Community Sources of Strength Training
What is Sources of Strength?
Sources of Strength is a best practice, evidence led youth mental health promotion and suicide prevention program, designed to harness the power of peer social networks to create healthy norms and culture, ultimately preventing suicide, violence, bullying, and substance misuse.
The training brings together teens (peer leaders) in partnership with caring adults (adult advisors) and uses a fun-filled style of active learning model centered on:
-
developing coping skills
-
finding inner strengths
-
seeking outside help
-
building connection with other peers and trusted adults
Increasing resiliency, connection, help-seeking, belonging, protective factors, and healthy coping allows us to have a much more healthy approach to prevention. This is a model where wellness is the goal and prevention is the outcome.
School Sources of Strength Training
Having piloted this program in two Loudoun County high schools in 2016, we partnered with Loudoun County Public Schools to support implementation in their secondary schools. Today the program is implemented in most LCPS 34 secondary schools with our support and training is offered annually.
How does the School program work?
Every year each school identifies student members through staff, student, parent, and community recommendations and represents a diverse sample of peer leaders within their school. A dedicated group of adult advisors support the program at each school that include teachers, School Resource Officers (SROs), and school-based mental health staff - such as school counselors, school social workers, and school psychologists.
The Sources of Strength group meets regularly and throughout the school year create student-led campaigns to influence their peer networks with hope, help and strength messages, designed to address the eight pillars of strength: family support, positive friends, mentors, healthy activities, generosity, spirituality, physical health, and mental health.
Community Sources of Strength Training
In order to expand the positive influence of this program into all corners of the community, the Ryan Bartel Foundation offers a community version of the same training to any teen and adult who can't benefit from the direct training at school, The training covers the majority of the curriculum over 3-4 instead of 5-6 hours, and is led by a certified trainer and adult advisors already trained in the program.
Who is this training suitable for?
All youth groups outside of school such as athletic groups, scout troops, youth leadership groups and others, plus all the adults working with these youth groups benefit from this training as it provides a foundation for how to build resilience into your life, and the lives of those around you.
How to book your community training
Group bookings for both adults and teens are available for a minimum of 15 attendees.
To learn more or book your training, please CONTACT US.