This past school year marked a milestone for Harlingen CISD as the district successfully expanded its HOPE Squad program to all elementary and secondary campuses. Launched in 2022 through a generous three-year grant from the Valley Baptist Legacy Foundation, the HOPE Squad has become an essential peer-led initiative that empowers students to recognize warning signs of emotional distress in their peers and connect them with trusted adults.
HOPE Squad is a school-based, peer-to-peer support program focused on mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Students are nominated by their peers to serve as HOPE Squad members. Selected students are trusted individuals who help identify classmates who may be struggling and guide them toward HCISD counselors and school administrators. Each member receives training and resources to recognize warning signs, respond appropriately, and help connect students with the support they need.
“When students know they have a safe space and someone who cares, it makes all the difference,” said Sylvia Gamboa, Director of Guidance and Counseling. “HOPE Squad members are that bridge, students helping students, and it’s powerful. We’re proud of how this initiative continues to grow and positively shape our school culture.”
To ensure that support doesn’t stop when the school year ends, HCISD’s Guidance & Counseling Department is offering free mental health and social-emotional counseling this summer to all HCISD students. Services are open to any student in need, with no appointment or referral required.
Crisis support will additionally be available for campuses offering summer programming, ensuring students have access to help whenever they need it.
About The Valley Baptist Legacy Foundation:
The Legacy Foundation invests in and serves as a catalyst for ideas, partnerships, medical education, research and programs that improve the health and quality of life in the Rio Grande Valley. The Foundation defines health as a state of complete physical, mental, spiritual and social well-being. To learn more, visit http://www.vblf.org
