Joy & Healing: Building Systems That Honor Care and Rest Across Generations

The KYS Consulting Group Spring Mental Health Webinar Series equips advocates, clinicians, educators, funders, faith leaders, and small nonprofits with trauma‑informed, culturally rooted strategies to better support Black families in rural North Carolina. This series also introduces our Cultural Safety Pyramid for Black Women: Joy & Healing, a framework that helps organizations move from harm reduction toward belonging, rest, and joy for those most impacted.

All webinars in this series are free, accessible, and open to everyone.

This series welcomes anyone looking for healing, connection, or community. It is especially supportive of people who care for others,  whether in their families, neighborhoods, or workplaces, as well as those who stand with marginalized communities. It is also open to anyone who has experienced trauma, isolation, or systemic barriers.

Together, we’ll explore trauma‑informed, culturally grounded approaches to mental health and collective care in a way that is accessible, relatable, and rooted in community strength.

Upcoming Webinars

Tuesday, June 30, 2026

When the Weight Is Too Heavy: Healing Black Men Through Community Care

In April, during The Weight We Carry, Black women spoke truth about the emotional labor, survival mode, and generational burdens they’ve been forced to hold. This month, we continue the conversation by turning toward the men in our communities who are carrying their own weight, often without language, support, or space to breathe.

Black men are navigating pressure from every direction. Many are expected to be strong without breaking, dependable without resting, and present without ever showing pain. The result is a quiet struggle that shows up in their relationships, health, work, and sense of self. And while Black women often hold the emotional load for everyone, Black men are frequently denied the room to feel, process, or ask for help.

This session brings together Black male advocates, mental health professionals, and youth mentors for an honest, grounded conversation about what Black men are facing right now. We will explore the realities of emotional suppression, trauma, community violence, fatherhood, financial pressure, and the cultural messages that teach boys early on to “man up” instead of speak up.

Moderated by Brian Dawson, formerly of K97.5, this conversation will be real, relatable, and rooted in lived experience. Participants will walk away with practical tools to support the men and boys in their lives, and strategies for Black men to support themselves.

What We’ll Explore

  • The emotional and cultural weight Black men carry in silence

  • How trauma, stress, and expectations show up in daily life

  • What Black boys learn early about strength, vulnerability, and survival

  • How to create spaces where Black men can talk, feel, and heal

  • Community-rooted approaches that make mental health support accessible and culturally aligned

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:

  • Identify cultural, systemic, and everyday pressures that shape how Black men show up emotionally

  • Describe the unique mental health challenges Black men and boys face

  • Apply culturally responsive strategies that support emotional expression and help-seeking

  • Develop community-based approaches that normalize mental health conversations among men and boys

Who Should Attend

Community members, parents, educators, clinicians, youth workers, faith leaders, advocates, and anyone who cares about the well-being of Black men and boys.

Date: Tuesday, June 30, 2026

Time: 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM EST

Cost: Free

Register Today!