The platform, named Bayo – meaning “joy has found us” in Yoruba – will provide tailored support and care for black young people, offering culturally appropriate and accessible services from black-led organisations and collectives.
The digital space aims to bring together UK services which cater specifically to the black community, and provide healing and joyful spaces for black young people to seek recovery in, following the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on black mental health.
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People with black heritage are now five times more likely to be sectioned under the Mental Health Act, according to figures from mental health charity Mind, and rates of restrictive interventions such as physical and chemical restraint has doubled for black people in the past six years.
Bayo was developed in partnership with the Ubele Initiative, Mind, Young Minds, Best Beginnings, and the National Emergencies Trust.
The platform will be launched at a free launch event in Brixton on 8 February, at which guests can learn about services available to the black community, get involved in mental health discussions, participate in poetry and art therapy sessions, hear music and drumming, and watch a film screening of Me, my father and mental health.
Yansie Rolston, associate director of health and wellbeing at the Ubele Initiative, said: “We know that exposure to and experiences of racism, discrimination, inequalities and micro-aggressions together with a lack of cultural competence can negatively affect the general wellbeing and mental health of black people.
“Research shows that suicide rates among young African-Caribbean men are increasing, as are the prevalence of psychotic disorders in black men – we need to act urgently to reverse these trends and promote positive mental health among black youth.
“However, even though black young people have the same right as everyone else to access mental health services, they are met with a lack of cultural sensitivity which is important in understanding and addressing emotional and mental distress. Understanding the nuances of cultural values, beliefs and biases goes a long way in dismantling inequalities and providing better quality mental health care.
“For black young people who might have had previous negative experiences or struggled to open up about their mental health in the past, community-led support that offers safe, nurturing and inclusive spaces can be invaluable.”
This launch comes alongside Children’s Mental Health Week, during which organisations are campaigning for increased awareness of children and young people’s mental health, as well as raising money for children’s mental health charities and initiatives.
