Hope Squad
What is a Jr Hope Squad? Jr. Hope Squads are comprised of students identified by classmates and peers as trustworthy who are trained to watch for at-risk students. Squad members provide friendship, identify warning signs, and seek help from adults. Jr. Hope Squad® members are NOT taught to act as counselors, but rather are educated to recognize signs that a student is struggling or may be contemplating suicide and respectfully report concerns to an adult. Jr. Hope Squads utilize three key elements: Phases, Supplementary Literature, and Advisors. Jr. Hope Squads in the elementary schools do not focus as much on suicide prevention, but more on kindness, friendship, inclusion, bullying and warning signs. How do students get invited to be on our Jr. Hope Squad? Jr. Hope Squad members are students who have been identified by their peers and classmates as students who are trustworthy, caring, and kind. It is through this nomination process that students are invited to be members. Any student can bring hope to themselves and to others. Every student is invited to be their “own” Jr. Hope Squad member. We do this by showing empathy for others, by including others, by watching for when we need to seek help from our trusted adults at school. When we all act as our own Jr. Hope Squad members, our school will stay an amazing place to be and only get better!
Hope Squad will meet the first and third Friday of each month during their lunch.