Services

SERVICES
I don’t offer one-size-fits-all programmes or cookie-cutter solutions. What I bring is four decades of real experience, genuine presence and the ability to meet people — and communities — exactly where they are.

FACILITATION & GROUP WORK

I design and lead groups for adolescents, adults and mixed-age communities in a wide range of settings — nonprofits, schools, community centers, juvenile justice programmes, recovery communities and beyond.

My approach is trauma-informed, strengths-based and culturally responsive. I create spaces where people feel safe enough to be honest, curious enough to grow and connected enough to keep showing up.

Populations I have worked with include adolescents and young people, adults in recovery, justice-involved youth, veterans, women in transition, autistic individuals and artists.

✦ Ongoing group facilitation
✦ Single session workshops and community conversations
✦ School and agency-based programming

Workshops, Residencies & Retreats

For those who want to go deeper.

I offer poetry workshops, writer’s retreats and artist residency experiences for a range of ages and settings — from elementary classrooms to Job Corps programmes to adult retreat spaces.

These are not typical workshops. They are creative containers — spaces where people discover or reconnect with their own voice through writing, reflection and shared expression.

  • Poetry workshops — elementary, middle and high school settings
  • Writer’s retreats — for adults seeking creative renewal and reflection
  • Artist residencies — school and community-based creative engagement
  • Custom workshop design for organisations, programmes and events

COMMUNITY CONSULTING & ENGAGEMENT

I work with nonprofits, city agencies, schools and community organisations to design and deliver meaningful community engagement — the kind that actually reaches people and builds lasting trust.

I bring experience in participatory planning, cross-sector collaboration, stakeholder engagement and community needs assessment. I have secured grant funding and managed programmes from initial design all the way through delivery and documentation.

✦ Community engagement planning and facilitation
✦ Programme design and implementation
✦ Stakeholder and cross-sector collaboration
✦ Equity-centered public engagement processes

SPEAKING, STORYTELLING & POETRY

I am available for keynote presentations, panel discussions, community convenings, oral history facilitation and poetry readings and performances.

My speaking draws on four decades of clinical and community work, Jamaican and African American cultural roots, and a lifelong practice of writing as a way of making sense of the world. I do not read from slides — I speak from experience and I invite conversation.

✦ Keynote talks and community presentations
✦ Poetry readings and reflective performances
✦ Oral history facilitation and intergenerational storytelling
✦ Multimedia storytelling projects

HISTORICAL & CULTURAL TOURS

Through Morning Glory Inspirations I offer guided and self-guided African American heritage experiences rooted in deep archival research, oral history and community storytelling in Western North Carolina.

The self-guided Downtown Brevard: A Tour of Rosenwald’s Black History is available now and can be purchased directly through this site. Custom guided experiences and group tours are available by arrangement.

✦ Self-guided Rosenwald Black History Walking Tour — experience it on location in Brevard, NC or from anywhere in the world. Available now for $5.
✦ Custom guided group tours and historical talks
✦ Site visits and narrative experiences for schools, organizations and community groups

INTERESTED IN WORKING TOGETHER?
I would love to hear what you are working on and explore whether there is a good fit. 

📧 nicolakaresh@gmail.com 🌐 morninggloryinspirations.com