Course Title:
Psychedelics and the Mind: Deepening your understanding of the science, culture and history of visionary substances.

Platform:
edX.org

Nicole designed and produced UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics first ever MOOC - a Massive Open Online Course.

“Psychedelics and the Mind” launched in August 2023 on the edx.org platform for free. The course was created as a public service for anyone interested in learning more about the science, culture and history of visionary substances.

David Presti, professor of neurobiology and psychology at UC Berkeley, teaches this robust 8-part series while engaging with community members and experts who can more fully explore each substance in detail.

Course Title:
Becoming Awestruck with Jason Silva

Produced for the Platform:
Soundstrue.com

Jason Silva’s work with awe was a delight to produce during the course, Becoming Awestruck. Eternally connecting nature and the mind, Jason helps the student explore what it feels like to live a life open to awe. A transmission full of joy.

Course Title:
The Royal Science of Angels

Produced for the Platform:
Soundstrue.com

Nicole worked with Damien Echols to produce a beautiful course called The Royal Science of Angels, featuring lessons from his incredible book, The Angels and Archangels: A Magician's Guide. Damien’s teaching style was generous, focused and inspirational.

Girls Inc is a non-profit that provides a combination of long-lasting mentoring relationships, a pro-girl environment and research-based programming equips girls to lead fulfilling and productive lives, break the cycle of poverty, and become role models in their community.  I was invited to spend a few days with girls in elementary, and a few days with young women in High School - and it reinforced in me the need to hold space for the voices of young women. I asked two young ladies in particular to tell me their stories…and the video below is the result. It was an honor to be in the company of such brilliant young women!

In some lucky schools a club named POPS meets once a week.  POPS is an acronym for Pain Of The Prison System, and kids and volunteers get together and create community for those that struggle through the shame of having a loved one in the system.  It's also a place where kids can share stories and evolve those experiences through creative  writing. Pops has published these kids' work over the years in various anthologies.  For more, go here:  www.popstheclub.com. To support POPS in getting the word out, Nezera Films worked with pops kids, Daniel, Bianca and Demetrius to make a mission video, check it out! 

Boarding House Mentors is an outreach organization that provides a safe and healthy community environment by introducing underserved youth to a positive lifestyle through the exhilaration of surfing.   Nezera Films spent a fun day at the beach shooting for Boarding House Mentors, and meeting the great kids in the program. 

Nezera Films was invited to spend Mother's Day with an incredible organization, CRJW and their program Get On The Bus.  We documented countless beautiful gestures expressed between children and their mom's as they tried to make up for lost time in the few hours allotted that day.  For most kids with an incarcerated parent visiting day doesn't happen if there aren't enough resources - time, transportation and money, mostly.  Get On The Bus, and a number of faith communities and organizations have been working for 18 years to make sure as many kids as possible can stay connected to their incarcerated parents.  5 Society Films was deeply honored to spend the day with these families.