Reflections by Black Youth on Lasting Happiness for Teens

This video features firsthand reflections from Black youth participants and the facilitator who led them through a 15-session series of our program, Lasting Happiness: A Guide for Teens and Young Adults. Delivered in a structured group format over the course of the program, each session built on core themes such as emotional resilience, self-worth, community connection, and culturally grounded approaches to wellbeing.

 

In their own words, participants describe how the program shaped their outlook, from developing new coping strategies and language for naming their emotions, to feeling seen and supported within a peer group that reflected their own experiences and identities. The facilitator offers a complementary perspective, as well as insights into what made the curriculum resonate with this particular group of young people.

 

Together, these testimonials offer both a personal and programmatic lens on impact: illustrating not just what participants gained individually, but also validating the design and delivery of Lasting Happiness as a culturally responsive tool for supporting the mental health and emotional development of Black teens and young adults.