The mission of the SRMS Hope Squad

Earlier this week, a group of students from San Rafael Middle School stood before 500 attendees at the Hope Squad Regional Conference at Mountainview High School in Orem. Under the guidance of Nikki Cooksey, the 16 students were there to help represent a mission that has a life saving connection.

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The Hope Squad was founded in 2004 in Utah and has made its way across the U.S. and can now be found in over 1,600 schools. When Nikki Cooksey started to work for the San Rafael Middle School, she saw a need for the squad. She oversaw a Hope Squad at a previous school and knew the middle school would benefit from a Hope Squad.

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The Hope Squad is a suicide prevention program that is made up of peer nominated students to help look after their fellow classmates and friends that may be struggling. When asked what the mission for the Hope Squad was at SRMS, Cooksey said, “The squad’s mission is to reach out to those struggling students. Peers have the eyes and ears where teachers don’t and are able to connect and support when teachers can’t.”

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The Hope Squad is a peer nominated program. At the beginning of the year, the school passes out a form and students are asked to list three friends that they feel most comfortable with. After the forms are received, the names that are most mentioned are selected to be reviewed by the principal and then a Hope Squad is formed.

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Cooksey has been an integral part of bringing the Hope Squad to San Rafael Middle School. Cooksey and the assistant advisor Jessica Greenhalgh love working with the students and have touched many lives over the last year or so. When the world feels challenging it can often feel isolating and lonely. The Hope Squad is a reminder that there is always someone aware and alert to the needs of others and ready to listen, even right in the classroom. More information on the Hope Squad can be found at www.hopesquad.com.

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Originally published at https://etvnews.com/articles/youth-education/the-mission-of-the-srms-hope-squad/