LOCALLY - LED BRAVE SPACES
Facilitated Community Conversations that Create Space for Honest, Respectful Dialogue on Difficult Topics.
What Are Locally-Led Brave Spaces?
The Locally-Led Brave Spaces are guided group conversations designed to help people engage thoughtfully across differences and experience. These spaces are about listening, reflecting, and building understanding within our communities. The program will consist of a series of 4 sessions led by local facilitators focusing on areas of interest to the community. These sessions aim to build leadership capacity through education, skills sharing, planning and facilitation and direct practice in civic participation.
Discussions will be led by local practitioners, either professional or with lived experience in the content they are discussing.
Why Brave Spaces Matter?
Many of the issues facing our communities today are complex, emotional, and deeply personal. Avoiding these conversations doesn’t make them go away, but having them without care can cause harm.
Brave Spaces offer an alternative.
Participants are invited to:
Practice listening without immediately responding or defending
Engage across differences with curiosity rather than judgment
Reflect on their own perspectives and assumptions
Build skills for navigating difficult conversations beyond program
About Us
Locally-Led Brave Spaces is led by a collaborative team of HRI staff and long-term residents of Cambridge who are committed to creating space where community members can engage in honest, respectful conversation.
The program was inspired in 2022 after members of our team attended the NeighborWorks America Community Leadership Institute (CLI) conference. The experience sparked the vision for Brave Spaces, and each CLI conference since has helped refine and deepen the program into what it is today.
Our team brings together professional facilitation experience, community organizing, and lived experience rooted in Cambridge. This allows Brave Spaces to be both thoughtfully structed and locally grounded.
Program Overview
Each Brave Spaces Session Includes:
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Structured Group Sessions
Guided conversations built around a specific theme or topic
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Trained Facilitators
Facilitators help set agreements, guide dialogue, and hold space with care
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Community Agreements
Shared expectations that support respect, confidentiality, and accountability
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Reflection & Resources
Optional readings, and resources to help support learning between sessions
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Connection
A chance to learn alongside others who are committed to growth and dialogue
This Year’s Session Overview
Session 1: Understanding Grief and Sudden Loss
This 2-hour session explores how individuals and communities can respond to grief, especially in the face of sudden or traumatic loss. Together, we’ll create space to better understand what grief can look and feel like, and how we can support ourselves and others through it.
Participants will be introduced to different ways people experience and express grief, including how it can vary across age, culture, family dynamics, and personal experiences. We’ll also discuss what tends to be helpful when supporting someone who is grieving, and how communities can come together in meaningful and compassionate ways.
The session will gently address the added complexities that can come with traumatic loss, including loss related to suicide, and the importance of thoughtful, supportive responses in those situations.
Through reflection and conversation, participants will gain tools and insights to navigate grief with greater awareness, care, and connection both for themselves and within their communities.
Michael Bonadio Jr
Clinical Manager of Consultation & Training at SOS, where he leads innovative programs focused on suicide prevention and trauma-informed care. He works closely with cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality behavioral health resources and manages training, content development, and consultative services. Previously, Michael coordinated the Riverside Trauma Center's Workplace Suicide Prevention Program, working with high-risk industries such as construction and first responders. With experience as a licensed Marriage and Family Counselor (LMFT), Michael has supported schools, businesses, and communities in addressing mental health challenges and has provided direct clinical services to youth and families.
Session 2: The Toll of Working with Trauma: Understanding Self-Care
This 2-hour session is designed to help participants better understand how supporting others, especially those who have experienced challenges or trauma can impact their own well-being. Together, we’ll explore what it means to carry both our own experiences and the experiences of others, and how that can affect us over time.
We’ll introduce key ideas around emotional impact, stress, and self-awareness in a way that is practical and easy to connect to everyday life. Participants will learn about the 3Rs of Self-Care: Reflection, Regulation, and Relaxation, and explore simple, healthy ways to care for themselves in each of these areas.
Michael Bonadio Jr.
Clinical Manager of Consultation & Training at SOS, where he leads innovative programs focused on suicide prevention and trauma-informed care.
Session 3: Power of Story Telling
Participants will hear from three practitioners in the field of grief and loss as they share how they’ve transformed their personal experiences into meaningful, positive impact within their communities.
