by Kristi Lipp, Weston County Prevention Specialist
There’s a story that we like to tell in the world of prevention and it’s about a woman who lives in a community that sits alongside a river that spills into a waterfall. Every morning, she takes a walk alongside the river and one day she hears a shout. She realizes that someone has fallen into the river, is caught up in the current, and is in danger of going over the waterfall. She dives into the water, scoops them up and pulls them back to shore. She does CPR and a life is saved. The community is grateful that the woman was in the right place at the right time. The next day, the woman goes for her walk along the river, and once again she hears some shouting. Another person has fallen into the river and is in danger of going over the falls. Once again, she jumps in and pulls them to safety. It is at this point that the community realizes they must do something. They put up watch towers, hire lifeguards and train the entire community in CPR. Still, their efforts aren’t enough to keep everyone from getting caught in the current and going over the waterfall. Finally, one day the woman starts walking upstream. The community asks “Where are you going? We need you here!” It is then that the woman responds, “I’m going upstream to see if I can keep people from falling in the river in the first place.”
Most of the time when we talk about suicide prevention, we are describing intervention. Intervention at those waterfall moments when the current of life has swept someone up and they are at risk of going over the falls. Intervention is crucial to saving lives. It is important that we are educated on risk factors and warning signs, that we train people to identify individuals at risk and in crisis and that we raise awareness about mental health resources. Moving upstream to help people from falling in the first place and building resiliency so folks can get out of the water before they reach the falls is also a vital part of suicide prevention. Waterfall moments can look like a lot of things, not just suicidal thoughts. For example, they can look like dropping out of school, developing an addiction, or an act of violence. Increasing strength and protective factors, healthy coping skills and belonging so that people don’t get to a crisis, or waterfall moment, in the first place is suicide prevention at its core. In Weston County, this looks like a lot of things, but one in particular, is a program called Sources of Strength.
Sources of Strength is a suicide prevention and mental health promotion program. Sources empowers Peer Leaders and trusted Adult Advisors to drive the efforts of building belonging and connection within a school and community. What really makes Sources different is that it is a STRENGTH-BASED, upstream approach to preventing negative outcomes while promoting well-being, help-seeking, resilience, healthy coping, and a sense of belonging. We all know that we aren’t going to make it through life without going through some tough stuff and Sources helps ensure that youth and adults alike have resources to rely on during difficult times. In fact, the wheel that is at the heart of Sources of Strength was developed after the founder, Mark LoMurray, asked hundreds of people who had gone through difficult things, “What helped you get through that?” The wheel is what they described. It is what resiliency looks like. Each one of the eight strengths (Family Support, Positive Friends, Mentors, Healthy Activities, Generosity, Spirituality, Physical Health and Mental Health) can be expressed through personal experience, identities, history and personal stories. Strength looks different to everyone. The wheel is really a framework that helps people to reflect and share their stories of strength.
The model of Sources of Strength consists of a diverse group of Peer Leaders and Adult Advisors working together to practice, build and share a community of strength through strategic messaging campaigns to create a positive climate and culture across a school or community. Sources is peer led because the voices of young people have power and impact. Our attitudes, behaviors, and norms spread through social networks and when those attitudes, behaviors and norms are positive, they play a protective role in our social networks. Caring and connected Adult Advisors combined with influential Peer Leaders can spark a movement of health and strength across a school and community.
Sources of Strength has been an active part of our community prevention efforts for the past eight years in Weston County. Currently, both Newcastle High School and Upton High School have active Peer Leader groups. In the first two weeks of September, we had a National Sources of Strength Trainer come to our communities to provide a full day of fun, games and training to our Peer Leaders and Adult Advisors in each school. Between the two schools, 47 students participated in the Peer Leader training. These students, as well as others who couldn’t attend, were nominated because of their influence and sway among their diverse peer groups in their respective schools. Those students were joined by 12 trusted adults, including staff and community members from each school and community. Peer Leaders and Adult Advisors meet regularly to practice and share a community of strength and to create and plan school wide campaigns that promote strength and encourage the student body to share their own stories of strength. We share the work these young people are doing and the campaigns they use to spread hope, help and strength on our social media pages. So, I encourage you to follow 21 Wellness Coalition on Facebook and Instagram to see what they are up to and check out www.sourcesofstrength.org to learn more about Sources of Strength.
After over 20 years in the field of prevention, I am completely aware that programs don’t transform people and communities, relationships do. I wholeheartedly believe in Sources of Strength because it builds relationships between young people and their peers and young people and trusted adults. They are building a foundation that will in turn build stronger communities, schools and cultures that will stand the test of time.