The Afro-Caribbean Black Mentorship Program (ACMP) Inc.’s Barbershop Talk workshop is a culturally rooted initiative that provides safe, trusted spaces for Afro-Caribbean and Black (ACB) men and boys to engage in honest, meaningful conversations about identity, mental health, masculinity, and community. Based on the longstanding tradition of the barbershop as a place for dialogue and connection within Black communities, this program turns familiar spaces into platforms for reflection, learning, and healing across Canada and the Caribbean (Trinidad, Barbados and Jamaica). Barbershop Talk responds to the social and structural realities that shape the lives of Black men and boys, including experiences with anti-Black racism, social exclusion, and intergenerational trauma. Through guided discussions and facilitated dialogue, participants explore topics such as emotional well-being, relationships, violence prevention, and pathways to personal and collective growth. The workshop intentionally challenges harmful norms around masculinity while affirming vulnerability, accountability, and care as strengths. A key feature of the program is its intergenerational approach. Participants engage with mentors, community leaders, and professionals who share lived experiences and practical insights, fostering connection, trust, and guidance. These conversations not only support individual development but also strengthen community bonds and shared responsibility. By meeting participants where they are—both physically and culturally—Barbershop Talk creates accessible entry points into conversations that are often stigmatized or avoided. Through this work, ACMP advances mental health awareness, promotes positive identity formation, and supports the development of confident, grounded, and community-oriented young men.

While working at Carleton University, Warren Clarke, in collaboration with the Glebe Collegiate Institute, presented a course applying the Theatre of the Oppressed: The stereotypical notions of gender, race, and sexuality among young Canadians. This course encouraged undergraduate students, high school students, and the broader Ottawa community to critically think about the relation of gender, race, social class, age, ability, and sexuality among young Canadians. Recognizing how gender relations in mainstream society is generally perceived, it can be difficult for young people to express themselves while encountering misconceptions about their personhood. As a way to express student learning, and build confidence in young people, both Carleton and Glebe students put together plays, which are in line with “The Theatre of the Oppressed” model, by creator Augusto Boal. These plays highlighted discrimination and social oppression young people face in a Canadian social climate. The arts are a medium for exploring and understanding human and social conditions. As such, they are curriculum areas where students may encounter difficult subject matter. They may also be challenged to consider viewpoints that differ from personal perspectives and/or social norms. This course offered third-year undergraduate students a unique opportunity to work alongside Ottawa-Carleton District SBoard high school students to address social oppressions such as racism and gender issues that impact young Canadians. Carleton students who take this course apply phenomenology - the study of human experience - which encourages students to advocate for better social outcomes through artistic performances. This course involves a social justice project, which will require scripting, as a component for student learning, and for engaging with the broader Ottawa community, and beyond. We address social oppressions in a do no harm approach that helps students to be aware of how the lived experiences of certain Canadians encounter social barriers that negatively impact their livelihood. This course is designed to continue the positive working relationship between Carleton University and the OCSB school board.