Together in partnership Bellevue School District, Bellevue Schools Foundation and Eastside Pathways were awarded a grant for $634,500 to be funded over three years by King County’s Best Starts for Kids: trauma-informed and restorative practices in the school environment.
With this grant, the organizations will work together to expand school-based programs that build on BSD’s annual Breaking Out Of the Margins (BOOM) and Sistahs Having Outstanding Uniqueness Together (SHOUT) conferences. This grant will allow schools to host regular BOOM and SHOUT meetings during the school day to engage students, foster leadership, improve school culture, and build relationships with mentors from communities of color.
“Best Starts for Kids’ support will expand our programs and enable us to deepen our commitment to racial equity and justice for our Black, Latinx, Native American, Southeast Asian/Pacific Islander and multi-ethnic students,” said Lynn Juniel, Executive Director of the Bellevue Schools Foundation. “We are excited about the student success stories this grant will facilitate – stories of students who feel welcomed and safe at school, who have been nurtured by leaders who reflect their race and ethnicity, whose academic performance is on par with their peers and who look toward the future with optimism and pride.”
This grant was part of a $19.5 million investment spread amongst 32 awardees to expand trauma-informed and restorative practices in schools throughout King County. Overall the grants will provide school-based programs and opportunities that promote healing and create a school culture and climate that honors the unique strengths of young people.
Visit King County’s Best Starts for Kids blog to learn more.