Sources of Strength creates bonds within school community to foster mental health

Many wheels surround the school: marking teachers doors, classrooms, and adorning the hallways. But, these wheels are not simply for show. They are a symbol of the “Sources of Strength” movement, one aimed at improving mental health and preventing suicide in teenagers.  

Sources of Strength founder Mark Lomurray, while working in juvenile justice as the head of the Police Youth Bureau in North Dakota, was involved in statewide intervention and crisis response with teenagers and their families. At the time, 1990’s North Dakota, where Murray resides, had some of the highest teen suicide fatality rates. Although Sources of Strength as a movement was founded in 1998, this movement is still prevalent and important to not only West, but to schools nationwide in taking preventative measures to end suicide among teenagers as the program helps to shed light on certain resources for students throughout the school. 

Teacher representative and Spanish teacher Alyssa Gauthier believes it is important to not misrepresent the movement, as it is much more than a simple club or activity throughout the school: it can hopefully bring comfort and support to students who may be struggling.

“It’s not a club, it’s considered a movement that we want to promote within the school to help people know that they’re not alone. It’s an idea and a message,” she said. 

Similarly, junior student representative Haven Nagy views the purpose of Sources of Strength in a broader sense, as its mission is hopefully achieved in decreasing the rates of crisis as a country.

 “Sources of Strength’s mission is to help alleviate stress and decrease suicide and depression rates nationwide,” she said. 

According to Sourcesofstrength.org, their mission is to “provide exceptional training and curriculum for youth and adults, utilizing a strength-based and upstream approach to mental health promotion and prevention of adverse outcomes like suicide, violence, bullying, and substance misuse.” A major objective of this movement is to stop crisis points in relation to mental health in schools before they happen and not when they do.

Gauthier recognizes this specific goal of Sources of Strength as it helps to prevent students from reaching a point where they are in dire need of help.

“The goal of SOS is to not be reactive but to be more preventative,” she said. “It’s preventative in trying to build these kids up and become aware of things in their lives before they reach a point of crisis.” 

Additionally, Nagy recognizes the comfortability that SOS and its measures may provide for students in need that may be hesitant to go into the counseling office and say that something is wrong. 

“SOS provides connections to helpful resources for those scared to take the first initial step like making an appointment with the counseling office,” she said 

The main symbol of SOS is all of the pieces of the wheel: medical access, spirituality, generosity, healthy activities, mentors, positive friends, family support, and mental health. All of these things may not be available to students. This wheel and the resources that it encompasses allows for a concentrated example of the places students can go to if they are struggling. 

Gauthier sees the importance of this wheel and the resources that it provides, agreeing that some of these strengths are not always taken into account. 

“It provides all the resources of the wheel, helping them recognize that they have mentors that they didn’t know they could go to,” she said. “Mentors and spirituality and all that is encompassed by spirituality, generosity is also something that students don’t necessarily recognize, being generous to yourself and how that can help their mental health.” 

Being a peer leader is an integral part of Sources of Strength as a movement and tool for students. It not only helps to create resources that are more accessible to students because they are coming from their peers, it also allows for a broader support network pertaining to sources of strength. 

Nagy provides her specific perspective and role in Sources of Strength as a student representative or peer leader, especially with reaching out to students on a school level to create a safer environment for those with mental health issues. 

“Personally, I help orchestrate our campaigns that you may have seen around West. Another simple aspect of being an SOS peer leader is showing general acts of kindness. Doing this might change someone’s outlook on life and encourage them to find happiness,” she said.

Overall, Sources of Strength is a resource given to students to help them to understand they are not alone. Teachers, in general, according to Gauthier, want nothing more than to help their students. Sources of Strength helps to educate students of resources and teachers of ways to handle mental health. 

“I definitely think it makes students more comfortable with asking for help. With our campaigns, we try to let students know that certain teachers are here for you. Like with the school wide ‘who is your person’, the students can identify who they can go to,” she said. 

Gauthier explains more clearly that teachers are there to help, and that their doors are always open. 

“I just hope that they know that we as teachers are okay with them reaching out, we would love that and we want to be here for you.”

by Anika Flores

Published January 29 2024

Oshkosh West Index volume 120 issue IV