When high schoolers think about their future careers, the field of social work doesn’t always top the list, especially for Black and brown young men.
But a groundbreaking initiative out of Wayne State University is actively changing that narrative, bringing mental health advocacy, career mentorship, and vital representation directly to the hallways of Detroit’s Cass Technical High School.
On Oct. 21, 2026, the university’s Brothers In Social Work (BISW) initiative will officially launch its Phase 2 partnership with Cass Tech, backed by a major financial boost. Meridian Health is stepping up with a $30,000 check presentation, funding a two-year commitment to put young, culturally competent mental health professionals right where the students are.
It’s a celebratory moment that will fill the Cass Tech auditorium with students, educators, and community members, but the roots of this milestone run deep into a very real community issue that desperately needed solving.
Four years ago, Wayne State academic advisors Lawrence Robinson, LMSW, and Geoffrey Jones, MSW, looked at their enrollment numbers and realized they had a crisis on their hands. Out of 370-plus students admitted to the university’s School of Social Work, only 19 were Black or Latino men. Out of that already small pool, only nine enrolled in the fall semester, and by the time December rolled around, only four or five were still standing in the program.
Robinson and Jones knew they couldn’t just watch these young men slip through the cracks. In August 2022, they launched the Brothers In Social Work initiative to create a genuine community of support, aiming to increase the recruitment, retention, and graduation of men from urban backgrounds.
The initiative started at the college level with monthly Saturday sessions aptly titled “Are You Good, Bro?” These gatherings helped students connect financially, socially, and professionally. It became a space to breathe, share resources, and build a brotherhood.
Over time, that support system grew, engaging over 70 college students and co-hosting the annual Men’s Mental Health Conferences that have draw upwards of 300 attendees. Through localized mentorship, the initiative has successfully guided dozens of BSW, MSW, and PhD students toward their academic goals while showing them the diverse roles social workers play as practitioners, researchers, and policymakers. But Robinson and Jones knew that to truly move the needle, they had to reach students long before they ever set foot on a college campus.
Enter Carolyn Patrick-Wanzo, MSW, and Danice Chisholm of the Cass Tech Alumni Association. Through that pivotal connection, BISW found its high school home. The program’s new chapter was born, establishing a Social Work Club at Cass Tech designed to introduce 9th through 12th graders to the profession, demystify mental health, and provide hands-on mentorship. But building a program of this magnitude required funding, and the journey to secure it was incredibly serendipitous.
Robinson and his team initially took their vision to the School of Social Work’s Board of Visitors to raise awareness about the funds needed to pay college interns to work at the high school. They delivered their presentation, and while they received plenty of verbal encouragement, they left the room without the necessary funds.
“We were very encourage and grateful for the opportunity to share, but still unsure how the necessary funds would be secured,” Robinson said. “But that very same day, completely unrelated to the Board of Visitors meeting, the Dean of the School of Social Work got a phone call from Meridian’s community relations department.”
Meridian was looking to support urban communities and youth mental health, and they needed a grassroots program to invest in. The timing was unscripted, and was a perfect alignment of a corporate partner actively searching for the exact work BISW was trying to fund.
Meridian Health’s $30,000 commitment, split evenly over two years, changes the game entirely. It provides $5,000 stipends to bachelors and master’s level interns, compensating them for the 16 hours a week they each spend at Cass Tech.
These aren’t disconnected administrators; these are 25- and 28-year-old young men who recently walked similar halls and navigated the same struggles as the high schoolers they are now mentoring. This proximity in age breaks down walls, making conversations about mental health, leadership, and coping skills much easier and far more authentic.
For the past few weeks, these interns have already been on the ground doing the work. They have their own office space inside Cass Tech to meet with students, but they also set up right in the cafeteria. With Wayne State banners, a spin wheel, candy, and affirmations, they engage students directly during lunch. The results speak for themselves: over 150 students have already signed up, eager to be part of the club. It represents 32 combined hours of weekly exposure to Wayne State University, serving as a powerful, organic recruitment tool that helps young men envision themselves as college students.
Additionally, the program is deliberately designed to help students navigate the non-academic barriers that often hinder urban youth, such as food insecurity, housing instability, and a lack of access to basic resources.
The upcoming Oct. 21 event will solidify this momentum. With an expectation of 60 to 100 students and community advocates packing the auditorium alongside teachers, principals, and mental health professionals, the day is designed to be an immersive look into the social work field.
Beyond the Meridian Health check presentation, the event will feature speeches from current Wayne State master’s students who are Cass Tech alums. Adding to the growing wave of support, the Cass Tech Alumni Association is also working on securing additional funds to cover ongoing supplies and activities.
By addressing systemic barriers and putting relatable role models on the front lines, the Brothers In Social Work initiative is actively building the behavioral health workforce of tomorrow. For the students at Cass Tech, the Oct. 21 will serve as an invitation to take care of their minds, lead their peers, and realize that a career in mental health is an attainable, vital way to uplift their community extending well beyond just a corporate donation.
To be a part of the Oct. 21 event – which takes place at Cass Tech from 2-3 p.m. – email Lawrence Robinson, Jr, LMSW at dz2996@wayne.edu.