Shora's Mental Health Division
Shora Foundation serves youth in grades 1st – 8th in the East Knoxville community. Within this community, youth experience layers of structural, interpersonal, and community violence. The types of violence that perpetuate in East Knoxville include but are not limited to guns, hunger, lack of affordable housing, homelessness, domestic, and the isolation/effects of COVID-19.
Per the research centered around Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), these violent acts cause trauma and developmental concerns in youth. Trauma leads to depression, obesity, physical ailments, and suicide. In 2021, the violent crime rate in Knoxville surpassed Chicago’s violent crime rate per capita. More than half of the gun violence happened on or a street from where Shora provides programming. In October of 2022, Shora partnered with the Department of Psychology at UTK, under the guidance of Dr. Jenn Bush, to provide group and individual therapy to students and their parents. The expected outcomes are to help children put language around their feelings, reduce suicidal thoughts in children, and to recognize any students who need to be under clinical care.