Mental Health Program for Students is Changing Lives Across the Country
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - ThriveWay, founder of Peer Helpers PLUS, continues to be a trailblazer for youth mental health, partnering with nearly 700 educational systems nationwide to empower students to be academically, socially, and emotionally successful; to recognize and resolve conflict; to value diversity; and to be advocates for positive change and healthy choices. The company has seen an astounding level of growth since its 2017 inception and is pleased to announce that the 2022-23 academic year is shaping up to be a banner year in support of student wellness.
At the conclusion of its first year, ThriveWay was on target with the company's five-year strategic plan which included the establishment of 20 to 25 Peer Helpers PLUS programs annually. They have since surpassed these conservative annual goals by an unprecedented 2,583%, having equipped more than 716 individual Peer Helpers PLUS programs across the country.
The Peer Helpers PLUS model is an evidence-based, peer-to-peer prevention and support program utilizing a multi-tiered approach for schools to promote student mental health within their curricula and throughout their campuses.
Building upon the lessons learned and best practices from our schools over the last five years, ThriveWay is now working towards its 2028 growth strategy which includes initial managed expansion throughout the Southeast and eventually nationwide. Leveraging its proven formula and supported by a commitment to training excellence, the company will continue to focus on its key mission pillars of empowering students to be academically, socially, and emotionally successful; recognize and resolve conflict; value diversity; and be advocates for positive change and healthy choices.
Creating ThriveWay
Built from the Moore family’s tragedy of losing their oldest child, Jennifer, to suicide – The Jennifer Claire Moore Foundation (JCMF) originally introduced the concept of Peer Helpers to Baldwin County, Alabama in 1998 with a mission to promote mental health among high school students in their community.
As demand grew over the years for their thriving Peer Helper model, the JCMF decided to extend the reach of the program making it available to students everywhere. This purpose led to the creation of the company, ThriveWay, which now spreads the impactful Peer Helpers PLUS program to K-12 schools across the nation.
Peer Helpers PLUS
The effectiveness of the Peer Helpers PLUS program uses its two main components, prevention and support, to prepare and empower our youth to advocate for themselves and one another, so they can continue to make a positive impact. In 2018, Growing Potential did a case study on the effectiveness of the Peer Helpers PLUS program. Twenty percent of students showed academic achievement improvement, reduction in absences, and discipline referrals. Additional evidence-based results commonly seen are significant decreases in identified risk behaviors and major social and emotional behavior improvement.
This program has also helped administrators to better connect with their students as they gain perspective of daily obstacles and challenges from students. Students have been able to continue in school while they were homeless, thrive after drug overdoses, overcome bullying, improve their grades, and get connected to other students for the first time in their lives.
Providing schools with comprehensive prevention curricula, P.A.T.H. – Prevention & Awareness for Total Health, assists students in developing healthy coping strategies to utilize when faced with negative pressures related to bullying, substance use and self-harm. Layering schoolwide prevention with a student-to-student support system, Peer Helpers, allows schools to have a streamlined approach for school safety and early warning to intervention needs. Peer Helpers serve as role models and assistants to friends and classmates who may not have either at home. Peer Helpers can fill the void for students who need time and attention to help support them through their education. Since young people seeking help will likely reach out to their peers long before turning to an adult, the Peer Helpers component of the program teaches a diverse group of students core skills to help them identify and communicate with their classmate.
At the helm of its success is ThriveWay Co-founder and President, Allison Moore, who has passionately overseen this program’s growth from a dream to a reality. “Seeing the daily impact that this program has on our youth in today’s society has been life-changing for me,” said Allison Moore. “When you train the teachers, who then train the students and then hear stories about how a life has been transformed, you understand that what you’re doing is much bigger than just a job. It’s changing the lives of our youth for the better.”
”Having established 716 successful Peer Helper PLUS programs in less than five years definitely exceeded our initial goals,” said Ruby McCullough, Co-founder and Vice President of ThriveWay. “Although we remain early in our growth journey, the strength of our program coupled with the outstanding results makes me so very excited to take our proven resources to the next level and to be able to serve students and school systems throughout the Southeast and eventually the country!”
To learn more about the life-changing program that is touching thousands of students across the nation, visit thriveway.com.
####
ThriveWay is the leading peer-to-peer prevention and support company in the nation, empowering students to be academically, socially, and emotionally successful; to recognize and resolve conflict; to value diversity; and to be advocates for positive change and healthy choices. Through their evidence-based Peer Helpers PLUS program, they partner with schools to promote the mental health of youth, teach peer advocacy, and reduce student violence and suicide.