Wow! It has been a busy few months here at Robbie’s Hope. Read on to find out more about our strategies and progress against them. We are looking forward to a time where regular conversations are happening between teens, and between teens and adults, and suicide rates are on the decline.
May is National Mental Health Awareness Month. Have you checked in with your friends or kids lately? If not, today would be a great day to do that.
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An Evening of HOPE
Our inaugural gala exceeded our expectations in so many ways….
A sold out crowd of 350 supporters were able to learn more about Robbie’s Hope and the frightening public health crisis that we are all immersed in, while finding HOPE in our strong belief that our teens hold the answers and solutions to fixing this epidemic, and as adults we need to focus on their enablement.
Our Teen Activists are making an impact. They are fearlessly, and tenaciously knocking on every proverbial door they can find, rallying their peers and making a difference.
At the Gala we shared a story from this winter. It was the first weekend of the HOPEfull drive and 9NEWS asked to follow some students around for a few hours. We were in downtown Golden CO, it was cold and windy, the Ullr Fest was in full swing. For three hours a dozen of our Activists tried to engage and talk to as many adults as possible. Time after time, person after person, hundreds in all, they were rejected. Often times the adults would do everything in their power to not make eye contact with our teens. And our Activists just keep going at it, over and over. About half way through the cameraman, in disbelief of what he was seeing, asked one of them why they kept at it. The response was “if we can make a difference in one person’s life it will all be worth it”. That scene replayed itself again and again on the Denver 16th St Mall, in front of grocery stores, on street corners, and door to door over the next 3 weeks.
“If we can make a difference in one person’s life it will all be worth it”
It was a crystallizing moment for us and there is no better illustration that we can think of that more accurately describes Gen Z. That is why we have HOPE. That is why we would do anything in our power to enable them. They are the ones that hold the keys and have the passion to stop this epidemic.
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Denver HOPErun
We have had a few “1st’s” these past few months! On the heels of our Gala came our inaugural 5K run/walk.
On a perfect Sunday morning we had over 300 people participate including dozens of families. Our hope is that the HOPErun continues to grow in size and expand to other cities as our HOPEgroups continue to form (more about that later). It is an amazing way to increase awareness in the community and strengthen your mental, as well as your physical, health.
We would like to give a special thank you another set of amazing Co-Chairs Nicole McKinney& Amy Wisniewski, and our Emcee Alan Gionet, your CBS 4 Morning Show Anchor.
We would also like to thank our HOPErun Sponsors: Ascent Protein, Orangetheory Fitness, Lakewood High School Foundation, and The SEAD Program.
Thank you to everyone that came out and ran/walked in the event or dialed-in (near and out-of-state) their participation by Dreaming of HOPE. We raised $15,000 which will be used to help fund the formation of future HOPEgroups across Colorado and beyond.
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Teen Enablement
The biggest enabler of our Teen Activist strategy revolves around the formation of HOPEgroups. What is a HOPEgroup you ask?
A HOPEgroup is simple in concept, a small group of teens banding together to support each other, and to make a difference. It is our activation strategy and the way that teens can engage with Robbie’s Hope and help destigmatize the topics of depression and anxiety among teens.
Our focus is paying off with four active chapters in place and another dozen in planning and development. All started by passionate teens and adults in their local communities. Independently run and focused on their specific needs while being supported with programming and funding by Robbie’s Hope Foundation.
Check out our new website, created by teens for teens, which has a strong focus on finding existing, or creating new, HOPEgroups as well as providing a space to share their artistic talents. The site, was co-developed by our teens and Cultivator Advertising in an amazing collaborative model that we hope to exploit over and over again in the future.
At Robbie’s Hope we are passionate about allowing teens to communicate in “languages” that they feel comfortable and safe with, not only verbally but also artistically. Our dream is for Robbie’s Hope to become the creative outlet for artistic self-expression for teens, curating art in all its forms to help celebrate and honor youth creativity.
Joy. Sorrow. Anxiety. Elation. Depression. Robbie’s Hope gives teens both venue and voice for their artistic self-expression around the many emotions our youth face today. Music and film, poetry and dance, painting, photography, sculpture, mixed media and more. Our online gallery and in the future, traveling exhibits, will impact people in surprising and powerful ways, bringing an evocative voice to the emotional well-being of our youth today.
“Joy. Sorrow. Anxiety. Elation. Depression.”
Our online exhibits will be a digital ecosystem of art in all its forms, for people to view, share, enjoy and celebrate.
In March we formed Robbie’s Hope Records, a record label, as our initial step in forming our digital ecosystem. Our first record self titled HOPE dropped in major media outlets on April 19th. It features the voice of Ms Jessica Bakken and keyboards of Mr. Orin Mozon in the three songs originally performed at Robbie’s funeral six months ago. It was our test drive in a sense and we are gearing up to take a handful of students into the recording studio this summer for our next album.
We took advantage of our first recording session at The Keep Recording in Denver and invited one of our Activists, and budding film maker, Mr. Douglas Snow to shoot a music video. The results are illustrative of what we hope to enable in the future and the final result is an emotional journey through teen mental health.
Keep abreast of our Activists and their successes by following our Facebook, Instagram and YouTube Pages.
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Colorado Legislative Update
We are proud to have partnered with Children’s Hospital Colorado in the formation of Action on Youth Mental Health. Click the link below to become educated on a number of key bills working their way through the Colorado Legislature and how you can make an impact.
Action on Youth Mental Health is model that we hope to replicate in the future with local partnerships in states with a high index of teen suicide rates.
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Start a HOPEgroup Today
Locally run to meet local needs. Robbie’s Hope will provide you with programming ideas, resources, and connect you with a group of like minded teens and adults who are working to make a change in their local communities.
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In the News
Stay current on all our activities and news on our Blogat www.robbies-hope.com
Denver CBS 4 – February 19th: https://denver.cbslocal.com/2019/02/19/robbies-hope-campaign-having-bigger-impact-than-expected/
9NEWS – February 11th: https://www.9news.com/mobile/article/news/local/no-one-should-bury-their-child-how-a-teens-parents-are-sparking-change-months-after-he-took-his-own-life/73-95294428-cc92-4335-88b5-462f18983855
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Become a Partner in HOPE
If you are interested in becoming a national or local partner of Robbie’s Hope we would love to talk to you. Opportunities include national partnerships, in-kind services, and local support at Robbie’s Hope sanctioned events. Please contact our Director of Advancement, Melissa Pugh.
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Visit Our Store
Purchase some great look swag for you and your loved ones. We have everything from clothing to tennis dampeners and swim caps.Robbie’s Hope Online Store
