While Grand Junction High School students have faced many struggles, bringing their problems to adults is still challenging. To help solve this divide between students and adults GJHS has incorporated a new program, ‘Sources of Strength’. The program is made up of strong students in the high school who can reach out a helping hand to the students who need it.

“Sources of Strength  is a program that focuses on wellness and suicide prevention with teams of students and adults,” Mish Moore, a national trainer, said while visiting Grand Junction. Their goal is to make all students feel welcome in the community by providing training students to help kids with their struggles. Sources of Strength trainers travel to schools all over the country to establish these teams.

“My boss Mark Lomurray started sources of strength in the late nineties in response to high suicide rates he was seeing among teenagers in his area,” Moore said. “He felt that we were not doing enough to help students present difficult things by using strengths that we have in our life”.

The eight sources of strength have been defined as mental health, family support, positive friends, mentors, healthy activities, generosity, spirituality, and medical access. Grand Junction High School’s strength team was set in place on Nov. 5 when selected students participated in training for the duration of the day.

“The team meets a couple of times a month to carry out campaigns and events to help peers in the school be more positive and more protected. The main thing is that they are invited into living authentically and using strengths in their own lives” Moore said.

The students who are a part of this team are trained to help students retain positivity and encourage them to use their eight strengths. This team was created because adults are not always the most approachable sources of help, so peer mentors step in to help.

“I like to help other kids because i know sometimes it’s hard to go to adults to talk about things. I want to go out and reach kids and make it aware that i am here for them,” Jessica Dollar, junior, said. Dollar is one of 60 students in GJHS’ Sources of Strength program.

Students of Strength is a year-long program that is continuous throughout the school year. There will be events and campaigns throughout the year that are open to all students. This student-to-student connection establishes a judgment-free and worry-free way of getting help.

*If you are interested in joining the GJHS Students of Strength team contact Melissa Fischer in the counseling office.