What if we intentionally and robustly invested in nurturing the hearts and souls of young Black boys in Baltimore City and everywhere? Listen to Damion Cooper’s compelling story which grounded his work at Project Pneuma, and consider ways that we could rethink schools to focus on hearts and minds work as well as the academic work.

Damion Cooper uses his life’s experiences to teach lessons of forgiveness, self-control, discipline, and redemption via mentorship. His own experiences inspired him to create Project Pneuma; a holistic program focused on social emotional learning, forgiveness and curbing impulse actions from trauma due to Adverse Childhood Experiences in young African American males by teaching them yoga, mindfulness, breathing techniques, conflict resolution/de-escalation, and martial arts. Project Pneuma also partners with the Baltimore City Police Department so that the young men and new officers can build bonds of trust, respect, and cultural competencies.

Damion is a 2014 BMe Leadership Award Recipient, 2016 Maryland Out of School Time (MOST) Emerging Leader, 2017 Presidential Volunteer Service Recipient, 2017 Champion of Courage Recipient, 2017 Warnock Foundation Social Innovation Fellow, and 2018 Kings Landing Women’s Association MLK Man of the Year. Damion was awarded the 2019 Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry (MFP) Anti-Stigma Advocacy Prize for his op-ed, “Surviving a gunshot, one man’s story” in the October 18, 2018, Baltimore Sun. Damion is also the NFL and Baltimore Ravens 2023 Inspire Change Changemaker Recipient and FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award Recipient. Damion holds degrees from Coppin State University (BS, Business Management & Marketing) and the United Baptist College & Seminary (Th.M., Theology) and is a 2018 graduate of The Leadership: a program of the Greater Baltimore Committee.