Bridgeport Schools Receive Funds For Social-Emotional Learning Effort

Information from the City of Bridgeport:

BRIDGEPORT, CT — [On Friday], Marc Donald, President, and CEO of RYASAP (Regional Youth Adult Social Action Partnership) joined Superintendent Dr. Carmela Levy-David and Bridgeport Public Schools officials as U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal announced $125,000 in federal funding for their social-emotional learning (SEL) Initiative being offered within Bridgeport Public Schools (BPS).

This funding is currently being utilized to provide SEL & Restorative Practices training efforts and coaching support throughout the District. RYASAP’s Social Emotional Learning program provides training for teachers, other staff, and community members to help reduce youth violence, offer conflict resolution practices, and promote acceptance among young people in school. To date, several teachers, and educators as well as every school security guard in Bridgeport Public Schools have been trained.

Click to hear Marc Donald explain more about this partnership program that works to quell youth physical altercations and acts of violence in our public schools and create an environment that promotes a restorative culture versus a punitive one. “We know that the mental health crisis in young people is getting greater. It’s important to recognize that this is a public health problem, and therefore public funding and the vision of our government leaders is needed to carry on these programs and partnerships.”

RYASAP, serving the greater Bridgeport region, works to ensure the safe and healthy development of youth, young adults, and families by actively engaging organizations, public officials, and community leaders around issues that matter most to the community.