East Idaho schools work to prevent teen suicide

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - East Idaho schools are working to prevent teen suicide through the Hope Squad.

Bonneville School District 93 joined the program in 2017 after the tragic loss of three students. Hope Squad master trainer Lori Baldwin says she saw a change within the first year of joining the program.

"We had I call close to 100 referrals by our whole pop squad members and out of those we had probably almost ten that the adults had no idea that these students were struggling and they were actually hospitalized," Baldwin said. "So changing the mindset of our students, of looking for looking out for their peers, suicide warnings. So it's just a great program."

Hope Squad counselors believe students have a better understanding of who in their school is struggling. Each squad member was nominated by their peers for being empathetic and understanding.

 Now, they train to recognize the body language, emotions, and signs of someone struggling with depression.

Senior Nick Larsen has been a member of the Squad since middle school. He says the small skills you pick up are what make the biggest difference.

"Something that really helps is just the people skills to be able to go to people and talk to them. Sometimes it's nothing big. Sometimes someone's not suicidal, they're just having an off day and things just keep going wrong. They just need time to sit there and talk to them," Larsen said.

Madison Owen joined Hope Squad in her sophomore year and now serves as an intern on the organization's national council. She says the program helped her recognize the signs of depression in her good friend and knew how to react.

"Immediately after the counselor had checked up on him, he came to me and he was like, 'the counselor wouldn't tell me. I don't know if it was you that told her that I was struggling." He says, "but thank you much for reaching out. I'm really fine. I was just having a bad day. But it means so much that someone like took that time to just make sure that I was doing okay.' And that for me it was my moment where thought this actually works I really am making a difference," Owen said.

 Now, students in Madison and Rigby's school districts have joined the program as well. Councilor Sara Colson says it shows how the culture surrounding mental health and depression is changing in the area.

"We saw a huge, shift at Bonneville when kids not even in hopes but knew that they could come in and say, 'Hey, I've noticed a change in my friend. Something was just a little off.' ...Even those who weren't training were hooked because they knew that's what we did in our school. If someone struggling, we're watching out for each other," Colson said.