud-delivered, it scales to complex cloud and hybrid environments, unlike traditional on-premises identity governance point solutions. It supports cloud and on-premises apps from any provider, as well as custom-built apps hosted in the public cloud or on-premises. Our global system integrator partners—including Edgile, a Wipro company, EY, KPMG, and PwC—started helping with the planning and deployment of ID Governance on July 1, 2023.

Figure 4. New Microsoft Entra ID Governance dashboard.

Personalize and secure access to any application for customers and partners

As we announced at Microsoft Build 2023, new developer-centric capabilities in Microsoft Entra External ID are now in preview. External ID is an integrated identity solution for external users, including customers, patients, citizens, guests, partners, and suppliers. It offers rich customization options, Conditional Access, identity protection, and support for social identity providers. Using our comprehensive developer tools, even those developers who have little to no identity experience can create personalized sign-in and sign-up experiences for their applications within minutes.

Simplify identity verification with Microsoft Entra Verified ID

Since we announced the general availability of Microsoft Entra Verified ID last summer, organizations around the world have been reinventing business processes, such as new employee onboarding, around this new, simpler way of verifying someone’s identity.5 For example, we recently announced that millions of LinkedIn members will be able to verify their place of work using a Verified ID credential.6 At the 2023 Microsoft Build event, we launched the Microsoft Entra Verified ID SDK so that developers can quickly add a secure digital wallet to any mobile application. The app can then store and verify a wide range of digital ID cards.

Microsoft Entra: Secure access for a connected world

You can see our expanded Microsoft Entra product family in Figure 5. Visit the Microsoft Entra website to learn more.

Figure 5. The Microsoft Entra family of identity and network access products.

We’re committed to building a more secure world for all and making life harder for threat actors, easier for admins, and more secure for every user. As part of that commitment, we’ll keep expanding Microsoft Entra to provide the broadest possible coverage along with a flexible and agile model where people, organizations, apps, and even smart things can confidently make real-time access decisions.

Encourage your technical teams to dive deeper into these announcements by attending the Tech Accelerator event on July 20, 2023, on the Microsoft Tech Community.

Microsoft Entra

Meet the family of multicloud identity and access products.

Learn more

To learn more about Microsoft Security solutions, visit our website. Bookmark the Security blog to keep up with our expert coverage on security matters. Also, follow us on LinkedIn (Microsoft Security) and Twitter (@MSFTSecurity) for the latest news and updates on cybersecurity.

1Secure access for a connected world—meet Microsoft Entra, Joy Chik and Vasu Jakkal. May 31, 2022.

2Microsoft internal data.

3Do more with less—Discover the latest Microsoft Entra innovations, Joy Chik. October 19, 2022.

4Microsoft Entra ID Governance is generally available, Joseph Dadzie. June 7, 2023.

5Microsoft Entra Verified ID now generally available, Ankur Patel. August 8, 2022.

6LinkedIn and Microsoft Entra introduce a new way to verify your workplace, Joy Chik. April 12, 2023.

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The growth of audio streaming has led to an overlap between the music business and the practice of mindfulness and meditation which presents an opportunity that a growing number of businesses are seizing.

A few examples: Streaming service Deezer has launched Zen by Deezer, a wellbeing app that features music and sounds, guided Yoga sessions, breathing exercises and meditation classes. The company revealed earlier this year that it is using AI to generate music and sounds for the app.

Fruits Music, the label-turned-playlist company formerly known as Strange Fruits, announced plans last year to release an app for meditation sounds and bedtime stories, which it dubbed Sleep Fruits.

Plus, Universal Music Group (UMG) recently entered into “a first-of-its-kind strategic relationship” with generative AI sound wellness startup Endel to create what they call “AI-powered, artist-driven functional music”.

According to Endel, so-called functional music (e.g. music for sleep, running, relaxation etc) “represents one of the largest sub-categories of music listening worldwide, encompassing an estimated 15 billion streams a month across all music platforms”.

Even major musicians have gotten in on the act; in 2019, Moby gave meditation app Calm a month-long exclusive on his album Long Ambients 2.

Now Ticketmaster owner and live events promoter Live Nation has launched a mindfulness app Dubbed Mindful Nation, which it claims in a press release “seamlessly incorporates music into the practice of meditation”.

