With funding from the Baltimore Community Foundation as well as a ReCAST (Resiliency in Communities After Stress and Trauma) grant though BCHD, the first cohort of HYA ambassadors were led by Faculty from the School of Social Work, HeartSmiles, and the Black Mental Health Alliance through 24 weeks of training.
Youth are now confident in training others on mental health issues and coping strategies at workshops and conferences. The training is conducted through an Afro-centric framework, an intentional choice that allows the ambassadors to learn about heroes in African and African American culture that informs the healing process.
For more information, please contact Kyla Liggett-Creel at kliggett-creel@ssw.umaryland.edu.