NBCC’s PARC and Clemson Partnership Launches Project H.E.A.R.T

Who Are We?

The partnership between the NBCC’s Policy, Advocacy, and Research in Counseling Center (PARC) and Clemson University on Project H.E.A.R.T. (Hope, Empowerment, Advocacy, Resilience, and Transformation) brings together national-level mental health leadership with university-based research to directly address the growing concern of suicide risk among Black men and male teens.

Leading this initiative is myself, Jadarius Evans, a recent graduate of Clemson University’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. I am honored to serve as the lead researcher and as an NBCC Legislative Ambassador for this yearlong community-based research project. Supporting this work is an incredible faculty and student research team at Clemson University, consisting of Dr. Corrine Sackett (Professor), Dr. Liz Boyd (Clinical Associate Professor), and recent graduates of Clemson University’s Clinical Mental Health and School Counseling programs: researchers Geri Kinlaw, Garrett Paschal, Graham McBride, Jakeria Thrower, and Michael Kraft.

What Is Project H.E.A.R.T.?

Project H.E.A.R.T. is a community-based participatory research initiative that explores the perspectives of Black men and male teens on suicide risk within their communities. Using photovoice, a qualitative participatory research method that centers participants’ lived experiences through photography and narrative storytelling, we aim to humanize data that is often presented in numbers alone. Photovoice allows participants to capture images that reflect the factors they believe contribute to suicide risk in their environments, followed by structured group discussions to reflect on and analyze the deeper meaning behind their images.

Why This Research?

The rates of suicide among Black men and male teens have been steadily increasing, yet research that centers their unique voices remains scarce. Too often, Black communities are left out of policy-shaping data, and lived experiences are overlooked in favor of generalized statistics. According to recent data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), between 2018 and 2021, suicide rates among Black youth ages 10–24 increased by 36.6%, rising from 8.2% to 11.2%. In 2021, suicide became the third leading cause of death for Black youth in that same age group. Even more concerning, over the last 25 years, self-reported suicide attempts among Black youth have increased by 73%, one of the steepest increases across any demographic group. These trends are not occurring in isolation. Black youth face a complex layering of factors that contribute to suicide risk, including systemic racism, economic disparities, historical trauma, exposure to violence, and a persistent lack of access to culturally responsive mental health care.

Project H.E.A.R.T. Is Committed to Changing That

Our goal is not only to gather meaningful, actionable data but to amplify the voices of Black men and male teens themselves. This project allows participants to define what suicide risk looks like in their lives, their communities, and their neighborhoods. Through photovoice, this study creates a space where Black men and male teens become coresearchers documenting their experiences, sharing their insights, and contributing directly to data that informs clinical practice, education, and policy.

When and Where Is This Happening?

The project officially launched in March of 2025 through joint funding from Clemson University’s Department of Education and Human Development and NBCC, through the Policy, Advocacy, and Research in Counseling Center (PARC). While recruitment formally began in the summer of 2025, the groundwork for Project H.E.A.R.T. was laid well before the first participant was ever contacted. From the very start, the research team engaged in intentional and vulnerable conversations about identity, privilege, bias, and personal experiences. These discussions were crucial as we prepared to step into this work. As a diverse team of male and female Black and non-Black researchers, we openly reflected on how our own social identities, cultural backgrounds, personal biases, and even internalized stigma could surface as we work with this population. We recognized early on that we could not ask participants to bring themselves into the process without first doing the same ourselves. These ongoing conversations have been foundational in building trust within our team and setting the tone for the ethical, respectful, and culturally humble work that follows.

Project H.E.A.R.T. is taking place across South Carolina’s Upstate region, in partnership with a broad range of trusted community spaces, including faith-based organizations, youth mentorship programs, nonprofits, and grassroots advocacy groups. These organizations serve as vital connectors to ensure that recruitment occurs in safe, affirming environments where participants feel seen, valued, and respected.

How Does the Research Work?

Participants engage in two structured group sessions:

• Session One (1 Hour): Participants receive cameras, training, and ethical guidelines on capturing images that reflect their personal experiences of suicide risk within their communities. Participants brainstorm with each other ways they may capture the topic in images.
• Photography Week (1 Week): Participants independently capture images of suicide risk within their communities and daily environments.
• Session Two (3 Hours): Participants return to share one or two of their selected images in a facilitated group dialogue. Using the SHOWeD Framework (Wang, 1999)—What do you See here? What is really Happening? How does this relate to Our lives? Why does this exist? What can we Do about it?—participants critically reflect on their own photos and on the broader themes emerging from the photos as a group.

This photovoice process empowers participants to become coresearchers in shaping the narrative and guiding the data that emerge from the study.

How This Research Aligns With PARC’s Mission

PARC is dedicated to advancing research that informs the counseling profession while amplifying advocacy and policy action. Project H.E.A.R.T. is a direct reflection of that mission, addressing an underrepresented issue while creating research that is accessible, translatable, and impactful for clinicians, policymakers, and communities.

What Comes Next?

Project H.E.A.R.T. will soon finish recruiting participants and enter the active data collection phase. Over the coming months, the research team will facilitate the photovoice process with participants, eliciting their perspectives and experiences of suicide risk in their communities. The insights generated through this work are intended to serve multiple audiences and have real-world applications. We hope to contribute to counselor training by enhancing how future clinicians are prepared to engage with this specific population. We aim to inform the development of more culturally humble clinical practices that address the unique needs of Black men and male teens.

Beyond clinical spaces, the findings may also support the design of community-based prevention programs that leverage the strengths, values, and protective factors embedded within Black communities. Finally, we hope these narratives can serve as a foundation for policy recommendations that directly address suicide risk and mental health disparities impacting Black individuals at the systemic level. Additionally, as part of the photovoice process, the research team will collaboratively work with participants to determine how they wish to share their photos and narratives with the broader community.

A Personal Reflection

As a Black male researcher, counselor, and advocate, leading this project is deeply personal. Too often, Black men and male teens carry these conversations in silence or behind closed doors, often navigating internalized stigma, generational trauma, and systemic inequities that make seeking help even more difficult. The emotional weight of these lived experiences is only somewhat captured in research and rarely honored in policy.

Project H.E.A.R.T. represents a space to break that silence. It allows participants to be seen not as research subjects, but as storytellers, thought leaders, and co-creators of change. Through their photographs, their narratives, and their willingness to engage in vulnerable conversations, participants are not only informing the research but also reclaiming ownership of the narratives that have long been written for them rather than by them.

For me and my team, this work has required continuous self-reflection, acknowledging our own identities, our own biases, and the privilege and responsibility that comes with being trusted to hold these stories. This has been as much a journey of personal growth as it has been a scholarly pursuit. The opportunity to partner with NBCC, PARC, and Clemson University on this work has been transformative. Project H.E.A.R.T. has the potential to show us what is possible when research is rooted in cultural humility, community engagement, and a genuine desire to uplift voices. My hope is that this model can serve as a framework for similar initiatives across other states, communities, and populations, where lived experiences are not just data points but catalysts for change.

Project H.E.A.R.T. is more than research. It is a movement toward hope, empowerment, advocacy, resilience, and transformation. We are profoundly grateful for the support of NBCC, Clemson University, our dedicated community supporters, and most importantly, the participants who have the courage and heart to share their voices. Their stories will not only shape this project but will leave a lasting impact far beyond its conclusion.