Oasis Connections instructors Emanuel Pope, Carita DeVilbiss and Jerry McAfee aim to provide their students the one thing they need most to make technology work for them: confidence.

Is it possible to have civil, even friendly conversations about current events these days? Oasis instructors say so in Rochester, Los Angeles and Washington where discussions are flourishing.

“Come out of yourself and do something for someone else," urges Oasis volunteer Cynthia Singleton. "We have to step up to the plate to help these children."

“Every time a new catalog comes out, there are new things I want to try,” says Ricki Milne of Los Angeles. "I really appreciate all that Oasis has to offer. By giving monthly, I can give a little more."

An Actors Studio workshop offered by the Pacific Region Oasis in Los Angeles gave Elizabeth McClodden an opportunity to give the stage a try.