Denise Cosby
Denise Cosby is a Richmond, Virginia native and longtime Cambridge resident with a background in psychology and a 20-year career as a legal assistant at major Boston law firms. After the tragic loss of her son Justin in 2009, she became a powerful advocate for families impacted by homicide, sharing her story through speaking and her memoir. Denise is also the co-founder of the Just-In-Time Initiative, supporting survivors through healing, advocacy, and community.
Edwine Andre
Edwine André is a healthcare professional and patient advocate with over 15 years of experience supporting patients and families across major healthcare systems in Massachusetts. She currently serves as a Patient Resource Coordinator at Cambridge Health Alliance, where she helps patients address social determinants of health such as food insecurity, housing instability, and access to essential resources.
Rebecca Strauss
Music Director Rebecca Strauss is passionate about designing, producing, and performing innovative music programs that celebrate life’s milestones. She is equally committed to programs that respond to social justice issues, promote healing, invite community involvement, and help build a sustainable environment that opens the door for personal transformation and empowerment.
Session 4: Self-Care Coping Group
In a self-care coping group, we bring together individuals who find themselves in a chronically stressful environment, rather than those coping with a single critical incident. Our group leaders will guide discussions that delve into the emotional, mental, and physical reactions to stress experienced by members. Following these discussions, we provide psychoeducation to explore evidence-based practices on stress management. We also encourage members to develop their own coping strategies and skills to better navigate the challenges they face.
Sue Schmitz
A licensed mental health counselor and registered art therapist with over 10 years of experience with direct work, supervision/management, and providing and developing training content. Sue has worked with adults and children with depression, anxiety, trauma, thought disorders, and substance use, as well as oncology patients, unhoused and low-income women, and youth on the autism spectrum. Sue currently works at Synergy Wellness Center in Hudson, MA, providing individual therapy. She previously worked at Beth Israel Lahey Health Behavioral Services, overseeing multiple state-funded children and family programs. Prior to BILH, Sue worked at Riverside Community Care at a Community Based Flexible Supports Program and has been a member of Riverside's Trauma Center since 2013. Sue has an undergraduate degree in Psychology and Studio Art from Dartmouth College and a master’s degree in art therapy and Mental Health Counseling from Lesley University.
This 2-hour session explores how individuals and communities can respond to grief, especially in the face of sudden or traumatic loss. Together, we’ll create space to better understand what grief can look and feel like, and how we can support ourselves and others through it.
Participants will be introduced to different ways people experience and express grief, including how it can vary across age, culture, family dynamics, and personal experiences. We’ll also discuss what tends to be helpful when supporting someone who is grieving, and how communities can come together in meaningful and compassionate ways.
The session will gently address the added complexities that can come with traumatic loss, including loss related to suicide, and the importance of thoughtful, supportive responses in those situations.
Through reflection and conversation, participants will gain tools and insights to navigate grief with greater awareness, care, and connection both for themselves and within their communities.
Clinical Manager of Consultation & Training at SOS, where he leads innovative programs focused on suicide prevention and trauma-informed care. He works closely with cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality behavioral health resources and manages training, content development, and consultative services. Previously, Michael coordinated the Riverside Trauma Center's Workplace Suicide Prevention Program, working with high-risk industries such as construction and first responders. With experience as a licensed Marriage and Family Counselor (LMFT), Michael has supported schools, businesses, and communities in addressing mental health challenges and has provided direct clinical services to youth and families.
Session 2: The Toll of Working with Trauma: Understanding Self-Care
This 2-hour session is designed to help participants better understand how supporting others, especially those who have experienced challenges or trauma can impact their own well-being. Together, we’ll explore what it means to carry both our own experiences and the experiences of others, and how that can affect us over time.
We’ll introduce key ideas around emotional impact, stress, and self-awareness in a way that is practical and easy to connect to everyday life. Participants will learn about the 3Rs of Self-Care: Reflection, Regulation, and Relaxation, and explore simple, healthy ways to care for themselves in each of these areas.
Michael Bonadio Jr.
Clinical Manager of Consultation & Training at SOS, where he leads innovative programs focused on suicide prevention and trauma-informed care.
Session 3: Power of Story Telling
Participants will hear from three practitioners in the field of grief and loss as they share how they’ve transformed their personal experiences into meaningful, positive impact within their communities.
