C4Y Boise Engages Hope Squads to Strengthen Youth Connection

Communities for Youth staff member listens to senior high school Hope Squad members share their ideas and suggestions

Last month, members of the C4Y Boise coalition hosted student listening sessions at the annual junior and senior high Hope Squad Summits for Boise Schools. The junior high summit took place on January 13th and welcomed students from East, Hillside, Riverglen, North, Le Bois, West, Fairmont, and South. High school students from Borah, Timberline, Boise, and Capital High gathered for their own summit on January 23rd.

During these listening sessions, students broke into groups to review and discuss the top four risk and protective factors influencing student depression rates at their specific school. The listening sessions created space for honest dialogue, shared learning, and a solutions-focused approach. The insights and feedback students shared will also help the C4Y Boise team and school partners in developing upstream prevention strategies to strengthen youth mental health and well-being.

Communities for Youth Executive Director, Dr. Megan Smith, engages with junior high Hope Squad members during a listening session

This winter and spring, C4Y Boise will be continuing their support for individual schools and student groups wanting to contribute to upstream prevention through activities including:

• Utilizing school-specific data to create plans that support students' well-being.

• Offering youth presentations and guided discussions focused on youth social connection and other upstream prevention topics.

• Providing continued youth listening session opportunities.

If you have any questions or would like to get involved in the current work of the Communities for Youth Boise Initiative, please contact Community Lead Heather Allan at HAllan@cdh.idaho.gov.

For more information on the Communities for Youth Boise Initiative, please visit our main page or sign up for our newsletter.