Hilinski’s Hope is bringing Step UP!, Behind Happy Faces to WSU
CougCenter
Nearly one week into our campaign to support Hilinski’s Hope, Cougfan and CougCenter — UNIT3D — have raised more than $6,000 through t-shirt sales and donations to give back to the foundation.
Let me tell you a little bit about how that money is being used.
On Sept. 9 — one day after the Washington State Cougars open their home football season against the San Jose State Spartans — a collection of student-athletes, coaches, and staff members from a cross section of sports at the school will attend a one-day training featuring a pair of experts in the mental health field.
It’s literally a “first of its kind” program.
And it’s all paid for by Hilinski’s Hope.
“We can’t send an athlete down the hall to the counselor’s room to fill out an intake sheet, and then fill out another one when they leave three years later. It’s not enough,” said Kym Hilinski, Tyler’s mom and one of the driving forces behind this initiative. “You have to train them. You have to train them that it’s OK to speak up, and it’s OK to tell someone you need help.”
The workshop will blend the approaches of a pair of programs: Step UP! Bystander Interventionand Behind Happy Faces: Taking Charge of Your Mental Health. It’s the first time these trainings have been presented together.
Doug Everhart of UC-Irvine will be there on behalf of Step UP!, which, according to the organization’s website, “is a prosocial behavior and bystander intervention program that educates students to be proactive in helping others.” It has four goals:
Raise awareness of helping behaviors
Increase motivation to help
Develop skills and confidence when responding to problems or concerns
Ensure the safety and well-being of self and others
