POEM: BIPOC Peer Support Specialist Program

January 3, 2025

The Peer Outdoor Education for Mental Health (POEM) program offers a unique opportunity for BIPOC young adults to become certified peer support specialists at the Jubilee Healing Farm in Orange County, NC.

The farm emphasizes a land-based approach to mental health, offering workshops, volunteer opportunities, and community-building activities. The program focuses on addressing the mental health disparities disproportionately affecting BIPOC students, which often contribute to higher dropout rates. Through state-certified peer support training, combined with tools for mindfulness, restorative justice, and ecological healing, participants gain skills to care for both themselves and their communities.

Program Details

The program begins on January 17, 2025 with a small-group session featuring writer and activist Adrienne Maree Brown.

The total commitment for training includes two weekends scheduled for January 24-26 and February 7-9.

In the spring, additional workshops will be on restorative justice with CJ Suitt, ancestral and ecological healing, and music for healing. 

How to Apply

Applications remain open until January 10, 2025.

This program is only open to individuals ages 18-30 who identify as Black or multiracial, currently live in North Carolina, and have some personal experience with their own mental health challenges. 

Additional information can be found on the Jubilee Healing Farm’s website.

For those looking for a meaningful opportunity to learn, grow, and make a difference, POEM offers an excellent chance to get involved.

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