Hope Squad Connections:
Fostering Connection and Elevating Mental Well-Being in Youth
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“It takes a village to raise a child, and an entire community to save one.”
~ Dr. Gregg Hudnall
Founder of Hope Squad
Ponca City schools are implementing the Hope Squad program in the middle schools and high school after dealing with some fairly recent tragedies for youth in the community. The program began in 1997 in a Utah school system after they had experienced suicides of youth that were felt by the entire community. Understanding that something needed to be done, high school principal Dr. Gregory A. Hudnall collaborated with law enforcement and began a program that has grown into the current peer-to-peer suicide prevention program. After its first successful year at his school in Provo City, they expanded it to every school in the district, where it resulted in zero suicides for nine years after implementation. There are now thousands of schools across the United States and Canada that use the program with 98% of their administrators agreeing on its positive success in their schools.
Ponca City Schools’ superintendent Adam Leaming explains that after three suicides in the last decade and the need to have more assistance for the mental health of students after the long-term effects of the pandemic, Integris Health brought the opportunity for this grant program to the school system.
“It’s hard to have all the eyes you need on mental health,” Leaming says, “and the Hope Squad program prepares a group of peers to advocate for suicide prevention in their school. It is a great opportunity to help ensure students are able to cope in healthy ways.”
There has been training going on for the various schools this fall, with a recent parent and student meeting at the high school. However, Leaming says East Middle School moved forward first with the program. Emily Goff and Stephen Lamar attended the training in the middle of September and moved forward with the program to beat the holiday season that they knew could be tough on many students.
Next, the students who would serve as mentors were selected through teachers’ referrals and seeing who other students talked to when they had issues. They also made sure to have a selection to represent the student population at East. These students were invited to a luncheon to introduce the purpose of Hope Squad and then a parent/guardian meeting was held to address any questions. The first training included team building and teaching the members about suicide and depression, as well as helping them learn how to ask someone who was having difficulties if they were considering suicide. The students also learned how to cope with their own stress when dealing with these situations.
Emily Goff says, “We currently meet twice a month to learn new skills, like active listening. We call these meetings ‘the lunch bunch.’ At the beginning of each meeting, we check-in with the members. We ask what is good, bad or whatever is on their mind.” While the group covers the Hope Squad curriculum, they end the meeting with an activity where the members have fun and let go of the serious nature of what they just discussed. They are certainly learning how to help others and cope with stress themselves as well.
At the end of the year, East Middle School plans to invite the high school advisors to come meet the East Squad so they can continue their participation in Hope Squad if they would like to as they move on to the high school.
The local program serves the school community well just as has been seen in other programs throughout the nation. With just one of the schools already active, there have been 10 official referrals. However, as Goff says, “The best part is that our members will see someone having a bad day, and they ask if that person needs someone to talk to. Knowing that Hope Squad members are doing their work without letting you know is the best.” Peer-to-peer is working well in Ponca City. Keep up the good work, Hope Squad!
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