Last week, the Shadle Park High School Hope Squad received Hope Squad of the Year from Educational Service District 101 (ESD 101) in recognition of their peer-to-peer suicide prevention efforts.
The national program has been active in eastern Washington since 2023 when ESD 101 partnered with suicide prevention organizations such as Kellen Cares Foundation, Light a Lamp, Inland Northwest Behavioral Health and Fail Safe for Life.
“We know that youth don’t necessarily always go to adults, even when they know those adults are equipped to help them,” ESD 101 Youth Cannabis and Commercial Tobacco Prevention Program coordinator Kirsten Fuchs told The Spokesman-Review. “Students are already talking to each other and already reaching out to each other about their mental health needs.”
Currently, Hope Squads with 376 students at 14 schools across Spokane County districts are working to build relationships, encourage classmates, and recognize warning signs of mental health struggles so they can support connecting struggling students with professional resources.
“A teacher is a mandated reporter. So when I think about that, I mean, this is their job right? But when a peer notices, I feel it feels more genuine and it actually inspires people to go and get help,” freshman member Dan Hudson explained in an interview with KXLY.
Hope Squad members are nominated by their peers for being approachable and trustworthy. Shadle Park’s squad has nearly 80 members, who were recognized for their work organizing Hope Week activities and a school-wide con focused on mental health, depression, anxiety and suicide prevention resources.
We are proud to celebrate these students and all Hope Squad members who are dedicated to supporting their peers.