Live Nation, which casts the app as part of its commitment to supporting mental health and wellness across the music and entertainment industries, says Mindful Nation offers more than 1,000 classes with “special sonic beats” curated by prominent producers and independent artists such as Janax Pacha, Mose Musica and Chris IDH.

The app is available through the Apple Store, and the premium Mindful Nation Plus costs $4.99.

The classes are searchable by trainer, ‘vibe’ or class duration, and include daily and on-demand sessions for mind, sleep and “day-to-day life,” Live Nation says, as well as music playlists featuring artists from around the world and in a variety of genres.

British artist Noel Gallagher of Oasis has also given his support to the new meditation app.

“[W]riting music and albums is one kind of meditation, you have to go into a particular state to do it,” Gallagher is quoted in the press release is saying.

“Music is the gateway to finding that higher place of peace and this platform will allow for more people to access mediation in a way that makes sense to them. [Mindful Nation is] really cool.”

“Music is the gateway to finding that higher place of peace and this platform will allow for more people to access mediation in a way that makes sense to them.”

Noel Gallagher

Mindful Nation began primarily as a B2B platform that delivered live sessions in an effort to elevate corporate culture, and was developed by Niamh McCarthy, a former artist manager who worked for Madonna and U2’s management team at Maverick.

“After experiencing burnout on the road, she spent the next chapter of her life studying meditation, breathwork, and yoga,” Live Nation explained.

“McCarthy has made it her mission to bring mindfulness and meditation to the music business and now sees a massive breakthrough with the easy-to-use and intuitive Mindful Nation app.”

“The Mindful Nation app brings together meditation and music in a unique way.”

Michael Rapino, Live Nation

“Music is transcendent and has the power to connect and support,” McCarthy said in a statement. “The artists on Mindful Nation are vehicles to that higher source which we are bringing into people’s everyday lives through our meditation classes.”

She added: “We are all totally overstimulated by the extraordinary amount of data and connectivity that exists in today’s world that we are not equipped to deal with. The classes on the Mindful Nation app are like a timeless album, never out of date. Users can keep going back to these resources again and again to support themselves through the highs and lows of life.”

Live Nation President and CEO Michael Rapino is named in the press release as Mindful Nation’s principal investor, and Hamish Stephenson, Founder and Creative Director of sports and entertainment agency FALSE 9, is its Chief Creative Officer.

“The Mindful Nation app brings together meditation and music in a unique way,” Rapino said. “We first launched Mindful Nation as a program for our employees, and it’s great to see Niamh now bringing the benefits of mindfulness to touring artists and crew across our industry, as well as music fans.”

Another of the product’s boosters is magician and illusionist David Blaine.

“Niamh has created a wonderful way to be reminded daily of those simple things that are most important,” Blaine said.

“Music is transcendent and has the power to connect and support. The artists on Mindful Nation are vehicles to that higher source which we are bringing into people’s everyday lives through our meditation classes.”

Niamh McCarthy, Mindful Nation

The meditation market presents a large opportunity for business in the music and audio field.

According to a report released last Thursday (June 29) by The Business Research Company, the global meditation market is set to grow to be a $6.6-billion business in 2023, up from $5.4 billion in 2022. By 2027, it’s expected to be worth $14.6 billion, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21%.

The market for meditation apps alone was worth $522.2 million in 2022, and is set to grow to $7.59 billion by 2031, according to InsightAce Analytic. That represents a CAGR of 31% over the next eight years.

“There has been a prominent increase in the usage of these mindfulness meditation apps by people of all ages and gender, which is, in turn, driving the growth of the global market for mindfulness meditation apps,” the business intelligence company said in a report.

“The growing trend among millennials toward a healthy lifestyle has increased the demand for mindfulness meditation apps.”

 Music Business Worldwide

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The women empowerment program trains and prepares women for entrepreneurial activities

A beneficiary with the product

Team News Riveting

Balconagar, July 6

Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO), India’s iconic aluminium producer and a subsidiary of Vedanta Aluminium, the largest producer of aluminium in the country, celebrated World Chocolate Day through a new product launch from Project Unnati, its self-help group (SHG) program.

It has now added a brand-new ‘Exotic’ collection to its range of home-made chocolates with the addition of delicious Blueberry and Cranberry Chocolates and sold under Project Unnati’s UnChoc brand. The chocolates are made by rural women under the company’s Chhattisa initiative, a part of Project Unnati, which focuses on empowering and mobilizing women into self-help groups (SHGs), honing their capacities and skills for entrepreneurship and building sustainable livelihoods.

