Hope and Strength Program Off to a Strong Start

The "Hope and Strength" clubs at both Lakota East's and Lakota West's freshman and main campuses - formerly known as "Hope Squads" - have been busy this year getting the word out about their mission to bring awareness to mental health and suicide prevention in their school communities.

The clubs have worked together to promote awareness throughout the Lakota community by setting up tables at football and basketball games. At their schools, the clubs have been carrying out creative campaigns that send out ongoing messages of positivity, togetherness and strength.

Case in point: Lakota West’s Halloween Ghost Hunt relayed the message that no one in the school is invisible and that all students should feel seen and loved. It also reminded students that "Hope and Strength" members are always there to help lift their spirits!

More recently, Lakota East held a Valentine’s Day scavenger hunt to promote a positive community. Students who found a heart could turn it in for a treat. The hearts included messages like, "You are strong" or "You are loved."

Campaigns like these throughout the school year are aimed at building a positive school culture, sharing mental health resources and letting students where to go for help, when needed. 

"Hope and Strength" groups replaced the previous Hope Squad groups at Lakota high school campuses this school year. The new program follows the same evidence-based "Sources of Strength" curriculum used at Lakota’s junior schools, making it a more natural progression for our high school students. "Sources of Strength" and "Hope and Strength" are also more encompassing programs, sharing the importance of suicide prevention while incorporating lifelong resiliency skills, like connecting with a strong mentor, creating healthy relationships, and focusing on mental wellness.

“Hope and Strength aims to harness the power of peer social networks to create healthy norms and culture,” said West club advisor Madeline Van Benschoten. “Our mission is to prevent adverse outcomes by increasing well-being, help-seeking, healthy coping skills, and a sense of belonging.” 

"Hope and Strength" student leaders are nominated by staff and there is a semester-long class at the high schools that accompany the program. The class is also open to all students, not just "Hope and Strength" leaders.

Feedback about "Hope and Strength" from staff and community members has been positive. “They value the messaging and the creativeness that our student leaders use to deliver the information. And we are grateful for the guidance and commitment they receive from our trained advisors,” said Megan Cameron, the district’s Manager of Student Wellness.

Lakota East junior Reilly was in Sources of Strength in eighth grade and then Hope Squad his freshman and sophomore years. He is excited about the "Hope and Strength" program. “It’s an all-encompassing approach. We are there if someone is in a crisis and needs help, but we also want everyone to feel valued and part of a community.” All three years he has had someone come to him asking for help, whether it was for them or for someone they knew who was struggling. 

Fellow Lakota East student Lily has also had students approach her for help. One of the highlights of the "Hope and Strength" program for Lily has been QPR training (Question, Persuade and Refer), through which she learned about how to apply these three steps to help prevent suicide. 

Lily and her fellow club members are busy preparing for their biggest event of the year: Hope Week. “It is so much fun,” said Lily. “It’s student-driven and we get the whole school involved.” 

Lakota East’s event will be held the first week in March. It will feature a Spirit Week, during which students dress up according to a theme each day, are given a daily challenge and have fun activities to do. For example, Friday will be "East Spirit Wear Day" showing that students are “all on the same team.” Hallway fist bumps will be encouraged and students can send Hope Grams. A Door Decorating Contest and a Rock, Paper Scissors Competition will also take place.

Lakota West’s Hope Week will be celebrated the last week in March. The main campus is just wrapping up its Connect Campaign where students researched mental illnesses to gain a deeper understanding of mental health issues to break down stigmas and promote the acceptability of seeking help. Students also wrote letters to those in nursing homes to foster connection and empathy and gave out heart pops during West’s club fair to engage students and share resources available if help is needed.

At the freshman campus, students just finished up their "Start with Hello" campaign by selling Valentine’s Day candy grams to students who can sentdpositive notes to one another. West Freshman student Bella really enjoys designing these campaigns. “The campaigns really help people understand mental health in general and that you need to take care of yourself.” 

Classmate Robert added, “I really like the idea of building community at our school. And that if you need help or don’t feel well, there is someone to talk to.”