Make It Happen helps young men between the ages of 16 and 24 who have experienced violence acquire the tools necessary to overcome traumatic experiences.
On 'New Thinking,' an audio portrait of our Make It Happen program.
Participants meet with the director of trauma support services for one-on-one sessions prior to joining a 10-week workshop. The purpose is to build rapport and trust with participants and to gain a sense of their individual needs based on their histories of trauma. During individual sessions, participants receive guidance and assistance tailored to their immediate needs.
During group workshops, participants are challenged to explore what healthy black masculinity means to them and society at large. Each cohort also has an opportunity for team-building activities to create a sense of camaraderie among the group in hopes that those connections continue past the life of the program.
The Vicarious Trauma Toolkit from the National Center for Victims of Crime provides information on violence interrupter programs and traditional victim service agencies.
