Reimagining Belonging: Innovative Spiritual Approaches to Community Mental Health
Publication information:
Abstract
The Innovating Forward Initiative is a national SEED grant funding program bridging spirituality and mental health through spiritually integrated, community-led wellness projects serving marginalized populations. Through a cohort model and community of practitioners, IFI-certified organizations access education, research support, and partnerships that foster culturally responsive wellbeing. IFI is grounded in supporting programs that reimagine and expand alternative access points to spiritual connection, reaching underserved communities where traditional clinical approaches may not.
This workshop invites participants to experience how community leaders build authentic belonging through integrative practices facilitated by two IFI SEED-funded programs. 300 Letters will guide participants in a reflective practice around moments of social severance, surfacing shared emotional landscapes with justice-impacted individuals and families while reconnecting to identity and worth. The {Poetry} Unfold draws on drama therapy techniques, guiding participants in teasing out tangible and intangible elements of poems to foster spiritual generosity and empathy through shared interpretation.
Presenter Biographies
Leslie Molit, Program Manager and Lead Researcher for the Innovating Forward Initiative, holds an MA in Psychology with a concentration in Spirit Mind Body studies. Her work focuses on developing spiritually integrated community wellness initiatives, advancing research-informed practice, and expanding accessible mental health supports for marginalized communities.
Yoel Paredes is Director of the Innovating Forward Initiative and Academic Advisor at the Spirituality Mind Body Institute. He holds an MA in Psychology and Pastoral Care, he brings experience as a chaplain, educator, and community leader advancing spiritually integrated mental health initiatives.
Keyana K. Patterson, a Research Assistant with the Innovating Forward Initiative, holds a Master of Arts in Psychology in Education: Spirituality, Mind Body Area of Focus, from Teachers College, Columbia University. Certified in Spiritual First Aid, she is equipped to provide immediate spiritual and emotional support to individuals in distress.
Yetvart S. Majian is a first-generation Armenian-American poet, group facilitator, and founder of The {Poetry} Unfold, a poetry series and community open forum. His focuses include inter-generational trauma, healing, and his debut poetry collection, Survival Witness, was selected as a 2025 finalist by Wandering Aengus Press and Trio House Press.
Amanda Tarver is a Realtor® and Co-founder of 300 Letters, a family-centered organization supporting those impacted by incarceration. Drawing from lived experience, she leads work at the intersection of reentry, family restoration, and community healing, helping individuals rebuild stability, identity, and opportunity through mental health support rooted in holistic, whole-person care.
Legend Tarver is a Transformation Coach and Co-founder of 300 Letters, where he supports individuals navigating incarceration and reentry through mindset, discipline, and personal development. Grounded in lived experience, he guides others in rebuilding identity, strengthening resilience, and cultivating the habits necessary for long-term personal and generational change.
Tenzin Lee practices and studies mind training within the Indo-Tibetan Buddhist tradition.