DreamHouse Make a Difference Foundation
Atlanta, GA
In partnership with Heal America, DreamHouse expanded the Boys to Men Conference beyond Atlanta, including events in North Carolina and New Jersey, to bring more opportunities for healing to more boys and families in need. White said, “We would not have been able to do this without the funding received from Heal America and Stand Together Foundation.” In order to inspire more youth to participate and share their potential, DreamHouse invited students to submit video performances of themselves rapping to a pre-selected beat. The guidelines required submissions to cover the topics of “Healing America,” “Healing your community,” “mental health,” or “overcoming hard times.” White explained, “I was very strategic in picking a beat that evoked emotion, forcing the kids to go beyond their normal scope to speak on something positive.”
BARRIER
The need for youth mental health services continues to climb without signs of slowing, especially for communities of color. In 2020, suicide was the third leading cause of death for Black youth ages 15 to 24, and Black children below the age of 13 are almost twice as likely to die by suicide than their white peers. If parents and schools recognize the need for care and seek help, financial and institutional barriers to access care add to the hurdles Black families face. Additionally, Black youth exhibiting symptoms of mental health challenges are more likely to be suspended or expelled from school. In some circumstances, children are sent into the juvenile justice system before receiving care, perpetuating that children are to blame for the issues they can’t control and ultimately limiting their self-confidence. DreamHouse hopes to stop that cycle before it begins.
SOLUTION
DreamHouse’s events empower teens to self-actualize by teaching tools and providing resources to discover and apply their unique potential. In 2022, DreamHouse hosted their first Boys to Men Summer of Healing Teen Empowerment Conference and Expo in partnership with Heal America in which hundreds of boys were invited to learn integral living and care skills. Workshops included navigating society as a Black man in America, establishing healthy habits that promote success, and pursuing passion and finding purpose. Zsa Zsa Lambert-Hall, the co-founder and President of DreamHouse, described the conference as “a day of empowering, inspiring them to reach their fullest potential.”
A variety of speakers with various professional experiences are invited to speak with youth participants about their experiences transitioning from adolescence to adulthood. Speakers sit in circles with attendees to provide a safe, loving space for participants to practice sharing their own struggles, normalizing the experience of verbalizing their emotions and responding to the emotional needs of their peers. Coty Martin, a speaker, author, and licensed therapist, emceed the event to lead panel discussions and fun exercises focusing on personal growth and mental wellness. By teaching students the power of sharing their feelings, DreamHouse aims to curb rates of youth violence in Atlanta.
In addition to teaching tools for coping with mental health challenges, speakers introduce their career paths as part of the conversation. During DreamHouse’s 2022 event, speakers’ careers ranged from Olympian to journalist to lawyer, providing examples of possible career paths for participants. By seeing and interacting with adults from different backgrounds, youth participants are encouraged to broaden their goals. Students are introduced to new and exciting potential futures that they might not have been able to imagine for themselves before, providing opportunities to self-actualize.
Local law enforcement attends DreamHouse events to educate boys on how they should interact with police officers, including hosting a demonstration on how to respond to a traffic stop. Traffic stops are the most common interaction between law enforcement and civilians. Black drivers, especially young Black men, are more likely to be stopped and searched behind the wheel than their white counterparts. By preparing young men for interactions with police, DreamHouse is fulfilling Heal America’s vision of building relationships between officers and the community. Attendees are also able to ask police questions in a panel-style format, creating opportunities for youth to see officers as people behind their uniforms.