School as a Safe Space: The Impact of Exposure to Gun Violence on the Social-Emotional Learning and Well-Being of Black Boys in Grades 7-12 at U Prep

Abstract

This quality improvement project sought to understand the impact that exposure to gun violence had on the social-emotional learning and well-being of Black boys in grades 7-12 at the University Preparatory Charter School for Young Men (U Prep). U Prep is a charter school located in Rochester, NY, founded to provide safe and stimulating educational experiences for Black youth in the Rochester area and to change the narrative for Black males in urban neighborhoods. While the City of Rochester continues to see increased gun violence, students at U Prep are continuously exposed to gun violence in various forms, including community gun violence. U Prep aims to better understand how exposure to gun violence impacts its student body while also providing more resources to support students exposed to gun violence as well as the teachers working at U Prep. This project explored the impacts of gun violence on youth as it relates to students’ social-emotional well-being at U Prep. We examined the intersection between community, school, and well-being using social-ecological and trauma theories to establish recommendations for U Prep to support students exposed to gun violence.