Far too many Baltimore students come from impoverished inner-city neighborhoods wracked by drug and gang violence where shootings, stabbings and beatings occur on a daily basis. When impressionable young people witness dreadful things happen to family, friends and neighbors, it leaves a mark on the soul that can last a lifetime. They've been cruelly traumatized by what they've seen and experienced, and if they're ever to get over it emotionally and psychologically they're going to need help.
That's why this week federal education officials awarded a grant of more than $350,000 to Baltimore's Renaissance Academy High School to help students and staff heal after the stabbing death of a student there last year. The money will fund additional support staff positions and mental health counselors for the school's innovative "Seeds of Promise" mentoring program aimed at helping young African-American males negotiate the treacherous path to adulthood.
It's a program we'd like to see replicated in any number of other Baltimore schools. The psychological toll of violence is an issue confronting young people across the city, and it demands a citywide response.
[For more of this story go to http://www.baltimoresun.com/ne...-20160911-story.html]
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