“Flourish & Flow” Celebrates Black Joy

“Flourish & Flow” Celebrates Black Joy, Healing, and Community Connection

SANTA BARBARA, CA – The UCSB Gevirtz Graduate School of Education and the Kindred Collective for Healing and Liberatory Traditions (which encompasses The Healing Space) will present “Flourish & Flow: A Black Joy Beach Party”–a free, intergenerational celebration of Black wellness, cultural connection, and collective care. The event will take place Sunday, October 26, from 1 p.m. to sunset (approximately 6 p.m.) at Goleta Beach Area A, and is open to all who come in respect and solidarity.

Hosted in partnership with NAACP Santa Maria/Lompoc, “Flourish & Flow” emerges in response to community calls for affirming, joy-centered spaces that honor the fullness of Black life. The event invites participants to experience art therapy, yoga, meditation, storytelling, a restorative beach walk, and food from a local Black-owned business honoring African and diasporic culinary traditions.

Rooted in the principles of liberation psychology and healing justice–approaches that center collective care and freedom as foundations for wellness–“Flourish & Flow” functions as a community-based mental health prevention effort: a collective act of care designed to strengthen intergenerational ties, reduce isolation, and nurture the spiritual, cultural, and communal dimensions of wellbeing. Rather than a clinical intervention, it represents healing as presence, connection, and shared joy.

“This isn’t just an event, it’s a living practice,” explained Nolan Krueger, Assistant Professor of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology at the UCSB Gevirtz School.

“‘Flourish & Flow’ draws on the principles of Survivance–a concept articulated by Anishinaabe scholar Gerald Vizenor, grounded in Indigenous traditions of presence and refusal, and Sankofa–an Akan term from Ghana meaning ‘go back and fetch it’, or the practice of returning to ancestral wisdom to move forward,” Krueger added. “Together, these principles remind us that healing is not about repair alone, it’s about continuity, memory, and choice. We’re creating a container where people can rest, reconnect, and witness each other in our shared humanity. This is prevention through community, through culture, and through care.”

The afternoon will be hosted by Vivian Storm, Santa Barbara-based drag artist and storyteller, whose facilitation honors Black oral traditions of truth-telling and joy. Activities include art therapy with Amber Salik; restorative movement and yoga with Naomi Hutchinson; and culinary offerings from Momma’s Soul Food, created by chef Guidance River Moon.

“Flourish & Flow” reflects the mission of the Gevirtz School and Kindred Collective, which encompasses the Healing Space, to address the mental health needs of Black communities in Santa Barbara County through culturally grounded, healing-centered practice. By bridging UCSB’s academic and clinical training with community knowledge, the Kindred Collective and its partners are reimagining how mental health promotion can look and feel when rooted in joy, belonging, and liberation.

To RSVP or learn more: www.sbhealing.org/events

Contact: Nolan Krueger: [email protected]

About the UCSB Gevirtz Graduate School of Education

The UC Santa Barbara Gevirtz Graduate School of Education offers advanced degrees and teaching credentials from its Department of Counseling, Clinical & School Psychology; Department of Education, and Teacher Education Program. The school also offers three undergraduate minors in Education, Applied Psychology, and Science & Mathematics Education. For more info visit: www.Education.ucsb.edu