"Wall of Hope" projects offer opportunities for schools during Alaska Suicide Prevention Week

Alaska may have the one of the highest rates of suicide per capita in the country, but thousands of people across the state have vowed to work toward reducing that figure and creating a healthier, happier, and brighter Alaska for future generations.

In years past, students from across Alaska were encouraged to create a “Wall of Hope” at their schools during Alaska Suicide Prevention Week in September to identify positive aspects in their lives that highlight why living is important to them.

In 2020 & 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic affected all Alaskans and it is even more important to send “Messages of Hope” to our students and their families. This could be as simple as printing positive messaging posters and putting them in school windows, using them in your daily communications with students and families, or putting them in students’ take-home packets/lunches. These messages could also be translated into your local language or local dialect.

If you are doing face-to-face instruction and are able to facilitate the traditional “Wall of Hope” - that would be great! It is important that students work together with their peers, teachers, counselors, and administrators to create a safe, informative, meaningful, and memorable “Wall of Hope” in their schools.

If you create a “Message of Hope” or “Wall of Hope” in your school please send a picture/sample to sharon.fishel@alaska.gov and/or share on DEED’s social media by tagging @alaskaDEED.

Here are some ideas for “Messages of Hope” you could use:

1. Print posters
1. Put in school building windows
2. Distribute around town
3. Put in buses
2. Print index size cards
1. Put in daily work packets
2. Put in school lunches
3. Use messages of hope in your online communications
1. Newsletters
2. Online classes
3. Social media
4. Encourage staff and students to post pictures on your district/school social media of pictures of themselves and the positive messages

Creating a “Wall Of Hope”

Creating a “Wall of Hope” is simple and there is more than one way to do it. The importance of this activity is to promote hope and optimism for the participants, along with a sense of purpose and reason for living.

The basic premise of the project is for each student to identify three things in their life that make them want to live. They could be as straightforward as “my dog,” “my family,” or “basketball,” to the more complex, such as, “graduating college,” “visiting France someday,” or “writing music.” The importance of the exercise is for the students to identify three things to be hopeful for going into the future. It is also important for school officials to monitor for potentially harmful or hateful words or phrases.          

As previously stated, there is more than one way to create a “Wall of Hope.” Some examples include:

• Provide each student with three colored pieces of paper or three index cards to write their reasons to be hopeful on, which can then be taped onto an identified wall.
• Tape up a large piece of Butcher Paper along a wall and have students write their three reasons to be hopeful on the paper with colorful markers.
• Provide students with three pieces of Caution Tape and have them write one of their reasons on each piece. Then tape them together into a chain that is then interlinked with the other students’ pieces and hang them along a wall.

There is no right or wrong way to create a “Wall of Hope,” as long as it promotes healthy living and a hopeful future. It is encouraged that each school make their wall appropriate to their community and its student body.

It is recommended that this be done as a school-wide activity and that school counselors are on site to identify and assist any students that may find the exercise overwhelming or traumatic.  

Please encourage the students to take photos of their “Wall of Hope” to share with the student body, student publications, and parents. Also, please encourage the students to be helpful, respectful, and hopeful in creating their “Wall of Hope.”