There's an effort in Brooklyn aiming to redefine masculinity, using vulnerability, therapy and brotherhood to reach young men of color through structured emotional support and creative expression.
Brooklyn foundation helps young men heal through emotional resilience
The B.R.O. Experience Foundation in Bed-Stuy brings young men together in group settings where openness is not only encouraged, but expected. Participants reflect on past arrests, grief, family circumstances and personal insecurity.
"They didn't know how to express themselves"
Founder and Executive Director Barry Cooper said the program grew out of a need he saw in young men struggling to articulate emotion.
"They didn't know how to express themselves. If you ask them how they felt, they will tell you what they did versus the actual feeling," Cooper said. "That's what made me take a deep dive in cognitive behavioral therapy, utilizing that as a tool to teach them how to emotionally regulate, and then to be able to articulate those emotions to the people that they care about."
The organization runs multiple programs, including summer camps and a fatherhood initiative for young dads.
"Young men don't have representation, a positive role model in their communities. Because far too often, men are rampaged by incarceration and/or just fear of being fathers, because of their own lived experiences," Cooper said.
A wellness center for young men
The group's Bed-Stuy headquarters has evolved into a community-style gathering space, with organizers hoping to expand it into a dedicated wellness center for young men.
For participants like Isaac Penzo, the space has become a lifeline.
"I don't have no mother. No father," Penzo said.
He said when he met Cooper, "when he came in, he was showing me the ins and outs of life."
Another participant, Unique Gilchrist, said the program has reshaped his sense of purpose. It's his first job opportunity and he dreams of continuing work like this professionally.
"We can all be like, go be vulnerable in this moment and really be there for each other," he said.
Organizers said the goal is long-term change rooted in community healing.
Volunteers from the B.R.O. Experience Foundation will gather on Saturday, April 25 for a day of service to paint a mural and pack wellness kits for young men in the community.
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