How these organisations are maintaining the mind of the Black community in London

Words by Adefela Olowoselu

The mind, body and soul are the components that make up a person. There are ways to maintain each: the body may be maintained with exercise and a balanced diet, and the soul with a belief system. However, many are unable to access resources that help to maintain the mind.

The Black community faces various problems when tackling issues of mental health and wellness. Systematic racism plays a part in this as it leaves the community at consistent disadvantages. For example, the education system, where 95% of Black children have experienced racist language at school, policing, where Black people are disproportionately affected by stop and search, and class, as Black people are the least likely to be in lower managerial and professional occupations in comparison to other ethnic groups. These conditions (at times, unknowingly) have an adverse effect on mental health and wellness. Anxiety may be felt by simply knowing that one is at the mercy of systematic racism due to their Blackness.

This is why last year Nike established a grant to support non-profit organisations dedicated to creating lasting change for the Black community in the fields of education, play and sports equity, economic empowerment and career progression. Roundtable Journal spoke to the15 selected organisations about the incredible work they do in communities that need it most.

A 2018 Race Disparity Audit by the cabinet office found that within the general adult population, “Black women were the most likely to have experienced a common mental disorder such as anxiety or depression in the last week, and Black men were the most likely to have experienced a psychotic disorder in the past year.” In contrast, out of the ethnic groups assessed in the audit, white British adults were the most likely to be receiving treatment for an emotional or mental issue. Such disparities can be attributed to the Black community’s lack of access to effective support from mental health services. This may be due to an inability to afford such services, prejudices towards Black people from health service providers, or even a tendency to turn to faith or family instead of seeking necessary external help. Therefore, access to tailored, effective and affordable resources is what the community requires to tackle any subsequent mental health issues its people face.

Inaccessibility is something that charity RESET MH seeks to tackle. They provide free mental health services to the community through training, peer support services, and therapy sessions – all facilitated by Black professionals. Black people are overrepresented in mental health institutions, yet they are less likely to have access to alternative mental health services. Founder of RESET MH, Edwin Duah, therefore runs the charity to work against this.

He explains, “As a result of the pandemic we offered individual therapy to those who were in need and struggled to access immediate support. With the support of Nike, we've successfully been able to provide over 18 people with free, long-term, individual therapy sessions.” Many of these individuals were on long waiting lists for therapy while being unable to access support due to financial constraints. RESET MH’s work continually removes these barriers to encourage people towards more hopeful and fulfilling lives.

Young Steps Ltd. works with Black girls in need of health programs, educational services, and poverty relief. Nike funded its African Aunties (AA) programme where disadvantaged girls were paired with older women, or ‘aunties’ as they are referred to in the community. The partnership created a safe space for the girls to speak about issues they can’t discuss in their usual environments.

“When young people and their families have issues with mental health, it's impossible to work with them in other areas,” said Frank Ambei, Trustee of Young Steps. “So, the aunties are there to help them understand the things they don’t feel they can talk to men or their mothers about. We can always use the answers we have within the community.”

Young Steps emphasises the value of the community’s voice. The use of aunties in the community demonstrates that the answer to wellness can be closer to home than we think. At home, there is an understanding that can’t be found in external systems that are prone to bias and systematic racism.

Frank Ambei, Young Steps
Courtesy of Nike

Financial constraint is a significant challenge the Black community faces when considering mental health services. Therapy can be expensive and therefore a low priority when ranked against everyday living expenses. This often makes therapy inaccessible to those who may need it the most. Black Minds Matter (BMM) tackles this by connecting Black individuals to free mental health services that are delivered by qualified Black therapists.

Black Minds Matter (BMM) and Black Trans Foundation (BTF) were jointly awarded Nike’s grant. Their foundation supports Black trans people, the most marginalised group of people within the UK. BMM’s marketing manager, Olivia Weigel, explained that BTF aims to “highlight the shared experiences of Black trans people and the wider Black community when it comes to reclaiming our bodies, experience, and space.” Weigel continues, “Making sure that those resources or spaces are accessible is important. Nike’s grant has allowed our organisations to strengthen our work and amplify our shared mission.”

Nike’s grant also helped Power2, an organisation that helps children develop crucial life skills, self-esteem, and confidence. This is achieved through mentoring and positive psychology – a practice that emphasises how having positive figures in one’s life can elevate wellbeing.

Power2’s Teens and Toddlers (T&T) programme paired 18 BAME teenage boys experiencing mental health challenges with toddlers. T&T aimed to improve the boys’ mental wellbeing, because having to care for someone who is reliant on them often leads young people to re-engage with their communities.

Sam Marcus, Power2’s Director of Service, notes that the programme changed the boys’ behaviour. She explains, “There was a shift in language towards each other throughout the program At the start they were quite negative and belittling to each other. Now, at the end of the program, they're using more positive and encouraging words for each other and that’s massive, especially for young boys.”

The work of these organisations reinforces that access to mental health and wellness services and programmes is essential. It’s needed as one of the many tools to support people of colour as they face and overcome systematic racism, oppression, prejudices, personal struggles and lack of opportunities. As the conversation around mental health expands, these organisations will continue to spearhead the maintenance of the Black community’s mind.

Roundtable Girl June 18, 2022