Alaska has the highest suicide rate in the country. When teens in small, remote villages take their lives, the whole community feels the loss. In White Mountain, AK (pop. 207), two teens have committed suicide in the past several years, prompting a team of students and adults to design a prevention campaign that they have brought to every resident of their village and other villages in Alaska's Seward Peninsula. Through interviews with those who have experienced the impact of depression and suicide first hand, plus mental health experts, they have examined the questions: What contributes to teen suicide in village like ours and what can we do about it? What are the warning signs? How does it affect the community? How can we help people to cope with the loss of a loved one? Below you will find their answers.

The students call themselves the H.O.P.E. team, which stands for Hearing people out, Offering options, Planning what comes next, and Encouraging each other to keep living.

Team H.O.P.E. Team Members (L to R): Ron Harrelson, Jenna Fagundes, Sara Morris, and Denise Haviland

Our letter introducing the project to other Alaskan villages

Our interview questions and our pre and post-survey [PDF]

Excerpts from our video

Our brochure [PDF]

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