It now trains over 50 women in chocolate-making through training and workshops, giving them the opportunity to pursue chocolate-making as an entrepreneurial avenue.

Aimed at training participants in traditional Chhattisgarhi cuisine, the Chhattisa initiative provides women with additional ways to establish thriving businesses and generate income to sustain themselves independently. Its UnChoc brand encompasses a variety of chocolates ranging from classic varieties like Dark chocolate, Milk chocolate, and White chocolate, as well as nutty variations featuring Almonds, Cashews, and Raisins. In line with Chhatisa’s mission of blending traditional Chhattisgarh cuisines with modern flavours, the self-help group female members have also introduced chocolates infused with Cardamom and Calumpang nuts (Chironjee), expanding the several options available.

Understanding the rising levels of health consciousness and a growing preference for nutritious ingredients combined with delicious treats, the self-help group members have also included protein-rich ingredients such as grams and peanuts in their heavenly treats under the ‘Desi Nutty’ category, enabling consumers to enjoy taste with wholesomeness. Chhattisa offers an extensive range of 7 homemade chocolate varieties that can be purchased by consumers on a pre-order basis.

Appreciating the efforts of self-help groups under Project Unnati, Rajesh Kumar, CEO, and Director, BALCO said, “We are committed to fostering a transformative environment where women can thrive, adapt, and lead in an ever-evolving world. The introduction of homemade chocolates under Chhattisa not only meets the budding consumer preferences but also empowers women in our community to adapt to prevailing tastes and requirements. At BALCO, our unwavering dedication to social responsibility drives us to create meaningful opportunities for women through self-help groups, enabling them to build sustainable livelihoods. Project Unnati is a testament to our focused efforts towards empowering women and igniting their entrepreneurial spirit, shaping a brighter future for their entire communities.”

Sharing her experience, Dhaneshwari Goswami, a participant who benefitted from Chhatisa’s chocolate-making workshops, expressed, “I had never imagined that I would make homemade chocolates similar to those we buy from the market. Thanks to BALCO’s chocolate-making workshops that equipped me and other participants with a valuable skill, enabling us to generate additional income by selling handmade chocolates as delightful gifts. Today, I am not only involved in chocolate production and sales, but I am also privileged to mentor other women aspiring to pursue chocolate making as a livelihood.”

Project Unnati focuses on empowering and mobilizing women into SHGs and honing their capacities and skills for entrepreneurship and building sustainable livelihoods. Within this fiscal itself, over 40 new SHGs have been formed, taking the total number to 500+ SHGs with more than 5,300 women who greatly benefit from the various training modules of the project. The project is currently being implemented in collaboration with GPR Strategies & Solutions, a non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to community and social services.

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06 June, 2023

Orange County Government Public Information Officer
Email: PIO@ocfl.net

Orange County, FL – At today’s Orange County Board of County Commissioner meeting, Donna Wyche, Manager of Orange County’s Mental Health and Homelessness Division, announced new, innovative mental health programs and strategies.

“These initiatives are game changing,” stated Wyche during her presentation to the Board.

The new programs are a result of recommendations from the Orange County Mental and Behavioral Health System of Care Community Analysis report that was developed in partnership with Heart of Florida United Way in 2022.

The report found that Orange County, like much of the nation, has an overburdened mental health and behavioral system of care. On February 22, 2022, the Board of County Commissioners voted to dedicate $10 million to address the mental health crisis, through community partnerships.

“Through the efforts Donna and her team, rather than choosing to sweep this issue away, we have created a catalyst to do something about it” added Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings. “Because of our continued work, we are moving the needle.”

The new programs include:

• Implementing a Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) program for first responders who interact with individuals in a mental health crisis to deescalate situations. The CIT program creates partnerships among law enforcement, the mental health treatment system, and families. Orange County has completed training for 129 first responders with ongoing classes continuing through this year.
• Increased pre-booking diversion programing at the Orange County jail to help individuals get much needed mental health services at two drop-in centers staffed by Aspire Health Partners.

• Expanded Crisis Stabilization Unit Beds (CSU) with the Central Florida Behavioral and University Behavioral Center to add another 10 beds. These beds are for individuals who need inpatient medical services for mental and behavioral treatment.

• Expanded the Nurse Family Partnership with the Early Learning Coalition to provide more than 80 women with behavioral health and medical care.

