Since opening its doors last year, the BRAVE Centre has provided men with a safe and supportive environment focused on mental wellness and conflict resolution.
According to Minister of Human Services and Social Security Dr Vindhya Persaud, what began as a virtual men’s hangout during the COVID-19 pandemic has now evolved into a meaningful and impactful initiative.
The centre, located inside West Central Mall in Region Three, offers a non-judgemental space where men and boys can unwind.
“They understood that the space was sacred and safe. You could speak to the men in your room and you can also get some shared perspective, as well as expert opinion… and then this morphed into what we were able to achieve with the BRAVE Circle and the BRAVE Centre, ensuring again that the space is sacred and that they could fully ventilate,” she said.
The Minister said the space is also dedicated to fostering support through positive role models, noting that it has the potential to develop into something even greater.
“So it’s confidential, it’s among your peers, and there is some amount of mentorship, because I also believe there is merit in positive role modelling.
And when I would have spoken to young men, many of them said that they did not necessarily have that kind of presence in their formative years or even now. So it was creating the aspiration — ‘What do you see for yourself?’,” she explained.
Through counselling and supportive interventions, the BRAVE Centre encourages accountability, emotional management and the development of healthier relationships and behaviours.
