Racial, Ethnic, And Cultural Healing: The REACH Program - updated draft

What is the REACH Program?

REACH stands for Racial, Ethnic, And Cultural Healing (REACH), a program that is all about promoting Empowered Decision-Making among BIPOC (for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) youth and adults. Such decision-making is about finding your sense of control and being able to notice the “I can right now” even when faced with challenging situations.

In our REACH groups, you will learn to:

1. Understand the Impact of Racism-Related Stress

Racism-related stress can impact BIPOC in subtle and significant ways. You’ll learn to recognize what racism-related stress is, and the various ways it may be impacting your daily life.

We’ll share experiences that we have all faced, and work together to process our emotions as we unpack the impact of such stress. We’ll also talk about how racism’s influence on our communities and relationships can get in the way of achieving our own personal goals.

2. Gain New Coping Resources 

The REACH Program does not assume that BIPOC alone should shoulder the responsibility of simply learning to “better cope.” Rather, this program helps you process what it is like to carry this responsibility, and introduces effective resources to help you cope with the effects of racism-related stress.

Through a series of exercises designed by Dr. DeLapp, REACH participants will learn about these coping strategies in creative and engaging ways.  Together we will have opportunities to learn from one another, as Dr. DeLapp invites each participant to share their own lessons learned from personal experiences with this type of stress.

3. Practice Empowered Decision-Making

It is not enough to just know what you can do cope with racism. Empowered Decision-Making means that you are able to look at the menu of resources you have, and select the most meaningful, accessible, and appropriate response for you to use each time you are faced with racism-related stress.

You will gain valuable tools to identify the most effective coping strategy to use in a given moment, and we will practice and swap ideas on how to use these tools to manage the various impacts of racism-related stress throughout the group. Armed with new ideas for how to deal with issues ranging from microaggressions to overt prejudice, you’ll learn to put Empowered Decision-Making into action, including how to cope with the emotional distress caused by these experiences.

Who are the REACH programs intended for?

The REACH Groups are for anyone who has experienced racism-related stress, and is looking for a safe and affirming space to heal from its impacts. Consider joining a REACH group if you have experienced:

• The impacts of systemic racism, which can include limited access to desired education or job opportunities, neighborhood safety, or community spaces that celebrate your race or ethnicity.
• Racial microaggressions, or being mistreated because of someone’s negative racial bias or prejudice towards you.
• Waves of hopelessness, numbness, or rage in response to repeated police shootings or acts of violence toward BIPOC.
• Intense emotions, such as anger, sadness, or anxiety, caused by experiences of racial discrimination.
• Self-doubt or feeling like an imposter within a community or environment.
• Transitioning to a new school, neighborhood, or company with less or more racial/ethnic diversity than you are accustomed to.
• Feeling unable to achieve desired life goals due to racist events occurring within your community or environment.
• Feeling singled out based on perceived stereotypes.
• A sense of inequality or discrimination at work or in school – being mistreated because of your identity.

What does a typical REACH Group look like?

• 6-week cycles
• 75 minute sessions
• All groups are facilitated by Dr. Ryan DeLapp
• Each meeting features thought-provoking media, including music, spoken word poetry, movie and video clips, and engaging activities
• Exercises to introduce effective coping resources
• Sharing of participant experiences to inspire growth in Empowered Decision-Making

Participants can join as many group cycles as they would like.

Watch Dr. DeLapp talk about the REACH groups: