ASMSA, coalition partner on Sources of Strength program

Training will take place this month at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts to implement an internationally recognized suicide prevention and comprehensive wellness program.

The school partnered with the Garland County Suicide Prevention Coalition and a number of other agencies to pilot the Sources of Strength program in Arkansas. Trainers will travel from Colorado for separate sessions with adults from the school and the community, as well as students selected by school leadership.

“It is really hard to find youth programming and this is very unique in that it is comprehensive wellness,” said coalition Chairwoman Susie Reece. “A lot of the youth programming we have come in contact with is on one specific issue and this really encompasses everything.”

Penny Lock, assistant dean for counseling services, said the school is proactive in its pursuit of ways to support students, who live at the school. She said ASMSA often presents the first experiences for its students to live away from their parents and support groups.

“I think any resources we can give them to help them make the adjustment or transition to being physically away from their families and their communities that they know is a great resource,” Lock said.

Sources of Strength was developed in North Dakota in 1998 by Mark LoMurray in partnership with rural communities and several North Plains tribes. The program expanded from 2000-04 in a statewide collaborative effort to train more than 7,500 teenagers and young adults. It is now offered in partnership with hundreds of middle schools and high schools

across the country, universities, community centers, faith-based groups, detention centers, military branches, the Young Men’s Christian Association and various groups for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning community.

The American Association of Public Health’s epidemiology section awarded the project the national Public Health Practice Award in 2005. Sources of Strength was listed on the National Best Practices Registry by the Suicide Prevention Resource Center and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in 2009. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a branch of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, listed the program on its National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices in 2011.

Sources of Strength programs are currently in operation in about 20 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Australia, Canada, Uganda and in partnership with several Native American tribes. It is recognized as a best-practice youth suicide prevention project designed to utilize peer social networks to change unhealthy norms and culture and strengthen multiple sources of support for students.

A diverse group of peer leaders are chosen to positively impact a wide range of cliques within a school or community. About 50 student leaders will be chosen by Lock, ASMSA Director Corey Alderdice and other school leaders to take part in the second day of training. The first group will consist mostly of juniors.

“You engage all of these different leaders from all of these different groups and they build community, bonds and relationships,” Reece said. “More than that, they know the language and they know the key images and phrases that stick out to them and their specific population within the school setting. They can then create public health campaigns that promote positive messaging and positive health.”

“They will know how to use some resources if they hear a student talking a certain way or having some issues,” Lock said. “They will know how to refer that student to an adult or to certain resources.”

Sources of Strength is an ongoing program. Bases level costs are $5,000 per school, team or group.

Costs can include training sessions, support for stakeholders, ongoing support for teams, web-based resources, print materials and templates. Technical assistance is also provided with monthly teleconference support, planning materials and other resources.

The Arkansas Department of Health is funding the implementation of the program at ASMSA with an interest in expanding the program throughout the state for specific subpopulations. Coalition members and various interested parties throughout the local community and the state will attend the first day of training for adult advisers.

Reece led a presentation for ASMSA officials about four months ago. Planning for involvement of all of the contributing organizations has delayed the implementation until now.

“They were very interested from day one and then it was just a matter of finding the right time for everyone because we have a lot of different agencies involved in this,” Reece said.

A handful of adult advisers are selected to mentor a peer leader team. According to Sources of Strength, adult advisers can be school counselors, teachers, youth workers, pastors, spiritual leaders and often are a mix of school staff and community adults with high relational connectivity with students.

“We are requesting anyone interested in becoming trained as a trainer sit in on one of these initial sessions,” Reece said.

Peer leaders are trained to use their network of friends to have one-on-one conversations, lead peer-to-peer presentations, develop video or digital messages, and develop a poster or public service announcement about the steps of “hope, help, strength.” According to Sources of Strength, it is often initiated as three- to sixmonth project, but is designed as a multiyear project with ongoing peer messaging and contacts growing over time.

“I think any resources we can provide our students, as far as having someone to talk to when they need it and being able to address any issues they may have, I think is good,” Lock said. “I think it is just an additional resource that will be available to the students outside of what they may already have.”

The training is designed to focus on strengths and fun activities. Some peer teams meet as often as once per week and all are encouraged to complete several recommended strategies.

They are taught to use “hope, help, strength” messaging instead of negative themes. Peer teams are encouraged to share and learn from other creative efforts detailed by others across the country through the Sources of Strength social media accounts. The second year of the program includes the nomination and recruitment of new teams often led by peer leaders from the previous school year.