Developing programs and strategies include:

• Launching the first pilot program established by Orange County for mental health services from birth to 18 years of age, in a primary pediatric care office. The services will be coordinated through Pediatric Associates at eight of their Orange County medical offices. Services will be for pediatric experts to assess, prevent and treat mental and behavioral health issues. Today the Board of County Commissioners approved this new pilot program dedicating $1.03 million for these services.
• Providing the 911 Communication Center with trained crisis management experts to conduct assessments for inbound callers where there is a possible mental health situation. The licensed clinician will divert the call to the most appropriate level of care for response.

• Implementing the Upstream Model with Chapin Hall in Orange County Public Schools to reduce homelessness and dropout rates. Upstream involves several components, embraces a prevention perspective, and connects schools and community services. Its mission is to identify and intervene with young people and their families at high risk of becoming homeless to strengthen their resilience and address underlying risk factors before they escalate to crisis.

About Orange County Government: Orange County Government strives to serve its residents and guests with integrity, honesty, fairness and professionalism. Located in Central Florida, Orange County includes 13 municipalities and is home to world-famous theme parks, one of the nation’s largest convention centers and a thriving life science research park. Seven elected members make up the Board of County Commissioners, including the Mayor, who is elected countywide. For more information, please visit www.OCFL.net or go to Orange County Government’s social media channels.

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By The Marfan Foundation

The Foundation has launched a new Mental Health section on its website as part of a plan to highlight mental health concerns and encourage members of the community to take personal action. The launch coincides with Mental Health Awareness Month in May.

The expanded mental health webpage was possible due to generous funding from Scott and Kristen Griebel, whose son has Marfan syndrome.

The new webpage gives the Marfan, Loeys-Dietz, VEDS, and related conditions communities easier access to the Foundation’s existing mental health content and resources. Plans are also underway to expand the mental health content and update it on an ongoing basis. The mental health-related content is organized into topic-specific sections, including common challenges such as anxiety, depression, grief & loss, and body image. Other sections include targeted stages of life, finding help and support, getting connected, and various mental health resources. 

“Mental health is a critical part of overall wellness, and we’re thrilled to be bringing it more to the forefront,” said Dawn Reiner, chair of the Foundation’s Mental Health Task Force and board member. “This webpage is just one of the many initiatives we are implementing to address the mental health of our community. By making it a greater focus, we hope to destigmatize some of these common issues and raise awareness while helping members of our community realize they’re not alone and empower them to seek help.”

The Foundation has always recognized the need to address the mental health concerns and needs of the community, in addition to physical health, and continues to do so through webinars, support groups, conference workshops, blogs, social media, and online content. This webpage enables the Foundation to highlight these efforts and make it more easily accessible to those who need it.   

To view the new webpage and access mental health resources, visit the link here.

Community members share the positive impacts of taking action to improve their mental well-being:

“Mental health providers have helped me sort out my fears and wants in ways even close family and friends could not. They gave me tools and ideas for managing my stress and often gave me encouragement. I know I’ve lived a longer, better, deeper life because I learned to work on my mental health as diligently as I did my physical health.” Chris Heaney, NC

“After many years, I came to realize that treating the physiological challenges posed by Marfan syndrome is not the same as confronting the inevitable psychological burden of the disease. Don’t go it alone. Seeking out support and/or professional help can be transformative in ways you cannot imagine.” Raymond Chevallier, PA

“After my daughter Cassie was diagnosed at birth with Marfan syndrome, our lives became a whirlwind. I ignored my own mental health to the detriment of not only me but also my whole family. I needed to make sure I had a place to talk about my worries and fears, as well as our triumphs, and I’ve made sure to see my therapist ever since (on and off for years). Making sure that everyone in my family is getting the support they need is one of the best ways I know for us to take care of ourselves.” Alix McLean Jennings, NJ

The Marfan Foundation is a nonprofit organization that saves lives and improves the quality of life of individuals with genetic aortic and vascular conditions including Marfan, Loeys-Dietz, and Vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndromes. Our vision is a world in which everyone with genetic aortic and vascular conditions can live their best life.

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KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia


,


May 16, 2023


/PRNewswire/ — Futu Holdings Limited (the “Company”, Nasdaq: FUTU) today announces its expansion into

Malaysia

with its super investment platform, moomoo, introducing a comprehensive suite of tech-driven offerings to promote financial inclusion. Through inclusive finance,

Malaysia

investors will enjoy lifelong access to a holistic suite of self-help educational resources, free-for-all market data and a supportive global community to unlock more opportunities.

