Lakewood Teen Mental Health Group, Robbie's Hope, Growing To Help More Families
LAKEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4) - As teen suicide rates continue to rise in Colorado and the United States, one organization is seeing success in their mission to reduce the stigma surrounding teen mental health. Robbie's Hope is an organization for teens by teens.
"We are busy," explained Kari Eckert, the co-founder of Robbie's Hope and Robbie's mom. "We have over 1,200 teens across the U.S. We hold biweekly calls, they are active. I spend a lot of time at UPS and the post office mailing out our resources, so that's a good thing."
Robbie's Hope honors Robbie Eckert, a Lakewood High School student who took his life in 2018. Since then, his parents and friends have made it their mission to create a safe space for teens to talk about mental health.
Over the last two years, the organization has quickly grown. The teens have created an Adult Handbook and Technology Handbook to help parents and kids navigate tough situations and conversations. Robbie's Hope has handed out 70,000 of those handbooks.
Teens also meet in what they call "Hope Groups" weekly.
Also noticed, is a decline in suicide rates in Jefferson County where Robbie's Hope began.
"It's hard because Robbie is one of those numbers. The numbers are more than just a number, they're a death of a young person," Kari explained. "But teen suicide rates in Jefferson County in 2018 and 2019, started to decrease. What we're doing, it's potentially working and that's very, very exciting."
Working to reduce those suicide rates and help teens talk about mental health are teen ambassadors. Robbie's Hope now has expanded. There are teen ambassadors in nearly every state in the U.S.
"I think the biggest change is that the Hope Groups are more filled with hope now," explained Avery Wilson, a teen ambassador and student at Lakewood High School. "They definitely are just a great place for us to go and enjoy your time together, and kind of forget about some of the other things going on in our lives."
Work that will continue to change lives, as the organization grows.
"I would like to see it reach into Colorado's rural areas," Kari said. "It's hard work. It doesn't happen overnight."
Learn about more information and how you can get involved.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with social isolation, you can call the Crisis Line at 1-844-492-TALK. Students can also submit any peer concerns to Safe2Tell.
