Presenter(s): Kandee Lewis
Violence, abuse and trauma, doesn't look the same when looking through the lens of African American eyes, especially when it involves youth. Trauma can show up disguised as hunger, children acting out, low self-esteem, hyper-sexuality, substance abuse, or other ways trauma is manifested. These are also signs someone may be dealing with mental health issues.
With COVID-19 came isolation, which felt to many as abandonment. In many cases, it resulted in victims and children being left with their abuser. We saw mental health decline across the board. However, when further examining the impact of violence on Black Youth, we saw a marked increase in depression and suicide attempts.
We'll discuss creating and facilitating community stakeholder focus groups to develop a culturally responsive, trauma and healing informed outreach and engagement curriculum for African American Youth for the Ambassadors Peer Advocate program, addressing Mental Health & Violence Awareness and Prevention.
Workshop level: Introductory
Theme: Youth Stand and Be Heard!
Tuesday, November 2nd - 12:00pm - 1:30pm