Who We Are

After several years of knowing each other and developing their friendship, Djeli and Scott sat down in a small cafe in the spring of 2022 and took on the question: “How can we work together to better serve the men and youth of our community?”

Djeli, formerly William Forchion, is a story weaver who helps transform overwhelm to overjoy, for people of all ages and backgrounds. Ki* is a thought leader, life coach, public speaker, lifelong storyteller, mentor, and former Cirque du Soleil acrobat who has traveled the world collecting stories. Having to heal from a physical injury introduced Djeli to the need for healthy healing practices for mind, body and soul. Ki believes that we are all each other’s medicine therefore healthy living a community undertaking. Djeli discovered that no matter where we travel in the world, we laugh and cry in the same language. 

Djeli’s open and honest approach of speaking from the heart and compassionate listening creates space for others to breathe life into their own stories as part of a powerful healing process. 

 Cultural Heritage/Background: Brown-skinned descendant of enslaved Africans and indigenous Americans.

*Ki (Pronoun): Divine Being of Love and Light

I was working with high school students after school, when I truly started to wrap my head around the specific challenges facing young men today. I also saw that there was very little support for them in the current education system and beyond. This inspiration, combined with deeper education and broader exposure in graduate school, led to the development of my first healthy masculinity curriculum and the entry point for my work with men and boys. Connecting with Djeli added new breadth, insight, and energy to take this work to levels beyond what I could achieve alone. I am grateful for what this work and this partnership has taught me about myself and the world.