H.Y.P.E. AND BLACKDOCTOR.ORG OFFER ONLINE EMOTIONAL WELLNESS CURRICULUM
Innovative Curriculum Provides Online Hip Hop Therapy Program to Youth
Chicago, IL/Atlanta, GA (October 1, 2014)— Nationally renowned Hip Hop Therapy curriculum H.Y.P.E. is expanding to an online platform through a partnership with BlackDoctor.org. H.Y.P.E.– Healing Young People thru Empowerment — integrates Hip Hop culture and psychological theories to educate and inspire youth, exposing them to conflict management, violence prevention, strategies for handling peer pressure, and other life skills.
In a pilot evaluation of H.Y.P.E. conducted by the University of Puerto Rico Center for Evaluation and Sociomedical Research (CIES) of the Graduate School of Public Health, participants strongly agreed that the H.Y.P.E. curriculum helped them to:
- Set goals (77%)
- Process their feelings/behaviors (77%)
- Deal with their struggles (61%)
- Feel more in control of their lives (61%)
Participants, who included youth from group homes, probation departments, and family services agencies, also agreed that H.Y.P.E. gave them a chance to express themselves. To date, over 1000 youth throughout the U.S. have participated in H.Y.P.E. workgroups.
BlackDoctor.org is the world’s largest and most comprehensive online health resource specifically targeted to African Americans, providing access to innovative new approaches to health information. BlackDoctor.org has been featured in multiple publications across the nation, including The New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Atlanta Constitution, Dallas News, Self Magazine, and JET Magazine.
H.Y.P.E. Online Curriculum groups will begin October 28th, and run bi-weekly for six weeks. The first round of group participants will include youth ages 13-22 from the Midwest and Southeast regions of the United States. The H.Y.P.E. Online Curriculum will be open to youth globally in early 2015.
Dr. Adia Winfrey, psychologist and H.Y.P.E. creator stated, “Our goal through this H.Y.P.E./BlackDoctor.org partnership is to provide culturally competent, Hip Hop-based programming that is cost effective, and engages the large network of African Americans using mobile devices to connect to the internet.”
Additionally, through this partnership, BlackDoctor.org will provide H.Y.P.E. participants a platform on the site to share their stories through blogs and videos. “We’re excited to be giving youth more exposure to emotional wellness interventions, and bringing program delivery into a virtual format,” said Sandria Washington, Executive Editor at BlackDoctor.org. “We view this partnership as an investment in the future of our youth.”
“BlackDoctor.org has a vast online presence with millions of monthly views. This partnership will give a broad range of youth exposure to H.Y.P.E, while allowing them to find their voices using 21st century tools,” continued Winfrey.
To learn more about the H.Y.P.E. Online Curriculum, contact Dr. Adia Winfrey at 937-829-4643 or visit the H.Y.P.E. website at www.letsgethype.com. Visit BlackDoctor.org to learn more about this organization and to connect with valuable health related information.
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H.Y.P.E. (Healing Young People thru Empowerment) is a 12-session Hip Hop-based curriculum designed for Black youth 13-22 involved in the juvenile justice system, having difficulty in school, lacking motivation, or searching for their voices. Youth throughout Georgia, Kentucky, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Alabama, Missouri, and New York have participated in H.Y.P.E. workgroups.
BlackDoctor.org provides essential, and often difficult to find health resources, including free referrals to the top Black physicians and health articles focused on culturally accurate content and general health topics. Guided by leading professionals, BlackDoctor.org is the world’s largest and most comprehensive online health resource specifically targeted to African Americans, with over 11.6 million visitors per month.
MEDIA CONTACT:
PRENITA HUDSON
312-222-1205
prenita@blackdoctor.org