Hope Squad is a club at the High School that focuses on suicide prevention and mental health awareness. Led by senior Audrey Buchanan, and advised by Samantha Walsh, the Hope Squad was created in early 2017. 

The original goal of the club was to create a safe environment at school, where students feel free to talk to peer leaders about personal problems and issues while developing skills to help others who may also be struggling. The club creates a safe, judgment-free environment for students to discuss mental health and mental illness.

Nowadays, their target goal has changed. Hope squads members act as the eyes and ears of the school, trained to watch for at-risk students and students who may be struggling. Therefore, their main goal is to reduce youth suicide, self-harm, and bullying by training and peer-to-peer intervention.

Back in 2017 when the club was formed, they only had roughly 40 members. Today, the club has significantly grown and now has a standing number of just over 100 members.

The Park City Prospector sat down with Audrey Buchanan, an original member, and the current board president.

“I was on the board when the club first started in 2017, was co-president last year, and became president this year,” Buchanan explained. “I became president because I believe this club has the unique opportunity to affect and assist the student body as a whole.”

Like every other club, members get club credit by showing up to scheduled meetings. Specifically in Hope Squad, other activities include QPR training, teachings, and activities throughout the school year. The club meets every red Tuesday, during both lunches in the counseling office. Joining the club is as simple as texting or emailing Buchanan. 

QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer, which is a mandatory system that club members have to learn. This system of 3 simple steps is meant to save someone having suicidal thoughts, QPR is also taught in sophomore health class. 

When asked how the Hope Squad raises awareness around the school, Audrey responded, “We hold a school-wide suicide prevention/mental health awareness spirit week later on in the year. The school-wide suicide prevention/mental health awareness week is a very important event we do; we provide SafeUT cards and information, as well as further opportunities to get involved.”

They also promote small projects around the school such as kindness walls, feel-good messages, etc.

One of the main reasons PCHS created the Hope Squad is due to the daunting fact that Utah has the highest rate of teen suicide in the nation. The original Hope Squad started in 2005 in Provo Utah. Nowadays, it’s been instilled in high schools in more than 16 states throughout the country.  

Provo High school used to average about 1-2 suicides per year. Suicide prevention expert Dr. Greg Hudnall implemented a peer-to-peer Hope Squad, by training a small group of students to identify suicide-warning signs in their peers, and alert adults to those signs. Hudnall has since founded HOPE4UTAH on the proven success of the peer-to-peer Hope Squad model that he pioneered in the Provo City School District.

Greg Hudnall is now the Executive Director of HOPE4UTAH (Utah’s Hope Squad). He has been a suicide prevention specialist in Utah schools and communities for over 20 years. His expertise is not only based in Utah but nationally as well, specifically in high levels of government. His team is made up of many prevention specialists and suicide speakers. 

Along with the Hope Squad, another tool used for mental health awareness and suicide prevention is the SafeUT app. The Safe UT Crisis and Tip Line app provide 24/7 access to crisis counseling and bystander reporting for students and their guardians that live in the state of Utah. 

“I wanted to join the Hope Squad because I want to be able to help those that are depressed, or even suicidal,” Said senior Hailey Lebold, an active member of Hope Squad. “I want to help those who are asking for help.” She also mentioned, “We’re always looking for new people to join!”

Call 1-800-273-TALK is an at-risk number given out by the Hope Squad, for anyone struggling to talk to a trained mental health professional. The national suicide hotline is 1-800-273-8255. 

For any student or any person struggling at Park City High School, know that the Hope Squad is always there to help.