The UCLA Office of Parent & Family Programs (PFP) facilitated a successful 6th Annual Parent & Family Coffee Socials on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015. This year we had a record breaking 59 locations across the globe! Parent and Family Programs is a new office department under UCLA Alumni Affairs, and so many of you reading this may be wondering, “What the heck is a Coffee Social and what does it have to do with me?” Coffee Socials are small, informal gatherings held at neighborhood coffee shops and hosted by a current UCLA parent or family member. The event began in 2010 when several parents approached the PFP staff with the idea that they wanted to gather with other current parents in their community and celebrate being a proud Bruin parent. PFP supported this idea, believing this would be a great way to perpetuate engagement, and Coffee Socials were born with just four locations in California and approximately 35 participants at the first event.

Since the inaugural event, the program has grown exponentially. This year, more than 1,000 guests registered worldwide: 35 in Calif., 16 out of Calif. and 8 in international locations. As UCLA’s non-CA resident and international student numbers have continued to rise (along with the price of gas), the PFP Office recognizes that parents and families may not always be able to make the journey to campus, but still have an interest to engage with the UCLA community. This prompted the office to further expand upon the program and establish the event as an annual occurrence early in the Winter Quarter. Strategically timed, the event occurs just a few weeks after students have returned to campus from the Winter break. Parents and families are typically missing their students and looking for an opportunity to feel connected to their student’s experience, as well as reacquaint themselves with resources to support their student’s transition back to campus. Coffee Socials allow the Parent and Family Programs office to bring UCLA to communities across the globe. Providing an opportunity for parents to engage with one another on a regional level and foster connections while also receiving important information from various campus partners.

Beyond families wanting to connect with one another, Bruin pride is infectious! Hosts and attendees love an excuse to don their blue and gold, whether near or far, alumni or not.

Here's what a few parents had to say:

• “Such an enthusiastic group of parents over here in Massachusetts!”


• “This was the third Coffee Social that I've hosted…It allows busy parents to meet in an informal setting close to home…I think trying to have more locations would be great so that it's easy for [others] to join.”


• “I would love to see more of these events, to connect with [others].”


• “It was nice to have an alumnus there,” which is why UCLA Parent & Family Programs is so excited to now be part of the UCLA Alumni family! As part of our initiative moving forward we hope to have the opportunity to collaborate with the various alumni networks in all pockets of the globe to increase the UCLA presence, both with alumni and families.

See photos from the event here on our Facebook page.

Interested in collaborating with the office to invite UCLA parents to a local event? Contact us at parentinvolvement@support.ucla.edu.