Denise Cosby
Denise Cosby is a Richmond, Virginia native and longtime Cambridge resident with a background in psychology and a 20-year career as a legal assistant at major Boston law firms. After the tragic loss of her son Justin in 2009, she became a powerful advocate for families impacted by homicide, sharing her story through speaking and her memoir. Denise is also the co-founder of the Just-In-Time Initiative, supporting survivors through healing, advocacy, and community.
Edwine Andre
Edwine André is a healthcare professional and patient advocate with over 15 years of experience supporting patients and families across major healthcare systems in Massachusetts. She currently serves as a Patient Resource Coordinator at Cambridge Health Alliance, where she helps patients address social determinants of health such as food insecurity, housing instability, and access to essential resources.
Rebecca Strauss
Music Director Rebecca Strauss is passionate about designing, producing, and performing innovative music programs that celebrate life’s milestones. She is equally committed to programs that respond to social justice issues, promote healing, invite community involvement, and help build a sustainable environment that opens the door for personal transformation and empowerment.
Session 4: Self-Care Coping Group
In a self-care coping group, we bring together individuals who find themselves in a chronically stressful environment, rather than those coping with a single critical incident. Our group leaders will guide discussions that delve into the emotional, mental, and physical reactions to stress experienced by members. Following these discussions, we provide psychoeducation to explore evidence-based practices on stress management. We also encourage members to develop their own coping strategies and skills to better navigate the challenges they face.
Sue Schmitz
A licensed mental health counselor and registered art therapist with over 10 years of experience with direct work, supervision/management, and providing and developing training content. Sue has worked with adults and children with depression, anxiety, trauma, thought disorders, and substance use, as well as oncology patients, unhoused and low-income women, and youth on the autism spectrum. Sue currently works at Synergy Wellness Center in Hudson, MA, providing individual therapy. She previously worked at Beth Israel Lahey Health Behavioral Services, overseeing multiple state-funded children and family programs. Prior to BILH, Sue worked at Riverside Community Care at a Community Based Flexible Supports Program and has been a member of Riverside's Trauma Center since 2013. Sue has an undergraduate degree in Psychology and Studio Art from Dartmouth College and a master’s degree in art therapy and Mental Health Counseling from Lesley University.
This 2-hour session is designed to help participants better understand how supporting others, especially those who have experienced challenges or trauma can impact their own well-being. Together, we’ll explore what it means to carry both our own experiences and the experiences of others, and how that can affect us over time.
We’ll introduce key ideas around emotional impact, stress, and self-awareness in a way that is practical and easy to connect to everyday life. Participants will learn about the 3Rs of Self-Care: Reflection, Regulation, and Relaxation, and explore simple, healthy ways to care for themselves in each of these areas.
Clinical Manager of Consultation & Training at SOS, where he leads innovative programs focused on suicide prevention and trauma-informed care.
Session 3: Power of Story Telling
Participants will hear from three practitioners in the field of grief and loss as they share how they’ve transformed their personal experiences into meaningful, positive impact within their communities.
Denise Cosby
Denise Cosby is a Richmond, Virginia native and longtime Cambridge resident with a background in psychology and a 20-year career as a legal assistant at major Boston law firms. After the tragic loss of her son Justin in 2009, she became a powerful advocate for families impacted by homicide, sharing her story through speaking and her memoir. Denise is also the co-founder of the Just-In-Time Initiative, supporting survivors through healing, advocacy, and community.
Edwine Andre
Edwine André is a healthcare professional and patient advocate with over 15 years of experience supporting patients and families across major healthcare systems in Massachusetts. She currently serves as a Patient Resource Coordinator at Cambridge Health Alliance, where she helps patients address social determinants of health such as food insecurity, housing instability, and access to essential resources.
Rebecca Strauss
Music Director Rebecca Strauss is passionate about designing, producing, and performing innovative music programs that celebrate life’s milestones. She is equally committed to programs that respond to social justice issues, promote healing, invite community involvement, and help build a sustainable environment that opens the door for personal transformation and empowerment.
Participants will hear from three practitioners in the field of grief and loss as they share how they’ve transformed their personal experiences into meaningful, positive impact within their communities.
Denise Cosby is a Richmond, Virginia native and longtime Cambridge resident with a background in psychology and a 20-year career as a legal assistant at major Boston law firms. After the tragic loss of her son Justin in 2009, she became a powerful advocate for families impacted by homicide, sharing her story through speaking and her memoir. Denise is also the co-founder of the Just-In-Time Initiative, supporting survivors through healing, advocacy, and community.
