Be part of the movement to create change, build networks, and empower Black communities across Canada.

Rooted in Traditions: Healing Through Ubuntu

Collective Approaches to Africentric Mental Health

Mark your calendars for an inspiring and transformative event! Join us as we explore Africentric mental health through Ubuntu – a philosophy of interconnectedness and collective well-being.

This year’s conference will focus on reclaiming ancestral traditions, fostering resilience, and addressing systemic barriers to mental health care.

Be part of the movement to create change, build networks, and empower Black communities across Canada.

Details:

Dates: March 19–21, 2025
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Details & Registration: Coming soon

Be Part of the 3rd Annual ACT Now! Conference

Conference Themes for Submission:

The 2025 conference is being planned to be bigger and more invigorating that the last two conferences. In the spirit of Ubuntu, the planning committee is inviting you to submit presentation abstracts so you can contribute to the shared learning and experience. Submit your presentation abstract and contribute to a transformative dialogue rooted in Africentric traditions and Ubuntu.

Conference Theme Enhancement:

Integrating Ancestral Traditions and Ubuntu:

Explore how ancestral practices and the philosophy of Ubuntu—interconnectedness and collective well-being—can enhance mental health approaches.

Addressing Systemic Barriers:

Identify and tackle structural inequities to create equitable access to mental health care for Black communities.

Fostering Resilience and Strength:

Discover strategies for overcoming adversity, building support networks, and empowering individuals and communities to thrive.

Emphasizing Communal Healing:

Highlight the power of collective healing methods that reinforce cultural identity, shared responsibility, and community empowerment.

Centering Cultural Heritage:

Utilize Africentric knowledge systems to address mental health challenges while celebrating and preserving cultural traditions.

Conference Background

As part of the Amandla Olwazi project the conference was intended to generate opportunities for Afrocentric knowledge gathering, sharing, knowledge mobilization, and networking centered on Black mental health in Canada.

ACT Now! was born out of a direct request from the stakeholders of the Amandla Olwzi project . When in 2023, the first ACT Now! was convened, the participants requested for the conference to become an annual event. Most conferences tend to be academic-oriented and focused on research findings. The planning and execution of the The ACT Now!
Conference is based on experiential engagement and collecting knowing, gathering and mobilizing knowledge following thr African-centered principles of ‘Nothing about us without us’ and ‘Kujichagulia – the principle of Self-Determination. Act Now! is unique in that it is embedded into the cultural, diversity, and unique needs of Black and racialized communities and brings together people from all walks of life across Canada.

The conference created an open, inclusive, and culturally safe space where participants were able to freely discuss issues affecting their mental health and well-being.

The conference created more opportunities for networking, pulling resources, and knowledge at the national level. Last year’s conference engaged predominantly Black-led and Black-focused organizations and individuals with lived experiences.

The 2024 conference envisaged a broader dialogue and knowledge exchange between community and mainstream organizations and institutions to identify a path towards systems change. The knowledge gathered from this event will continue to garner additional Afrocentric ‘knowledge’ to be translated into ‘power’ for change (hence Olwazi into Amandla = Amandla Olwazi – the Power of Knowledge) In addition, the experience of sharing and exchanging various perspectives and lived experiences within the diverse Black communities has an enriching and healing effect for the participants.

The three-day hybrid national conference was held in Toronto at Pan Pacific Toronto, from March 20-22, 2024. It targeted participants from diverse Black populations representing multidisciplinary backgrounds across 7 provinces.

Conference participants were from a variety of mainstream organizations and institutions, grassroots organizations serving racialized communities, diverse and multidisciplinary team members from health and social services sectors, Black leaders, Black elders, Black youth, Black 2SLGBTQ +, newcomers, academia, research institutions, interfaith communities, and decision-makers.

Over 300 participants (260 in-person and 100+ online) participated in the conference.

A nine-member conference planning committee representing various sectors and provinces were responsible for the successful planning and execution of the Conference.

The conference addressed a series of topics and themes around Black mental health. The themes included, were selected based on the recommendations suggested by the 2023 ACT Now! conference participants.

Themes include:

  • The Power of Community (Healing and Thriving in Community)
  • Intergenerational Health / Wealth
  • Policy, Research & Advocacy
    Rest as Liberation