Mental health is a relatively new topic of discussion—the importance of mental well-being has only recently begun to become recognized on a large-scale. As this mental health revolution progresses, schools across the country are finding ways to support students inside and outside of the classroom. Hope Squad, a student-led network of clubs across the United States, is a leading force in this awakening.

I talked with the president of Hope Squad at West, Cash Mendenhall, to learn about the importance of what the club does. “Hope Squad is a grassroots club with the objective of suicide prevention and raising awareness of mental health in the West High community,” says Cash. He explains that the club seeks to raise awareness about mental health issues while lowering the stigma surrounding these issues. The club does this by providing resources to students and the broader community through informative meetings and events featuring guest speakers. These events primarily focus on community outreach. Hope Squad’s biggest event is Hope Week in April. Throughout the week, they host activities during lunch that aim to lower the hazardous stigma encircling mental health and provide students with accessible resources.

Hope Squad’s mission is critical. “Suicide is a leading cause of death for people in our age group in the country, but the state of Utah has a particularly abysmal number, [making suicide a] fatal issue for students our age,”  explained Cash. “Making sure that our community is well-provided for and well-informed on the stigmas around mental health and the ways we can help, not only ourselves but […] others,” is Hope Squad’s key objective.

Cash encouraged everyone who seeks “to help their community, […] and provide resources for themselves and their friends, to make sure that they are well informed, well educated, and well prepared on mental health issues” to join Hope Squad. If you are interested in joining, the club holds meetings every other Friday. Additionally, they have an Instagram account and email list that you can keep up with if you are unable to meet in person. Cash remarked: “There is definitely a place for you. We have a variety of work from social media engagement to event planning, scheduling guest speakers, and making flyers […] If you are at all interested, we encourage you to come to C408 or reach out to us on Instagram to get involved.”

Mental health is a relatively new topic of discussion—the importance of mental well-being has only recently begun to become recognized on a large-scale. As this mental health revolution progresses, schools across the country are finding ways to support students inside and outside of the classroom. Hope Squad, a student-led network of clubs across the United States, is a leading force in this awakening.

I talked with the president of Hope Squad at West, Cash Mendenhall, to learn about the importance of what the club does. “Hope Squad is a grassroots club with the objective of suicide prevention and raising awareness of mental health in the West High community,” says Cash. He explains that the club seeks to raise awareness about mental health issues while lowering the stigma surrounding these issues. The club does this by providing resources to students and the broader community through informative meetings and events featuring guest speakers. These events primarily focus on community outreach. Hope Squad’s biggest event is Hope Week in April. Throughout the week, they host activities during lunch that aim to lower the hazardous stigma encircling mental health and provide students with accessible resources.

Hope Squad’s mission is critical. “Suicide is a leading cause of death for people in our age group in the country, but the state of Utah has a particularly abysmal number, [making suicide a] fatal issue for students our age,”  explained Cash. “Making sure that our community is well-provided for and well-informed on the stigmas around mental health and the ways we can help, not only ourselves but […] others,” is Hope Squad’s key objective.

Cash encouraged everyone who seeks “to help their community, […] and provide resources for themselves and their friends, to make sure that they are well informed, well educated, and well prepared on mental health issues” to join Hope Squad. If you are interested in joining, the club holds meetings every other Friday. Additionally, they have an Instagram account and email list that you can keep up with if you are unable to meet in person. Cash remarked: “There is definitely a place for you. We have a variety of work from social media engagement to event planning, scheduling guest speakers, and making flyers […] If you are at all interested, we encourage you to come to C408 or reach out to us on Instagram to get involved.”

Mental health is a relatively new topic of discussion—the importance of mental well-being has only recently begun to become recognized on a large-scale. As this mental health revolution progresses, schools across the country are finding ways to support students inside and outside of the classroom. Hope Squad, a student-led network of clubs across the United States, is a leading force in this awakening.

I talked with the president of Hope Squad at West, Cash Mendenhall, to learn about the importance of what the club does. “Hope Squad is a grassroots club with the objective of suicide prevention and raising awareness of mental health in the West High community,” says Cash. He explains that the club seeks to raise awareness about mental health issues while lowering the stigma surrounding these issues. The club does this by providing resources to students and the broader community through informative meetings and events featuring guest speakers. These events primarily focus on community outreach. Hope Squad’s biggest event is Hope Week in April. Throughout the week, they host activities during lunch that aim to lower the hazardous stigma encircling mental health and provide students with accessible resources.

Hope Squad’s mission is critical. “Suicide is a leading cause of death for people in our age group in the country, but the state of Utah has a particularly abysmal number, [making suicide a] fatal issue for students our age,”  explained Cash. “Making sure that our community is well-provided for and well-informed on the stigmas around mental health and the ways we can help, not only ourselves but […] others,” is Hope Squad’s key objective.

Cash encouraged everyone who seeks “to help their community, […] and provide resources for themselves and their friends, to make sure that they are well informed, well educated, and well prepared on mental health issues” to join Hope Squad. If you are interested in joining, the club holds meetings every other Friday. Additionally, they have an Instagram account and email list that you can keep up with if you are unable to meet in person. Cash remarked: “There is definitely a place for you. We have a variety of work from social media engagement to event planning, scheduling guest speakers, and making flyers […] If you are at all interested, we encourage you to come to C408 or reach out to us on Instagram to get involved.”