Sources of Strength - Round 2

This week nearly 100 Walla Walla High School and Lincoln High School students and several school staff members received training through the internationally acclaimed Sources of Strength program. Sources of Strength features 450 school teams in five countries, 26 U.S. states, three Canadian Provinces and 12 First Nation communities. This is the second year of training coordinated by Peggy Needham through grant funding and district support.

The mission of Sources of Strength is to provide the highest quality evidence-based prevention for suicide, violence, bullying and substance abuse by training, supporting, and empowering both peer leaders and caring adults to impact their world through the power of connection, hope, help and strength.

Following the training, participants should be able to:
• Communicate the importance of upstream and strength based suicide prevention;
• Facilitate a Peer Leader team in carrying out hope, help, and strength based messaging and activities that build youth-adult connectedness, break down codes of secrecy and silence, and promote early help seeking behaviors and the 8 key protective factors or strengths:
- Medical access
- Mental Health
- Family Support
- Positive Friends
- Mentors
- Healthy Activities
- Generosity
- Spirituality

Photo: Wa-Hi teacher Jason Postlewait participates in a skit during the Sources for Strength training.