Ivy Tech Community College has received a $10,350 grant from Heritage Fund – The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County. School officials say the grant will be used to teach Ivy Tech Columbus and IUPUC students how to intervene in and prevent possible suicidal threats by peers.
“Hope Squad” is a peer-to-peer program designed to train students how to provide outreach to students in distress with a direct connection to the local mental health system. Ivy Tech says that members of the Hope Squad work together with college counseling staff and mentor advisors who assist in triaging to emergency operations or mental health as appropriate. Additionally, Ivy Tech will be using what is called “suicide gatekeeper” training in the community and at the college to provide skills and knowledge about suicide risk factors, how to respond to someone in distress, and how to assist them in seeking help.
“Heritage Fund appreciates the opportunity to support this important program,” said Tracy Souza, Heritage Fund President and CEO. “We are impressed by the collaboration involved and grateful to IUPUC and Ivy Tech Columbus for coming together to bring peer-to-peer suicide prevention training to our community.”
Ivy Tech says that the Hope Squad program is taught as a curriculum so that students learn the fundamentals of peer support, a deeper understanding of mental health and suicide, and how to become more active in teaching and training their fellow students and reaching out to the community.
“We want to educate and empower our students to help their peers find the guidance and strength they need to navigate through their challenges,” said Therese Copeland, Ivy Tech Executive Director of Resource Development. “The Hope Squad program will enable Ivy Tech and IUPUC to actively engage students with effective peer-to-peer suicide prevention and intervention training. We sincerely appreciate the generosity of the Heritage Fund – The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County for their support in this important initiative.”
School officials say the program will begin this fall with the start of the 2017 academic year.