Newark, NJ – A coalition of Newark โขstudents โขpresented research findings to the city’s school board this week, urging members to address issues impacting student mental healthโ and learning environments. The presentation, deliveredโข Tuesday, stemmed from the Gem Project‘s Youth-Led Accountability Score Card initiative, which involved focus groups wiht peersโ to identify key concerns.
Despite โNewarkโ lowering the voting age to 16 for school โboard elections, โขparticipation among newly enfranchised teens remained low โin April’s election, with only 73 of them castingโข ballots. However,โ Gem Project founder Amanda Ebokosia emphasized the students’โค commitment, statingโ they attended the meeting because “they believe in the promise โฃof this district.”
The studentโข research revealed widespread discomfort among Newark students regarding โคmental health discussions, attributed to stigma and โขnegative โขschool climates. โขStudents also reported that mental health issues โฃare often addressed only afterโ they โescalate. Physical infrastructure problems-including inadequate heating, inconsistent water quality, broken desks, โคand wobbly chairs-were identified as significant distractions from learning.
The Gem Project proposed solutions ranging from a peer mental health education program to prioritizing infrastructure improvements โandโ advocating for increased school construction funding.
“We bring the perspective, honesty, and creativity that you can’t find in a โsurvey or spreadsheet. We canโข help you โsee โwhat’s working on the ground and what’s missing,” said student representative Bah.
Boardโ President Hasani Council โexpressed interest in meetingโฃ with โthe Gem Project students. Brielleโค Monroe Holland, a senior at Newark Tech, expressed โcautious optimism, stating, “It was captivating to hear the response we got but I’m not sure if they’re actually going toโ talk to us.” Monroe Holland also suggested the โboard use โข”more public-friendly words” to improve clarity during meetings.