Jackson County Hope Squad students visit Mississippi State Capitol to advocate for similar programs throughout state

JACKSON, Miss. (WLOX) - Jackson County students took to the state capitol Tuesday, hoping to be the change for mental health conversations in schools across the state.

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Those students are a part of Hope Squad, a peer-to-peer counseling organization at schools across Jackson County, including in the Jackson County, Moss Point, Ocean Springs and Pascagoula-Gautier school districts. This is the first county in the state to adopt this national program.

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Hope Squad members spoke before state lawmakers on the importance of normalizing discussions around mental health issues through the power of connection.

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Tuesday, a resolution acknowledging the hard work of Hope Squad members, advisors and community partners— including Singing River Health System Foundation, Chevron, Ingalls Shipbuilding, Mississippi Power, Merchants & Marine Bank and Navigator Credit Union— was passed in the Senate and the House.

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State Senator Jeremy England says this is the beginning of change for young adults in Mississippi.

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“I hope that we see something like peer-to-peer counseling, and Hope Squad being one of the particular groups that offer that, all across the state,” Senator England said. “Because it’s so important and it’s so helpful, and... the mental health issues that these students go through and the stresses and anxieties that they’re going through, once they learn to deal with those and once they learn it’s okay to talk about their mental health and work on that health just as much as they work maybe in the gym on their physical health, we’ll start seeing Mississippi students with that confidence to overcome that.”

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Following the presentation of the Senate’s resolution, a special luncheon provided students the opportunity to speak with state lawmakers directly about the important impact of the Hope Squad, as well as general mental health awareness and suicide prevention in teens.

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Employees from the Singing River Health System Foundation were present throughout the day, as well, including Laura Sessum, the foundation’s executive director.

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“At Singing River, we understand that mental health is essential to overall well-being,” Sessum said. “Through our investment in Hope Squads, we are empowering students to support one another and creating a stronger, more resilient community.”

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Representative Kevin Felsher and Mississippi’s House of Representatives are now working on providing more funding to for schools across the state to implement similar programs.

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Originally published online at https://www.msn.com/en-us/public-safety-and-emergencies/general/jackson-county-hope-squad-students-visit-mississippi-state-capitol-to-advocate-for-similar-programs-throughout-state/ar-AA1zoAJ7?ocid=BingNewsSerp