Youth suicide prevention program gives local students the tools to intervene

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people in the U.S. A national organization called Hope Squad is guiding local schools as they tackle the problem. Recently, SPR's Audrey Nelson went to find out more about the program’s work in Eastern Washington.

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Kirsten Fuchs believes “suicide” shouldn’t be a dirty word.

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KIRSTEN FUCHS: "Everyone has been affected, and it is not scary for us to talk about mental health with young people. They are aware of what's happening in their own brains."

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Fuchs is with Education Service District 101, a network of school districts across Eastern Washington. She oversees substance abuse and suicide prevention programs — so she’s witnessed the youth mental health crisis firsthand.

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KF: "It sucks being a teen right now in 2026. It sucks being an adult."

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According to the most recent data, more than 40% of U.S. high school students reported feeling persistently sad or hopeless in the past year. Twenty percent of students seriously considered attempting suicide during that time.

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Suicide remains the second leading cause of death for U.S. kids ages 10 to 14.

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Collin Treppiedi is a senior at Lewis and Clark High School in Spokane. He says he’s struggled with depression and anxiety for much of his life.

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When he was 14 years old, his peers nominated him for a brand-new program: Hope Squad.

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COLLIN TREPPIEDI: "Going into my freshman year of high school, it’s the first time we’d ever done it. And the past four years, we’ve been a strong group of kids trying to help with mental health."

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Hope Squad is a national, school-based program that teaches students to support peers struggling with their mental health.

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Fuchs says nominated students meet regularly with adult advisors to learn skills like active listening, crisis intervention and community building.

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KF: "And so we walk them through this really great framework called the Hope Framework. Heads up, offer support, provide information and empower your peers."

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A recent Hope Squad retreat in Spokane drew more than 300 middle and high school students from 14 participating schools. Treppiedi and his peers mingled, practiced Hope Squad elevator pitches and listened to a keynote speech on mental health.

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Kimber Erickson is the co-founder of Kellen CARES, a mental health nonprofit. She helped bring Hope Squad to Spokane in 2023.

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She says the program’s peer-to-peer model impressed her from the start.

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KIMBER ERICKSON: "If it’s a staff-based program, I think it’s just not as effective. It doesn't engage the kids as much. It doesn't help those kids that are really struggling know where to go."

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But the peer system can be a tough sell. Kirsten Fuchs says she does sometimes hear from parents who worry it places an extra emotional burden on their kids.

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KF: “'I don't want my kid to be awake at 3 a.m. talking my friend off the ledge.' And I have to be honest and say they're doing that, they're doing that. But I would rather have a student do that with the tools knowing what they can do."

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It’s hard to say for certain — but based on data from referral surveys, Fuchs believes Hope Squad has prevented multiple youth suicides across the region.

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She recalls one success story: a middle school boy whose friend sent him a concerning Snapchat message.

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KF: "In the middle of the night, you know, just, like, at night, like — and he goes to his mom and says, 'My Hope Squad referral process tells me I'm supposed to do this, Mom.' And he called the crisis line. They got adults involved. And he potentially saved his friend's life. And that’s exactly what we want."

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Part of the reason Fuchs is so passionate about this work is because she remembers being a teen dealing with suicidal thoughts.

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Back then, she felt like she had no one to talk to, no one who understood her.

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Now, she sees it as her responsibility to help today’s teenagers feel differently.

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If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, call or text 9-8-8.

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Originally published at https://www.spokanepublicradio.org/podcast/spr-news-today/2026-10-07/youth-suicide-prevention-program-gives-local-students-the-tools-to-intervene