This workshop focuses on how to prevent or reduce mental health issues among boys and men of color (BMOC) by promoting the protective factors that counter the risk factors (social determinants of health) that too often keep BMOC in survival mode. Using a “protective factors framework” with BMOC living in urban communities labeled as low-income can provide inoculation against the stressors they might face early on in life. This content will provide youth development and violence prevention professionals with the skills needed to thrive, even in the face of repeated exposure to extreme poverty and adverse childhood experiences.
Learning Objectives
After this training, participants will:
- Gain knowledge about urban America’s unique brand of trauma that boys and young men of color navigate when living in communities of low-income
- Gain an understanding of why protective factor interventions should be implemented as population-health intervention using a trauma-informed approach
- Engage in a discussion about why and how some young men of color are not only surviving but thriving
- Review case studies, examples, and evaluation methods of innovative projects designed to improve health and life outcomes.