Says

Robin Xu

, Senior Partner and Senior Vice President, Futu Holdings Limited: “We’re proud and excited to bring our one-stop platform, moomoo to

Malaysia

, the second SEA launch. Our world-class research and development capabilities and long-standing business success in serving over 20 million users worldwide allow us to provide better tech-driven solutions to the market, enabling everyone to be equipped with the necessary access, tools and knowledge to make informed decisions along the investment journey.”

A New Era of Investment With Financial Technology

The Company’s wholly-owned Malaysian subsidiary has recently received the Approval-In-Principle (“AIP”) for the Capital Markets Services License (“CMSL”) from the Securities Commission Malaysia (“SC”), marking a giant leap in its

Southeast Asia

business expansion plans. Attaining the AIP from the SC further reinforces the Company’s overall mission and vision to make investing easy and accessible to both investors and stakeholders.

He adds: “We are thrilled to have been granted the AIP from the SC, as it is a validation of our mission and vision to make investing more convenient and accessible to investors worldwide. Following our success in

Singapore

and other APAC markets, we are well-equipped to bring our international know-hows in transforming the digitised investment landscape in

Malaysia

. With its 32.7 million

[

1]

well-structured population, business-friendly environment, educated talent pool and high digital literacy levels, the country will serve as a catalyst for growth. The Company values

Malaysia

as a strategic location to roll out its cutting-edge super investment platform.”

Empowering Malaysians To Unlock More Opportunities

Education is the cornerstone for lifelong learning and personal development. Designed to empower retail investors of all levels to uncover opportunities that are exclusive to the investment platform, moomoo is packed with highly intuitive tools, features and functions. With moomoo, retail investors are encouraged to also adopt a self-directed learning approach to securities and derivatives trading. This will be the first such financial literacy solution to roll out in

Malaysia

by a global technology company that believes in making investing right at the fingertips via digitalisation.

Fostering A Synergistic Ecosystem Upon The Nation’s Digitalisation Trends

With its global presence and know-how in providing digitised investment services across major markets, the Company sees its unique digitised ecosystem that aggregates 20 million investors worldwide would promote financial inclusion in

Malaysia

, and has a positive effect on driving the industry forward.  By fostering a synergistic ecosystem with thousands of public companies, fund houses, media, and market practitioners, the moo community would be a winning strategy for the new market and a pathway to business success.

Click

here

to know more about the most powerful investment platform and application, and the start of a new investing era.

About Futu Holdings Limited

Futu Holdings Limited (“Futu”) (Nasdaq: FUTU) is an advanced fintech company upgrading the investing experience by offering fully digitalised financial services in multiple markets. Futu was listed on Nasdaq on

March 8, 2019

. Futu offers market data, financial news, interactive social features, and investor education on its proprietary one-stop digital platforms, Futubull, and moomoo.

Its subsidiaries provide clients with investing services, including trading and clearing services for

the United States

, Hong Kong SAR, China Connect,

Singapore

, and

Australia

stocks, margin financing, and securities lending, and wealth management. By creating an ecosystem centered around its users, Futu provides connectivity to users, investors, analysts, media, companies, and institutions. Futu also provides Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) solutions, initial public offering (IPO) distribution, and investor relations (IR) and public relations (PR) services through its institutional and corporate services brand, becoming the go-to partner of many well-known companies. Futu Trustee provides one-stop wealth management solutions for corporate clients and high-net-worth individuals and families, and revolutionizes service delivery for ESOP Trust Administration, Family Trust, and Family Office through technology.

Futu aims to become an influential financial services platform globally, by adhering to the missions of prioritizing users and user experience, driving high innovation across its product upgrade, and enriching products and services offering that meet the evolving needs of investors, companies, and the industry.

For more information, please visit:

http://futuholdings.com

Source:

[1]

. Ministry of Economy, Department of Statistics,

Malaysia

, accessed

16 May 2023

,

https://www.dosm.gov.my/portal-main/release-content/current-population-estimates-malaysia-2022#:~:text=The%20total%20population%20of%20Malaysia,growth%20rate%20of%200.2%20percent

View original content to download multimedia:

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/moomoo-expands-into-malaysia-following-success-in-singapore-301825763.html

SOURCE Futu Holdings Limited

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