4th Annual National Conference 2024
ACT Now! Black Mental Health and Wellness Conference
Bridges of Belonging: An intergenerational lens on Indigenous Black Nova Scotians and Black migration journeys Shaping our mental wellbeing today
Conference Aim
Drawing from previous ACT Now! conferences and ongoing community conversations with Black communities and allies nationwide, this conference centers Black migration journeys as a critical lens for understanding the mental health and wellbeing of Black communities.
By honoring both historical and contemporary movements, the conference explores how migration, displacement, resilience, and belonging continue to shape the emotional, cultural, and psychological wellbeing of Black communities today. This conference creates space for learning, reflection, and action rooted in lived experience, collective healing, and community-informed care.
Conference Learning Objectives:
Examine historical and modern Black migration journeys and their impact on mental health and wellbeing.
Explore culturally grounded frameworks for healing, resilience, and community care within Black communities.
Strengthen understanding of how environment, displacement, and belonging influence emotional and psychological wellbeing.
Identify strategies to support trauma-informed, community-centered, and culturally responsive mental health practices.
Build connections across communities, disciplines, and generations to advance collective wellbeing and systemic change.
Conference Call for Proposals:
We invite submissions that align with the following themes:
Youth suicide prevention
Gender-Based Violence (GBV):
- Community-Centered Supports where mental health could be an outcome or predisposing factor
- Community-Based, Culturally Grounded, and Afrocentric/Indigenous Frameworks
- Practical ways of addressing Gender-Based Violence and Mental Health
Decolonizing Mental Health Services:
- Best Practices (How do agencies practically address mental health among the communities they serve?)
- Discussion circle
Racism, Stress, Trauma & the Body:
- How the Body Speaks: Racism, Stress, and Embodied Healing- Are we aware of the language of our body when we go through trauma, and how do we deal with it?
Faith, Spirituality, and Mental Well-being:
- The role of faith/spirituality on mental health
- The role of faith leaders in addressing mental health: challenges, and best practices
- Balancing Faith and Evidence: Approaches for Supporting Mental Health
Intergenerational Healing & Storytelling:
- Storying the Body
- Healing the Mind: Intergenerational Trauma and Mental Health
Migration journey and mental health:
- Immigration status and mental health in the current political climate
- Men’s mental health
- Migration memory and mental health
- Belonging, displacement and healing
- Experiences of adaptation, resilience and care
* Submissions are only accepted from Canada and must be received by Wednesday, February 4th, 2026, at 11:00 PM EST.
Please send your abstracts to ActNow@taibuchc.ca
Selection Process
All submissions will be reviewed by the ACT NOW Planning Committee. Selected presenters will be notified by February 11th, 2026.
Your submission must include:
1. Full Name (First, Middle, Last)
2. Title/Prefix (e.g., Mr., Ms., Dr., Mx., etc.)
3. Pronouns (e.g., She/Her, He/Him, They/Them)
4. Affiliation (e.g., community organization, academic institution, or other)
5. Abstract (400-500 words)
6. Video – 3-5 minutes
7. Samples of other types of visuals (e.g. art work) Outline the topic, relevance to the conference
themes, and intended audience.
Commitment to Inclusion
We strongly encourage submissions from Black individuals of diverse backgrounds and perspectives, including young people, community and faith leaders, healthcare professionals, academics, and those with lived experiences. The ACT Now! Black Mental Health and Wellness Conference honors the mission of the Amandla Olwazi initiative (https://blackwellnessnetwork.ca/), fostering a supportive environment to share knowledge and inspire collective action for improved mental health outcomes in Black communities.
Registration now open:
Register now to participate in the ACT Now! Conference 2026. Your voice matters. Join us on this empowering journey.
VENUE:
The Lord Nelson Hotel
1515 South Park Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Canada B3J 2L2
DATE: March 11-13, 2026