b'Skill-Building and Education for Youth of Color Lines for Lifes Cultural Engagement team has expanded its work with Portland Public Schools and Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center + Rosemary Anderson High School (POIC + RAHS). Our team collaborates with teachers and faculty to deliver a research-driven mental health and wellness and empowerment curriculum to students. Beginning in late 2022, we worked with a group of Black students at Boise Eliot Elementary School and hosted a series of lessons about stress, trauma, self-awareness, and the importance of connection and accountability. The lessons encourage youth to build support for one another and navigate the realities of generational, cultural traumaincluding the community violence happening in their neighborhoods.Our success at Boise Eliot has fueled an expansion of our partnership with Portland Public Schools for the 2023-2024 school year, allowing us to grow our impact in new communities. If a students basic needs are not met, they are not able to grasp the academic work. These lessons meet an emotional need for this group of students. They have shown tremendous growth since having their needs met. Ms. Fitz, Boise Eliot Elementary Engagement Counselor6'