Shenandoah Hope Squad hosts Hope Walk

Shenandoah High School students, staff and community members are taking a hike Friday--in support of mental wellness.

‍

For the second year in a row, the high school is staging a "Hope Walk" at 2 p.m. Members of the SHS Hope Squad are the event's organizers. Lidia Gomez is among the organization's members. Speaking on KMA's "Talk of the Town" program, Gomez says the walk is designed to raise awareness of suicide prevention and mental wellness.

‍

"The Hope Squad is a peer-to-peer suicide prevention program designed to help identify students and assist their peers who may be struggling with mental health issues," said Gomez. "So, really like, the Hope Walk brings together everyone in the community, and showing that there's always someone to help, and someone you can always talk to."

‍

Another Hope Squad member, Precious Verdonck, says the event also focuses on inclusiveness.

‍

"As a Hope Squad member, our goal is to try to include everybody," said Verdonck, "and make everyone feel included, and feel safe. We share optimism, and try our best to make them feel happy."

‍

Shenandoah High At Risk Interventionist Natalie Denton says another of the Hope Squad's goals is to break the stigma surrounding student mental health issues.

‍

"The more students, even staff, are comfortable talking to people, and help them get the support that they need--whether it's through a trusted adult or someone at school," said Denton. "We're here to guide students. The Hope Squad members, they are not counselors. They're trained for that. There's curriculum that we do every week. They are here to refer to us, or refer to a trusted adult."

‍

SHS students and staff Friday are urged to wear yellow in support of the suicide prevention, or red in honor of National Education Week. Statistics from the Center for Disease Control indicate suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth ages 10-17 years old.

‍

Originally published at https://www.kmaland.com/news/shs-hope-walk-slated-friday/article_1d34bc65-f1ed-4d4c-ac0a-b3b804b319e6.html