About Us
Launched in 2024, the Institute for Healing and Belonging in Schools (IHBS) at NYU Metro Center is dedicated to transforming learning environments into inclusive and supportive spaces. We partner with schools, districts, and communities to cultivate settings where students and educators can thrive. Through research-based guidance, specialized training, and data-informed strategies, we drive meaningful and lasting transformation in education.
Vision
The Institute for Healing and Belonging in Schools (IHBS) at NYU Metro Center envisions schools as spaces of true belonging and pathways to opportunity for Black and Brown youth. We are dedicated to fostering environments where every student is supported with the resources and relationships needed to reach their fullest academic and personal potential.
Mission
The Institute for Healing and Belonging in Schools (IHBS) at NYU Metro Center is committed to addressing the trauma embedded in educational systems and creating pathways for collective healing. Through a trauma-sensitive, healing-centered approach, we empower schools to break cycles of generational harm and foster resilient, supportive environments where all students can thrive.
Institute for Healing and Belonging Writings
Freedom Dreaming: Illuminating Pathways to Healing & Belonging in Schools
How can we reimagine not only what schools can be, but also what students and communities can achieve? In this blog post, Dr. Crystal Martin of the Institute for Healing and Belonging in Schools (IHBS) at NYU Metro Center, explores the merits of educators employing radical imagination in their work.
Healing Our Communities from Harm: The Importance of Centering Joy and Liberation in Schools
How do we build communities that nourish and uplift Black children? In this blog post Dr. Wenimo Okoya of the Institute for Healing and Belonging in Schools (IHBS) at NYU Metro Center, illustrates the disproportionate harm caused by ongoing crises upon communities of color, and the significance of creating Welcoming, Healing and Affirming Schools for all of our children.
