Brooklyn Center Nonprofit Receives $400K for Black Youth Mental Health Initiative
The COVID-19 pandemic and the George Floyd murder have affected mental health in communities of color. It’s why a Brooklyn Center nonprofit has started a new initiative to focus specifically on Black youth in the Brooklyns.
Brooklyn Bridge Alliance for Youth (BBAY) was awarded $400,000 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“The long history of disparities in housing and education, those forces create chronic stress in Black families and the Black community that are not prevalent in other communities,” explained Rebecca Gilgen, executive director for BBAY.
The group has a three-year plan to encourage positive mental health behavior. It will hold community engagement events to spread knowledge and share information. BBAY also plans to establish a Black youth mental health advisory council.
The goal is to give young people tools to cope with mental health issues.
“Just have basic information about what positive mental health is. Where do they get it? How do they keep it? What are the opportunities that they can participate in,” said Gilgen.
The Brooklyn Bridge Alliance For Youth was awarded $400,00 from the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services.
The Black Youth Mental Health Initiative is a partnership between the Minnesota Department of Health, local school districts, Hennepin County, Brooklyn Bridge Alliance for Youth, and other groups.
