Sources of Strength is a best practice youth mental health promotion and suicide prevention program designed to harness the power of peer social networks to create healthy norms and culture, ultimately preventing suicide, violence, bullying, and substance misuse.  

• The mission of Sources of Strength is to prevent adverse outcomes by increasing well-being, help-seeking, resiliency, healthy coping, and belonging. 

• Sources of Strength moves beyond a singular focus on risk factors by utilizing an upstream approach for youth suicide prevention. This upstream model strengthens multiple sources of support, or protective factors, for young people so that when times get hard, they have strengths to rely on.
   

The Douglas County Healthy Youth Coalition advocates for the advancement of Sources of Strength programs in Douglas County Schools; and supports educating the community about the benefit of this program.

1. Ensure all Douglas County residents are aware of the Sources of Strength program and its benefits in supporting the health and well-being of our youth.

2. Support school districts, individual schools (public & private), and youth-serving organizations in implementing this program.

3. Build the knowledge, skills, and abilities of Douglas County parents and trusted adults to reinforce and integrate the Sources of Strength curriculum, tools, and practices with the young people that they support and love, as well as themselves.

Learn more about the Sources of Strength program by visiting the official site here.​​