Hope begins here
Where hope grows.
Hope Squad is a comprehensive, schoolwide prevention system that gives students the structure, skills, and trusted adults to turn peer connection into mental health intervention. Together, we build cultures of belonging, early support, and hope.
our story
Provo Beginnings
Hope Squad began in Provo, Utah, from a conviction that students often see the signs first: a friend confides in them, a classmate’s behavior changes, or someone they care about quietly gives away something they love. In 2004, educators and community leaders built a program to ensure those students would know what to do and where to turn. Hope Squad Members are selected by their peers and guided by Advisors to recognize distress, build real connection, and guide classmates to trusted adults and professional help—so no student carries a crisis alone.
Utah County Hope Task Force
Hope Squad works through three evidence-based pillars: mental health knowledge and skills, prevention education and practice, and culture change through systems of support. The program fits alongside a school’s existing safety, wellness, and student-support systems, embedding prevention into daily life and creating more opportunities for belonging and early support.
Utah County Hope Task Force
The HOPE Approach® equips student leaders to keep their Heads Up, Offer support, Provide information, and Empower peers. Students learn to notice signs of concern, listen with compassion, share resources and clear pathways to help, and stay connected to trusted adults and their community.
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Our Reach
What began in one Provo, Utah high school in 2004 now reaches more than 2,000 schools in 46 states. In 2025–26, Hope Squad impacted 1,206,400 students, trained 64,480 Members in The HOPE Approach®, and connected 14,560 students to help for suicide concerns. In a recent administrator survey, 100% said Hope Squad contributes to a safer school environment.
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