About the Symposium

July is indeed Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. It was designated as such in 2008 by the U.S. House of Representatives to highlight the importance of mental health awareness and access to services, particularly for minority communities. The month is named in honor of Bebe Moore Campbell, a mental health advocate who worked to address the needs of the Black community and other underserved groups. 

The aftermath of COVID-19, natural disasters, heightened levels grief, loss and violence and persuasive and persistent systemic inequities have negatively impacted many of our communities and individuals from diverse cultural and gender identities, and now is the time to take bold and intentional action. Join us for this professional development and educational symposium as we together individuals with lived experience, faith leaders, regional and national behavioral health experts, trauma and grief experts, community members and stakeholders for various learning opportunities dedicated to addressing social determinants of health, mental health, stigma, grief and trauma through the lens of equity. The goal is to engage in dialogue to highlight the diversity of needs for both youth and adults across systems and collectively work together to identify strategies to improve care and prioritize next steps for our communities. Our overall 2025 theme is Mental Health Inclusion “Recognizing the value of livedexperience and expertise”.

Our Goals and Community Learning Objectives Include:

• Provide a cross-system community educational opportunity to offer long-term strategies for addressing stigma, trauma, grief and mental health in diverse communities and highlight the diversity of needs related to “healing”.

• Advance opportunities to address the intersection of Social Determinants of Health and Behavioral Health Care through the lens of Equity.

• To present key models and strategies amplify Peer voices and lived experience across systems regarding mental health in underserved communities that promote workforce development, grassroot outreach models that include natural healers and Family and Youth Peers.

• Participants will learn strategies to address distrust and generational trauma and how to leverage youth, family and adult peer advocacy initiatives when implementing services and programs.

• Participants will learn emerging research, practice based and best practices models of “inclusive care” across systems.

• Participants will understand key considerations for developing “inclusive” career pathways models that would help increase the opportunity for a diverse workforce across the behavioral health system.

• To provide a forum to build collaborative partnerships that elevate the voices of patients, parents, caregivers, faith leaders and grassroots neighborhood centers to inform and improve policies and practices through system change activities

• Inform policy and practice standards through the lens of equity to improve workforce strategies for the recruitment, retention, and advancement of health and human service professionals from diverse backgrounds

Target Audience:

Behavioral Health Providers, Social Determinants of Health and Health Equity Project Leaders and Managers, Funders, Stakeholders, Educators, Law Enforcement, Workforce Development and Youth Providers, Researchers, Parent Advocates, Faith-based leaders, Students, Peers and Lived Experience experts, University Departments of Social Work, Counseling and Health Sciences. CEUS: 2025 July Mental Health in Communities of Color Symposium has been approved for 2.0 to 2.5 continuing education contact hours by Coordinated Care Services, Inc (CCSI). CCSI is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors #MHC-0323 & Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0313 & Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0272. Symposium Partners: CCSI, The Alliance for Rights and Recovery, Helio Health, Nazareth University, Health project 1199, Baltic Street Wellness, Friends of Recovery, NY and Buffalo Federation of Neighborhood Centers.

Registration Fees:

$60 per person which includes breakfast or dinner and all sessions.

Event Dates and Locations

Wednesday, July 16 th , 2025

Roberts Wesleyan University Golisano Community Engagement Center

2280 Westside Dr, Rochester, NY 14624

9:00am-12:00pm 2.5 CEUS

Keynote: Brandon Wiley

Tuesday, July 22nd Buffalo, NY

Buffalo Federation of Neighborhood Centers

2365 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14204

5:30pm-7:30pm 2.0 CEUS

Keynote: Isaiah Santiago

Friday, July 25th Syracuse, NY

Hillside Families of Agencies

704 Salt Springs Road, Syracuse NY 13224

9:00am-12:00pm 2.5 CEUS

Keynote: LaToya Jones

Event Contact

If you have any questions or need further information, please contact Sara Taylor at positivestepsnyevents@gmail.com