What is Beyond the Banter

We believe the approach of upskilling and empowering credible messengers from communities is long overdue.

This is what Beyond the Banter set out to achieve – by upskilling and empowering a group of Black men and boys to have conversations in the community with their peers. By empowering individuals to start conversations directly in the community, our aspiration was that it would have a ripple effect outwards.

We set out to recruit Peer Educators. Through training and guidance we provided them with the tools and confidence to go out to the community and start conversations around emotional wellbeing with young Black men and boys. The Peer Educators were not experts in mental health interventions. The aim was never to train individuals to become mental health professionals. The Peer Educators are simply there to get young people thinking about emotional wellbeing and potentially taking the steps to seek help if needed.

Now, we’re sharing what we learnt in Beyond the Banter: A Professional’s Guide, with the hope that those working directly in the community can replicate the approach, with not just young Black men and boys – but other cohorts.