Dozens of students share ideas on mental health support at the Sources of Strength Peer Leader Summit

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WBKO) – On Monday, October 25, several dozen Kentucky students attended the first Sources of Strength peer leadership summit at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College.

The summit was co-hosted by the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) and the Kentucky Department of Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities (BHDID).

According to the press release, Sources of strength is a strengths-based suicide prevention program that leverages student creativity and peer influence to support positive mental health and promote well-being, help-seeking, healthy activities, and youth’s sense of belonging in school.

The program presented evidence on preventing suicide, violence, abuse and substance abuse.

Blake Konny, program consultant in the KDE Office of Continuous Improvement and Support, Division of Student Success, said many schools have been using the Sources of Strength program for years and it impacts many aspects of school culture and climate.

“We simply felt it was incredibly important and saw a need to help many of our schools take the next steps in their Sources of Strength programs,” he said in a news release.

Students participated in team-building activities, games and discussions about their “Sources of Strength” campaigns and other activities aimed at raising awareness of mental health support.

“It’s obviously about suicide prevention, but it’s also teaching young people about their strengths and what they can build to be a great young person and a great adult,” said Sheila Barnard, program administrator for BHDID at press release.

Konny said KDE and BHDID are focusing on Sources of Strength mainly because they are partner-led.

“We know that peers are more likely to listen to their peers than to adults and are more likely to turn to peers for help than to adults,” he said in a press release. “While all of our adult programs are great, this gives us another way to make sure our communities are healthy and safe.”

Lori Vogel, a child guidance specialist/social worker at Leestown Middle School in Fayette County, helped start her district’s Sources of Strength program.

She said she works with several community groups, including KDE, BHDID and Brothers’ Runa charity to support school and community programs that provide youth with mental health services, suicide prevention and awareness raising.

“(Sources of Strength) was just something that seemed like a normal thing to do because it already brings so many different groups together,” Vogel said in a news release.

Charley Abney, an eighth-grade student at Leestown High School, has served as a leader in the school’s Sources of Strength program for the past three years. She said her school provides mental health support, but there is always room for more.

“Many people are struggling,” Abney said in a news release. “Sometimes they just put their head down and completely shut out, and we don’t want that to be the only way they can feel better.”

Ciler Smith, another eighth-grader at Leestown Middle School, said he likes working with Sources of Strength because it brings a message of positivity, especially to middle school students his age because it can be a complicated time.

“This is a really good opportunity for students, you can learn a lot,” he said in a press release.

Konny said he expects the summit to expand in the future. Plans to expand the program may include hosting the event every year and/or making the summits more regional rather than having a statewide summit.

“We definitely see this spreading regionally because when one school implements an active program and is successful, other members of that community and other people nearby will hear about it,” Konny said.