Mindfulness course for Black, Asian and People of Colour

Would you like to explore a culturally informed mindfulness course designed to support Black, Asian and People of Colour communities? Come along to this fully-funded unique course starting in September 2023. 

Mindfulness-Based Inclusion Training

We are delighted to invite all Black, Asian and People of Colour (BAPOC) communities, throughout the Brighton and Hove area, to join us for this unique opportunity to experience the award-winning Mindfulness Based Inclusion Training programme. The course is developed to support participants who experience the challenges of stress, anxiety, and harmful habits of mind, linked to racism, social identity, and inequality. 

The course is delivered by Dean and Aesha Francis of the Urban Mindfulness Foundation who co-created the Mindfulness Based Inclusion Training programme as a culturally informed community and selfcare mindfulness intervention that helps address particular stresses and strains of living in a racialised society. Dean Francis, is also the Lead for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for the Sussex Mindfulness Centre.  

To be eligible for a free space, you will need to be a member of the Black, Asian or People of Colour community. You should also have an interest in social justice, equality, diversity and inclusion, and be willing to explore with intentional kindness, curiosity and respect.   

You can download the course flyer here.

Aims of the programme

The aims of the programme are to:

  • Connect BAPOC with a deep sense of self-worth, agency, & purpose
  • Facilitate BAPOC moving from surviving to thriving
  • Facilitate resilience & stability in response to racial adversity
  • Learn, unlearned history to gain a better perspective
  • Cultivate a sense of community cohesion & wellbeing
  • Skilfully work on mental health, rumination, anxiety & low mood
  • Compassionately respond to micro-aggression & invalidation
  • Cope with the everyday stresses & strains that racialisation puts on relationships, families, and working life.

To hear what previous students say about the course click here and here. You can find out more about the course facilitators on their Urban Foundation website here

Key dates

Course dates: Wednesdays, 20 September – 8 November 2023, 10.30am – 12.30pm

This course has five online sessions and three face-to-face:

Sessions 1 (20 Sept), 5 (18 Oct) and 8 (8 Nov): Friends’ Meeting House, Brighton

Sessions 2 (27 Sept), 3 (4 Oct), 4 (11 Oct), 6 (25 Oct) and 7 (1 Nov): online via Zoom.

Spaces: Limited

Alternatively you can email smc@spft.nhs.uk for more information.

Calling leaders

Calling community leaders within the Black, Asian and People of Colour community! Do you have a venue, community centre, room hire facility and 10 staff members, community members or service users from the Black, Asian and People of Colour community who might be interested in this programme? If so, do get in touch as we would like to collaborate with you by hiring your space for eight weeks, if you are able to recruit at least ten participants onto our fully-funded community course.

The course is suitable for adults 18+ including students, working populations and retired people from the Black, Asian and People of Colour communities who wish to come together in the spirit of inclusion and intergenerational social exchange.

Disclaimer 
Please note, mindfulness training is not a substitute for psychological therapy. You will also need to decide whether you are in good health and ready to engage in the course. If you are experiencing acute mental health problems, please phone 0300 500 0101 or 0300 304 0078 for clinical support.

You can also speak to the course facilitators at one of our taster sessions and throughout the course to decide if the course is appropriate or working for you. The course facilitators will also be happy to offer a connecting bridge into other free mental health care programmes and services that might be available and more appropriate.  

You can book your place by following the link below. 

Application form for Community Mindfulness Course for BAPOC.