Hope Squad

Spreading hope at Cape & Islands schools

Teal watercolor background with the text, "Seniors Grief Group: A place to share your experiences with loss and meet peers who understand your journey."

Hope Squad is a peer-to-peer suicide prevention program that reduces youth suicide risk through education, training and peer intervention. Hope Squad members are nominated by their classmates as trustworthy peers and trained by advisors.

Sharing Kindness is proud to offer support and funding for this evidence-based program at Cape & Islands schools. To date, eight schools have received the Holding Hope Award, honoring the lives of Jeremy, Nicholas, Anders/Addison and Noah — four beloved local high school students who died by suicide — for the purpose of starting their own Hope Squads. These include:

Falmouth High School
Lawrence School
Monomoy Regional High School
Cape Cod Regional Technical High School
Nauset Regional High School
Barnstable High School
St. John Paul II School
Bourne High School

Why it’s important:

  • From 2007-2021, the suicide rate among young people ages 10-24 rose by 62% (NCHS).
  • Students’ mental health can affect their academic performance (SAMHSA).
  • A student suicide can significantly impact other students and the entire school community (SAMHSA).

Hope Squad has a positive impact on school culture.

In their own words, “Hope Squad promotes connectedness, supports anti-bullying, encourages mental wellness, reduces mental health stigma and prevents substance misuse, all to create a safe school environment for all students.”

Studies have shown the following changes, among others, in schools after implementing Hope Squad programs:

  • Less suicide-related stigma
  • More help-seeking behavior
  • More referrals of high-risk students, who received support that aligned with their risk status

Join the movement.

Interested in starting your own Hope Squad on the Cape & Islands? Contact us today to get involved!

Learn more about the program at hopesquad.com.