We are excited about the possibilities that lie ahead. Moving forward, our findings will help us build a global mental health campaign to improve Black men’s mental health, adherence to more progressive masculine norms, and social support.
We are always looking for community and university partners to collaborate on culturally-sensitive, gender-specific, and age-appropriate versions of the YBMen Project with their respective sub-groups of Black men. Our team continues to analyze the survey, interview, and Facebook data we gather from each iteration of the project and generate reports and health education materials for dissemination to our partners and other relevant stakeholders. We also continue applying for funding from federal agencies and private organizations to fund future iterations of the project in college and community settings across various locations in the United States and Canada.
Unfortunately, mental health challenges among young Black men has been left out of national discussions about this segment of the population. Many stressors experienced by this group are unique to them and are highly connected to deeply held beliefs about what it means to be a man.
Despite this, however, we have hope! The YBMen Project provides a unique and timely model upon which future efforts can be built to develop and test culturally sensitive and gender specific resources, build capacity, and ensure sustainability that will result in fewer mental health challenges among Black men worldwide.
