SACRAMENTO – It's Mental Health Awareness Month, and CBS Sacramento is taking a look at how one Sacramento nonprofit is helping Black youth thrive in the community. It's called the Race and Gender Equity (RAGE) Project, which offers the necessary tools for finding peace and purpose. Inside the Florin Square Shopping Center in south Sacramento, there's a place where Black teens and young adults can be themselves."RAGE provides coaching and consulting to individuals and organizations looking to create change," said Dr. Stacey Chimimba Ault, the founder and CEO. Aults said she started RAGE out of her own struggles with systemic inequities and injustices. "While she may have been born out of my anger, really has become a place of healing for me and for all of the young people that lead the work," Ault said. The group's mission is to advance the well-being of Black youth. "We start meeting young people where they're at through support, including mentoring and case management. Then we build their skill set through education, entrepreneurship and workforce development," Ault said. They also get support in their advocacy work through social justice. Heaven'le James, 19, has been part of rage since the sixth grade. "I think it helped me to prepare myself for the real world, being able to stand up for myself and others as well," James said. She learned to navigate her mental health and connect with others. "They truly care about what you have to say," James said. James works with other program associates, like Aziza Williams. "When they say it's youth-led, it really is. They listen to the things that we have to say and bring us in to different things to make big decisions," Williams said. On this day, they're team building in their safe space. "Everyone in there acts like children, acts like youth, because we're so comfortable with each other," James said. "We just talk about things that are going on in the community, ways that we can come together, and advocate and kind of make a difference," Williams said. Working together also means knowing when to rest. "We have free therapy, we have yoga sessions in here sometimes, free workspace," Williams said. Ault knows the impact RAGE is making in the community and hopes one day to hand over the reins to the next generation of leaders and healers. "I would love RAGE to be completely youth-led and to be an infrastructure support for young people that want to create change," Ault said. For more information about the programs offered at RAGE, visit www.rageproject.org/.
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