Billings Middle School students build leadership skills by connecting with the community through Hope Squad

Students from Ben Steele Middle School participated in a special event at St. John's United Mission Ridge on Wednesday, February 11th. The visit was part of the "We Are Hope" leadership conference.

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Hope Squad, a peer-to-peer program, is designed to teach students to support classmates who might be struggling. More than 100 students from all six middle schools in Billings joined the two-day conference at the Lincoln Center. On day two of the conference they went out into the community to nursing homes and schools engaging with individuals of all ages. The service projects and conference helped them develop and use their leadership skills.

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Seventh grader Adyson Bostic shared her perspective on leadership, emphasizing the importance of listening. "We learn everybody's story because everyone has a story and everybody's story should be told no matter how big or small it is," Bostic said.

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Bostic found inspiration in hearing how the residents have faced challenges and emerged stronger. The residents also appreciated the interactions.

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"You hear a lot of bad things, but meeting kids like this really make me feel good and feel like there's a future in our children," said Diana Notis, a resident at St. John's United Mission Ridge.

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The event's leaders expressed their goal to instill confidence in students to lead with empathy long after the conference concludes.

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Originally published at https://www.montanarightnow.com/news/billings-middle-school-students-build-leadership-skills-by-connecting-with-the-community-through-hope-squad/article_96e64cde-5694-503d-a60c-ebb83db6b52d.html