About ‘High Notes, Clear Minds’
‘High Notes, Clear Minds’ is a culturally responsive, harm-reduction-centred program that uses the power of multi-arts expression, from music and spoken word to visual arts and digital media, to transform how communities talk about health, substances, and well-being.
We use creative expression, open dialogue, and a holistic health framework to equip young people and adults with the knowledge and resilience they need to make informed choices about their well-being. We build community, challenge stigma, and empower advocates for systemic change.
“Education that doesn’t just speak to the community but speaks from and with the community.”
The Foundation of Our Work
Our approach bridges cultural heritage with evidence-informed health strategies, ensuring that education resonates deeply and drives real impact.
Cultural Grounding
Honouring the ancestral, spiritual, and historical relationship between Black and other racialized communities while acknowledging the ongoing trauma of the “War on Drugs,” we start with the learner and use a dialogue-based approach that honours participants’ lived experiences, so we don’t talk at communities; we learn with them.
Harm Reduction
Our focus isn't on punishing behaviour. We focus on holistic well-being, mind, body, spirit, and community, and equip participants to advocate for restorative, health-centred policies in their own schools and cities.
Evidence-Informed Science
Demystifying substance use. We translate complex science into accessible knowledge, helping participants understand exactly how substances interact with our bodies.
Art As Our Language
Whether through a hip-hop cypher, a community mural, or a spoken-word poem, we use authentic cultural expression to make complex health information resonate, be memorable, and feel empowering.
Awarded the OCS Social Impact Fund (2025-2026)
In collaboration with Hip Hop Healing, Kopious Records, Rudy Ray and Co., Poetic Therapy, Kwesi Jaamal, Artistnxtdoor, and other community partners.
Our Partnership with the Ontario Cannabis Store
For too long, the story of cannabis has been told to Black communities as a story of crime and danger. High Notes, Clear Minds returns to its roots to reclaim a narrative of culture, spirituality, and resilience. We use hip-hop as a tool to explore our history with the plant, understand the science, and learn practical strategies for making informed, healthy choices. Running from October 2025 to October 2026, this program delivers vital education across 8 different regions in Ontario.
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Cannabis has been part of Africa’s botanical and cultural landscape for over a millennium. We explore how this ancestral knowledge survived the transatlantic slave trade and blossomed into powerful spiritual practices, like the Rastafari tradition. We hold two truths simultaneously: cannabis has deep cultural roots in our history, and it has been weaponized to criminalize our communities.
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Slang opens the door, but literacy keeps people safe. We break down the Endocannabinoid System (ECS) and explain how THC and CBD interact with the body. By understanding consumption methods, reading legal labels, and separating lore from scientific fact, we equip our community with the evidence needed to make safer choices.
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Harm reduction is community care. We teach the principles of Set (mindset), Setting (environment), and Self (biology and tolerance). Following Canada’s Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines, we empower individuals to manage their experiences, reduce risks, and protect one another.
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The most valuable knowledge comes from lived experience. Our sessions feature power circles where community members share their stories, validate their truths, and build trust. We operate under BRAVE(R) space agreements, encouraging participants to be Bold, Real, Accountable, Vulnerable, Expressive, and Relational.
The Cypher in Action.
Watch how we blend hip-hop culture, open dialogue, and harm reduction education in our community sessions. Experience the energy of High Notes, Clear Minds.
Upcoming Events
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Ottawa
June 07, 2026 | 3:00-5:00 PM
An interactive session, a hip-hop-based cannabis education workshop.
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Windsor
June 14, 2026 | 6:00-8:00 PM
An interactive session, a hip-hop-based cannabis education workshop in partnership with Windsor-Essex CHC.
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Durham
June 25, 2026 | 6:00-8:00 PM
An interactive session, a hip-hop-based cannabis education workshop with Durham CHC.