When 10 Pittsburgh King students were brainstorming ideas for a service project, potential ideas included gun violence, drug use and poverty.
But the students found that addressing one topic could cover a bevy of issues: mental health.
“We decided all of that stuff fell under mental health,” said student Carmelo Carr.
To address that, King eighth grade students are working to establish peer-led support groups within the school. It is in partnership with Point Park University’s Project Impact: Student Impact Alliance.
The project’s focus is on grief and loss, abuse and neglect, and poverty and homelessness, said Destiny Hoffman, school project assistant.
Circumstances at King, a neighborhood school in the North Side, are difficult.
Of the 369 students that attend the preK-8 school, 84% are economically disadvantaged and 3.5% are homeless. Standardized test scores are low: Just 6% of King third grade students scored proficient or above on the reading PSSAs.
“We get bad comments on our school,” said Kayda Williams, an eighth grader. “We’re trying to show people how Pittsburgh King is. One of our goals is trying to build relationships and add more to the school so we can change people’s thoughts.”
Kayda said that most of her peers would say they don’t feel safe at school, either physically or mentally. A peer mentoring group can help that, she said.
“We’re trying to change that and build a better environment at Pittsburgh King,” Kayda said. “We tell them they’re not alone and build trust with them.”
Additionally, students are often more willing to confide with another student than an adult, depending on the issue, Carmelo said. That’s where Hoffman hopes the peer mentoring group can come into play. Her goals are to increase student attendance and reduce suspensions.
“This is a community school, so just about everyone in the school is connected to another student,” she said. “We want to meet the younger ones and give reassurance so they know who to talk to to feel safe.”
The Student Impact Alliance at King started last year, Hoffman said. The 10 students complete 110 hours of community service per student.
“We’ve built a culture for inclusiveness. Students want to be included in Student Impact Alliance activities,” Hoffman said.
Students in the alliance were selected through King’s student envoy program. Student envoys are selected on leadership abilities, character and willingness to positively impact school culture. At King, the number of students has grown to 63 envoys from third through eighth grades.
Eleven schools participated in Point Park’s Project Impact this year; the King students were the youngest. They were awarded the “Rising Star” award earlier this month.
Michele Leyshon, an assistant professor of education at Point Park, told King students she was impressed with their work. Peer-to-peer mentorship can be beneficial for both mentor and mentee, she said.
“You’re someone who’s providing support,” Leyshon said, “but you’re getting help, as well.”