Edwine André is a healthcare professional and patient advocate with over 15 years of experience supporting patients and families across major healthcare systems in Massachusetts. She currently serves as a Patient Resource Coordinator at Cambridge Health Alliance, where she helps patients address social determinants of health such as food insecurity, housing instability, and access to essential resources.
Music Director Rebecca Strauss is passionate about designing, producing, and performing innovative music programs that celebrate life’s milestones. She is equally committed to programs that respond to social justice issues, promote healing, invite community involvement, and help build a sustainable environment that opens the door for personal transformation and empowerment.
Session 4: Self-Care Coping Group
In a self-care coping group, we bring together individuals who find themselves in a chronically stressful environment, rather than those coping with a single critical incident. Our group leaders will guide discussions that delve into the emotional, mental, and physical reactions to stress experienced by members. Following these discussions, we provide psychoeducation to explore evidence-based practices on stress management. We also encourage members to develop their own coping strategies and skills to better navigate the challenges they face.
Sue Schmitz
A licensed mental health counselor and registered art therapist with over 10 years of experience with direct work, supervision/management, and providing and developing training content. Sue has worked with adults and children with depression, anxiety, trauma, thought disorders, and substance use, as well as oncology patients, unhoused and low-income women, and youth on the autism spectrum. Sue currently works at Synergy Wellness Center in Hudson, MA, providing individual therapy. She previously worked at Beth Israel Lahey Health Behavioral Services, overseeing multiple state-funded children and family programs. Prior to BILH, Sue worked at Riverside Community Care at a Community Based Flexible Supports Program and has been a member of Riverside's Trauma Center since 2013. Sue has an undergraduate degree in Psychology and Studio Art from Dartmouth College and a master’s degree in art therapy and Mental Health Counseling from Lesley University.
In a self-care coping group, we bring together individuals who find themselves in a chronically stressful environment, rather than those coping with a single critical incident. Our group leaders will guide discussions that delve into the emotional, mental, and physical reactions to stress experienced by members. Following these discussions, we provide psychoeducation to explore evidence-based practices on stress management. We also encourage members to develop their own coping strategies and skills to better navigate the challenges they face.
A licensed mental health counselor and registered art therapist with over 10 years of experience with direct work, supervision/management, and providing and developing training content. Sue has worked with adults and children with depression, anxiety, trauma, thought disorders, and substance use, as well as oncology patients, unhoused and low-income women, and youth on the autism spectrum. Sue currently works at Synergy Wellness Center in Hudson, MA, providing individual therapy. She previously worked at Beth Israel Lahey Health Behavioral Services, overseeing multiple state-funded children and family programs. Prior to BILH, Sue worked at Riverside Community Care at a Community Based Flexible Supports Program and has been a member of Riverside's Trauma Center since 2013. Sue has an undergraduate degree in Psychology and Studio Art from Dartmouth College and a master’s degree in art therapy and Mental Health Counseling from Lesley University.
Application Process
What Participation Looks Like
Participants can expect to:
Attend all scheduled sessions
Engage respectfully and thoughtfully
Honor confidentiality and community agreements
Reflect on their own experiences and perspectives
No prior experience is required! Just a willingness to show up with openness and care.
How to Apply
The application process only consists of a simple form, and we will accept as many applicants as possible.
If you have questions, please email: emohamed@homeownersrehab.org
Application Deadline: Friday, April 24th 2026
“Brave Spaces is important for the community because so many people experience trauma and hardship, and they do not feel comfortable talking or speaking about it to anyone. Brave spaces offer a space where they can speak with others with like experiences.”
Testimonials
— Brave Spaces Participant“Brave Spaces showed me that no one has to stay stuck, there are always resources and people ready to support you. Being in a room with others who share similar goals reminds you that you’re not alone and that we’re in this together.”
— Brave Spaces Participant“Getting involved in my community has always been important to me, but I didn’t know in what capacity. Brave Spaces gave me the chance to learn, grow, and step into that role.”
— Brave Spaces Participant
For Questions Contact:
Ekrama Mohamed (She/Her/Hers)
Community Engagement Program and Operations Coordinator
Phone: 617.299.9573
Email: emohamed@homeownersrehab.org