Why a group of local residents want to bring Hope Squad to Red Wing

A study published by the Center for Rural Policy and Development found that suicides are going up in Minnesota, and that rural populations are disproportionately affected — the less dense the population, the higher and faster the suicide rate is trending.

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A few community members want to help solve the problem. Gary Iocco, Liz Magill, Rachel Marshall Schoenfelder and Craig Morris are undergoing an effort to implement Hope Squad into the Red Wing School District.

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The four are organizing a mental health event from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Monday at the Red Wing Cinema 8, which will open with a documentary, “My Ascension,” and will feature a panel discussion as well as an introduction to Hope Squad.

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Hope Squad — student-led, peer-to-peer support program — aims to curb suicide among youth. By student-led, the organization means to task peers, nominated by their classmates, to act as a support system for their class. The organization is already established in school districts across the country.

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Starting in 1997, the idea for Hope Squad came together after the Provo City School District (Utah) experienced tragedy. The school grappled with youth suicides before the program, reporting one to two per year. Dr. Gregory A. Hudnall took on an administrative role in the Provo City School District, and implemented a prevention program through crisis team establishment and suicide prevention education.

 One thing he found in his experience trying to combat youth suicide: peer support showed promise. Hudnall emphasized peer support in Hope Squad and nine years after implementation, Provo City reported zero youth suicides.

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Rachel Marshall Schoenfelder, a Red Wing School Board member who is taking on the effort in her capacity as a private citizen, said that the organization will not require taxpayer dollars to come to the district. Instead, Hope Squad will rely on private donations if it receives approval from the school district.

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“Hope Squad is a suicide prevention program that can benefit our school-age students by offering them a safety net within schools through trained peers, advisors and professionals," she said in an email. “Suicide can be prevented”.

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The Red Wing School Board heard a presentation from Magill on May 27. While the students serve as the initial contact in the event one of their peers alerts them to trouble, mental health professionals in the area — like Hiawatha Valley Mental Health, for instance — provide the heavy lift, Magill said at the meeting.

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She described how student peer supporters pass information to adults in the district, who then notify a mental health agency.

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“Mental health professionals are not trained educators; trained educators are not mental health professionals,” Magill said. “Those are two separate entities. But to be able to pass that on . . . then connect those students and those families with the vital resources that they need to help them with their mental health issues.”

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Originally published at https://www.republicaneagle.com/news/why-a-group-of-local-residents-want-to-bring-hope-squad-to-red-wing/article_2f0e7b54-d950-4a38-956d-93d0e1ac7784.html