Hopeful Minds for Teens Launches to Address Global Mental Health and Violence Crisis in Youth

*LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / October 10, 2023 / *The SHINE Hope Company and the International Foundation for Research and Education on Depression Hope are thrilled to announce the launch of a groundbreaking teen program, 'Hopeful Minds for Teen's' on World Mental Health Day..' This innovative program, available on Amazon, Ingram Spark, and The Shine Hope Company website, is designed to equip teenagers with essential skills to foster Hopeful Mindsets while building resilience against the prevalent concern of hopelessness among adolescents. It is a program tested and approved by teens, and with 57% of teen girls in the US alone experiencing persistent hopelessness, the time for ‘how to' hope is now.

Persistent hopelessness is often linked to adverse outcomes such as anxiety, depression, aggression, violence, and school dropout; this program is set to offer a transformative solution. Hopelessness is the single predictor of violence, a growing problem in youth across the US, and the only known predictor of gun violence is a previous history of violence, so hopelessness is the driving force.

Dr. Edward Barksdale, Jr., a pediatric trauma surgeon and the surgeon-in-chief at UH Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital/University Hospital recently spoke to NPR about his experiences operating on the same kids multiple times due to gunshot wounds. He says, "Most people see gun violence as a public safety issue, but I see it as a public health issue driven by hopelessness." He was a speaker at the International Day of Hope event, and noted that "cultivating Hopeful Minds, creating Hopeful Mindsets, and activating Hopeful Cities are all tangible strategies to decrease violence." In addition to hope being a strategy that can target violence, extensive research underscores that cultivating hope leads to improved school engagement, attendance, graduation rates, mental health, physical health, higher GPAs, enhanced social relationships, and overall well-being.

Tested and approved by teens, the 'Hopeful Minds for Teens' program is a 12-module workbook that introduces the Five Keys to SHINE Hope: *S*tress Skills, *H*appiness Habits, *I*nspired Actions, *N*ourishing Networks, and *E*liminating Challenges. This comprehensive approach empowers teens to navigate challenges, embrace positivity, and empower resilience. The workbook employs a peer-to-peer teaching style, encouraging both individual reflection and group discussions. Interactive elements such as engaging activities, games, creative expressions, worksheets, and puzzles enhance the learning experience and the program meets the National Health Education Standards.

Leeyah, one of the teen contributors, shares her experience: "I found the product to be insightful, lighthearted, and inspiring. Chock-full of visually entertaining diagrams, age-appropriate and engaging activities, as well as accurate and intriguing information on the matter of mental health! I am proud to have been a part of such an amazing and profound experience."

Kathryn Goetzke, Chief Hope Officer of The Shine Hope Company and founder of iFred, emphasizes the program's significance: "This is a program I wish I had when I was a teen, and it is everything I have learned through my lived experience, the loss of my father, my last 20 years in mental health and last 10 studying hopelessness and hope. All youth need to be taught these skills as they protect against violence, aggression, anxiety, depression, loneliness, and school dropouts, and with hopelessness at an all-time high, everyone must be taught. Hopelessness is learned, we are failing our kids with the rising numbers identifying with hopelessness and instead of solving the problem by teaching them skills, we blame, shame, and punish them. We must take responsibility, and start by teaching them ‘how' to hope."

The Hopeful Minds for Teens can be purchased directly through hopefulminds.org, theshinehopestore.com, and Amazon. It is available for resale in libraries, bookstores, and with various retailers by visiting www.ingramcontent.com and searching for the program's ISBNs (9781954531161 for printed copies and 9781954531178 for digital copies).

The program seeks sponsors to provide workbooks for classrooms in underserved communities, as well as yearly program sponsors. The program's development was made possible by the collaborative efforts of The SHINE Hope Company and the International Foundation for Research and Education on Depression Hope, with generous support from Paradigm Group, and Lisa and Jeff Gordon.

*About The Shine Hope Company*™
The Shine Hope Company is on a mission to teach everyone around the world the ‘how' to Hope, based on our Founder Kathryn Goetzke's research that Hope is a teachable skill. The company aims to do this through workplace consulting, Hopeful Mindsets™ courses, research, consumer products, and books, which were all curated by the best-in-class researchers in mental health and Hope science using the SHINE Hope™ framework. Hope is predictive of retention, performance, productivity, and engagement, and is a protective factor against anxiety and depression. Visit www.theshinehopecompany, or e-mail activate@theshinehopecompany.com for more.

*About iFred:*
iFred, the International Foundation for Research and Education on Depression Hope, is a 501(c)3 organization established in 2004 that is working to teach youth the ‘how' to Hope. iFred has worked to shine a positive light on mental health and eliminate stigma through prevention, research and education and created a shift in society's negative perception of the disease through positive imagery, rebranding, celebrity engagement, cause marketing campaigns, and establishing the sunflower and color yellow as the international symbols for Hope. iFred worked with The Mood Factory™ to do the first nationwide cause marketing campaign for mental health in the US, and created the first-ever program to teach Hope, based on our Founder Kathryn Goetzke's research that hope is a teachable skill. iFred is working to establish an International Day of Hope (https://internationaldayofhope.org). Find out more at www.ifred.org.

*For Press Inquiries, Contact:*
Anna Montances
anna@theshinehopecompany.com

*SOURCE:* The Shine Hope Company
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