2024 BMEsTalk Catalyst

Location: Atlanta Metropolitan State College

Address: 1630 Metropolitan Parkway Southwest, Atlanta, GA 30310

Date: 11 Jul

The BMEsTalk Catalyst is a 3-day summer retreat!

Who should attend?

Black men seeking

• A community of brothas, dedicated to practicing WELLNESS driven by an unapologetic commitment to PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT.

• A space for Black men to pause, slow down, check their pace and engage in dynamic learning experiences designed to enhance leadership skills.

• A leadership focused and non-judgmental professional learning space.

Ideal Participants: School and district based educators; Nonprofit professionals working in youth development and workforce development; Philanthropic professionals; Education consultants and Edupreneurs.

Retreat Overview

The retreat is designed to promote the overall health and well-being of attendees through community building and networking, emotionally intelligent leadership development, and facilitated respite. Time is dedicated to delving into the issues, barriers, strengths, and opportunities we face as Black men in leadership.

Our goals include:

1. Curating a community where Black men leaders can be their authentic selves, and focus on rest, growth and healing.
2. Analyzing our leadership identity, strengthen self-awareness, and skill-building to effectively navigate the unique challenges of being a leader.
3. Developing and unleashing innovative approaches to elevating as Black men in educational leadership.

Participants will explore the following areas:

• Stress: Signs, Symptoms, Management and Prevention
• Emotional Intelligence in Black Men
• Privileged and Marginalized Identities
• The Art of Deep Listening
• Collective Intelligence in Decision Making
• Conflict with Difficult Colleagues

Retreat Activities

• Culturally Affirming Experiential Learning Workshops
• BMEsTalk's Personal and Professional Identity Analysis
• Conflict Mitigation Circles
• Networking Events

Participants will benefit from:

• Black men facilitators: High-quality programming is led by experienced practitioners who have demonstrated effectiveness in the field

• Relevant and culturally affirming professional learning: Evidence-based practices, focused directly on enhancing emotional intelligence and building the collaborative and facilitative leadership skills of Black men

• A national network of peers: Participants provide mentorship and coaching to problem-solve critical challenges

**Testimonials

• “Best conference I’ve Attended” - Corey, Kansas City
• “This shit was fun” - Jowel, New York
• “BMEsTalk changed me” - Irvin, Atlanta
• “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.” Marcus, Atlanta
• “I didn’t even know I needed these 4 days” - Alfonso, Atlanta
• “This space is truly liberatory” - Julian, Kansas City
• “Day 2 blew Day 1 out the water. I love it". - Isaiah, Kansas City
• “We need this more often in our community” Zavier, Little Rock