Grant boosts Pa'lante's fight against gun violence

Yahoo

02-05-2025

HOLYOKE — You've probably heard of mindfulness. But what about Mindful Rage?
It's a new program in Holyoke that transforms the angst and anger of young people into a creative force for introspection, change and justice, all for the good of the community.
Pa'lante Transformative Justice — on a mission to help young people become leaders — doesn't want the teens of today to stew in isolation and anger. The human service agency is now looking to hire a new clinical director to both offer culturally sensitive therapy and oversee the Mindful Rage program.
Designed by and for youth of color, the program is a creative- and activist-based alternative to traditional anger management courses assigned by courts.
'While there's a lot to be mad at when you look around and see the state of our society, you don't want your anger to burn you or the people closest to you. So how do you channel that anger into art, activism, change-making, and moving yourself and your community forward?' said Danielle Hayes, Pa'lante's development and communications director.
Pa'lante was among 10 organizations in Massachusetts awarded a portion of a $1 million grant from Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell in April.
The funding is aimed at developing innovative public health approaches — like the Mindful Rage program — to prevent gun violence.
With the funding, Pa'lante is partnering with Multicultural Clinical Services in Amherst, where the providers are all people of color who understand how society affects mental health, Hayes said.
'Instead of trying to work with young people to cope with the current conditions, there's also a broader understanding ... that the conditions that folks are existing in can impact their well-being. Part of what we do here is trying to change the conditions,' she said.
The Mindful Rage program was developed as part of a youth action research project two years ago.
This year, the program has held four series for court-involved and other youth seeking to manage their anger, Hayes said.
The program incorporates reflective art and studies the work of various activists and change-makers who have led social movements. In addition to exploring the legacy of the Young Lords and the Black Panthers, groups that turned their anger into political action, she said.
Participants also have opportunities to write, reflect and journal. They study the work of artists like Dee Nichols — who created 'The Mirror Casket' after the murder of Mike Brown on Aug. 9, 2014, by a Ferguson, Missouri, police officer — as a way to use contemporary art for social change, she said.
Pa'lante offers sessions after school and on Saturdays, with more sessions planned for this summer. Each session is facilitated by a young person alongside one of Pa'lante's alumni staff.
The grant will not only strengthen Pa'lante's efforts to prevent violence and support youth in staying off the streets, but it also will help youth 'come together to build power, create joy, and fight for the communities and world they deserve,' said Luke Midnight-Woodward, the co-executive director, in a statement.
This year, Pa'lante's young people are most passionate about building coalitions with other youth and organizations across Massachusetts, Hayes said.
The group supports the Raise the Age Act, which aims to raise the juvenile age to 21.
'Research shows that young people's brains aren't fully developed until 25, and recidivism significantly decreases after age 21,' Hayes said. 'There's an opportunity to give young people another chance, more access to education, mental health support, and resources that are available in the juvenile system that are not in the adult system.'
Young people aged 18 or 19 who end up in adult facilities are vulnerable 'because of who and what they are exposed to,' she said.
Often, young people struggle to access counselors and mental health support, so the youth leaders at Pa'lante are advocating for 'counselors, not cops,' Hayes said.
This initiative aims to reallocate funding from school resource officers to hire more counselors. These counselors should reflect the identities of the young people, be well-paid and have relevant experience, she said.
'The turnover is so high at some school-based clinics that young people pour their hearts out in four to six sessions, only to find their counselor gone. They feel like they don't matter,' Hayes said.
A young person told her recently, 'I only saw my therapist twice, because I know that people are temporary.'
'That's part of what we want to do differently here and have continuity of adults and young people,' she said.
Over 50% of Pa'lante's staff are alumni. Its board also is composed of more than 50% alumni and youth. 'The program aims to have youth leadership at every level of the organization to guide the ship,' she said.
'So, there's a real weaving together of intergenerational community,' Hayes said. 'If you're not going to be a leader one day in the future, you're a leader right now.'
Read the original article on MassLive.