We were thrilled to welcome schools participating in our Forefront in the Schools program (FIS schools) back to the University of Washington campus for the first time since COVID, for our annual Day of Hope and Capstone events! They joined us on Tuesday May 16, along with Crisis Connections, The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), and Puget Sound Educational Service District (PSESD) to meet, collaborate, celebrate, and connect. 

We were honored to host UW Track & Field athlete, activist, and Cowlitz Tribe member of Muckleshoot heritage Rosalie Fish as an inspirational keynote speaker. Rosalie is an activist and runner who raises awareness about the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIW) and two-spirit people. She shared her story of perseverance, activism and her running career, and how all three are intertwined with mental health matters and suicide prevention 

Participants shared how moved they were by Rosalie’s leadership and story. Representatives – students, school staff, and parent volunteers – from participating schools discussed challenges, successes, and lessons learned in their school communities, and shared stories of strength, resilience, inspiration and hope. They also had a surprise visit from UW Mascot, Dubs2, who dropped by for a quick photo shoot, and heard from  Zanny Shehata of Teen Link (part of Crisis Connections), who talked about the crisis line resources provided for youth, by youth, in the Seattle-King County region. 

After three virtual years, it was wonderful to reconnect in person for Day of Hope! Students, educators and parents were able to connect with peers from other schools, and to hear what other teams are doing to support mental health awareness and suicide prevention in their communities.  

We’re grateful to everyone who was able to attend, both in person and online. It’s wonderful to mark the progress FIS Schools are making, and to celebrate the hard work to support students’ mental health statewide.  Happy (almost) summer, and let’s continue to look out for one another!