The promise initiative to strengthen the resiliency of youth, youth serving providers and caring adults in detroit - teen hype (helping youth by providing education) is a youth development agency…

The promise initiative to strengthen the resiliency of youth, youth serving providers and caring adults in detroit - teen hype (helping youth by providing education) is a youth development agency founded in 2004. Teen hype's mission is to "celebrate youth. Confront barriers. Build bridges". The population of focus is at-risk black youth ages 14-19 living in detroit. Teen hype will implement the promise initiative to strengthen the resiliency of youth, youth serving providers and caring adults through the application of healing centered engagement (HCE). With extremely high rates of poverty, deep rooted structural racism, underperforming schools, and environmental contamination, detroit, a city whose residents are nearly 85% black, has a long history of surviving trauma. In march 2020, the trauma on top of trauma, covid-19, HIT detroit early and hard. Fast forward to today, in the detroit TRI-county area, over 40 percent of black and residents report having a family member who has died from covid-19, less than 10 percent of white residents say the same. In response, teen hype proposes to move beyond trauma informed work with youth, to healing centered engagement of a community. To do so we will be applying the flourish agenda led by shawn ginwright. HCE is a strength-based approach that advances a holistic view of healing and RE-centers culture and identity as central features in wellbeing. Components of the promise initiative will include: 1. The promise initiative advisory coalition 2. Permission to heal summit 3. Healing centered engagement certification for 100 youth serving adults annually 4. Learning collaborative of five (+ hype) youth serving organizations, selected by the community, who will apply HCE to all levels of their lives and work 5. Replication of the evidence-based intervention "youth empowerment solutions" (yes); an evidence-based curriculum proven to reduce youth violence and create community change, 6. Wellness sessions for youth, parents, caring adults and youth program staff, facilitated by mental health professionals and wellness coaches, and 7. Linkages and referrals to services by a licensed social worker. In year one, 200 adults and 200 teens will be directly served, and 700 adults and 2000 youth will participate over the life of the award. Because training of youth serving providers is at the center of the promise initiative, hundreds of more detroit youth will be positively impacted. HCE founder shawn ginwright states, "we can't expect for the young people to be well if the adults are wounded". All of detroit has been affected by the weight of covid-19. The promise initiative will work to heal the adults so we can support our youth and achieve wellness together.