[ad_1]
Youth advocates in Philadelphia say job programs and educational opportunities can give teens hope and help them stay focused on their goals.
Kaliek Hayes mentors young men aged 18-24 at the Youth Adolescent Outreach Community Awareness Program, including Powe-Cobb. He said giving them a goal to focus on and encouraging them to stay on track can keep them from making a drastic decision.
“It’s like tug of war — you have this feeling pulling you one way and all this support pulling the other way,” Hayes said. “We just want to have as many people as possible pulling on the rope.”
Creating more access
Though homicides are often concentrated in specific neighborhoods, those areas don’t see the type of support Sandy Hook and Parkland did following active shooter situations, Joseph Richardson said.
“[We’re] not seeing those communities being inundated with mental health resources and mental health workers,” he said. “We’ve almost rendered Black youth invisible.”
The city of Philadelphia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual DisAbility Services offers the Engaging Males of Color initiative, which just produced a documentary about the mental health impacts of gun violence.
The department also runs the Network of Neighbors program, which trains residents to respond to stress, trauma, loss, and violence in their own communities. Participants may receive psychological first aid training, and may be asked to respond door-to-door or in neighborhood gathering spaces.
Suicide in the U.S. has historically been most prevalent among older, white men. That group still has the highest rates, but they’ve been relatively stable for the last decade. Meanwhile, rates among people of color aged 10-19 have more than doubled during the same time period according to an analysis of CDC data from The Trace.
The first step to helping Black teens is making Black therapists more available, said Farida Boyer, executive director of Philadelphia nonprofit Black Brain Campaign.
“Because of racism, they don’t feel comfortable with providing all the information to somebody who does not look like them,” Brendan-Noble said. “It will help if they can find somebody who walks like them, talks like them.”
Only 4% of U.S. therapists are Black, according to a 2020 report from the American Psychological Association.
Deshawnda Williams, a social worker who advocates for more mental health resources in Philadelphia, said there isn’t a dedicated local organization for suicide prevention for youth of color.
“I’ve never seen that,” she said. “The rate is higher now for Black teens committing suicide — so where are you?”
Multiple Philadelphia nonprofit groups create peer-to-peer healing circles for teens and offer mental health resources in schools, recreation centers, and other community spaces.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. The hotline is staffed 24/7 by trained counselors who can offer free, confidential support. You can also reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting ‘Home’ to 741741, anytime. Spanish speakers can call 1-888-628-9454. People who are deaf or hard of hearing can call 1-800-799-4889.
If you or someone you know has been affected by gun violence in Philadelphia, you can find grief support and resources online.
Philadelphia Resource List:
[ad_2]
Source link
