Introducing First-Ever Challenge Dedicated to Teaching and Learning Hope
The International Foundation of Research and Education (iFred), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to teaching hope, introduces the first-ever, 30-Day Global Hope Challenge as part of its Hopeful Cities initiative.
The 30-Day Global Hope Challenge is a free program that helps participants develop skills to create, maintain, and grow hope with one action per day, a video lesson, daily social media prompts, a workbook on hope, and influencer engagement. The challenge officially kicks off on Monday, March 1, 2021, is available in Spanish, and anyone can sign up through the Hopeful Cities web portal at hopefulcities.org.
“Hope is not a destination, but a journey,” said to Kathryn Goetzke, Founder of iFred and Creator of Hopeful Minds, Hopeful Cities, and the Hope Matrix. “Based on the Hopeful Minds curriculum, we designed a simple program specifically for teens and adults that starts engaging others in the Science of Hope. You can measure your hope pre and post, using the Adult Snyder Hope Scale, and thanks to the support of the City of Reno, we are able to offer this free to all around the world.”
Reno is the first city to join the Hopeful Cities movement and is operationalizing hope by bringing free tools and resources to teach the “how-to” of hope through the Global Challenge. In addition to the Challenge, there are ‘Five Keys to Hope’ workplace posters, the free Hopeful Minds curriculums, and lots of free marketing materials so others can engage. As part of the Hopeful Cities program, the 30-Day Global Challenge is designed to introduce the principles and science of hope to Reno’s residents and to participants around the world.
“Now, more than ever, people are feeling incredibly hopeless about so many things,” said Hillary Schieve, Reno Mayor. “People have been at home for months on end and our lives have changed in so many ways. Hopelessness, that feeling of despair and sense of helplessness, is found everywhere in our city. We need to make mental health a priority, and stop keeping it in the shadows.”
Through the 30-Day Global Hope Challenge, participants can earn prizes, but more importantly, they will learn hope. Research shows hope is teachable, and as hope increases, and higher levels of hope correspond to greater emotional and psychological well-being, as well as improved academic and job performance and enhanced personal relationships. Hope is also a known protective factor for anxiety and depression, which has been increasing significantly due to the impact of COVID-19 on populations around the world.
“Hope is tangible and teachable, and it is an essential ingredient for a successful life trajectory,” said Myron Belfer, MD, MPA, Hopeful Minds, Professor of Psychiatry Children’s Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, “People want something simple and easy, and this is a great way to start learning more about hope.”
During the 30 days of the challenge, participants receive 30 lessons and 30 actions, and they are introduced to critical hope skills they can implement in their daily lives. Each morning of the challenge, participants receive a video message from Ms. Goetzke with commentary on the day, as well as a daily lesson, a free downloadable worksheet to help monitor progress and reinforce lessons, and a daily activity that shows how to put hope skills into action.
Participants will also have access to the validated Snyder Adult or Child Hope Scale. This validated scale predicts many positive life aspects, including sports performance, workplace engagement, illness, recovery time, lifespan, GPA, positive relationships, and more.
“Our many years of research with kids on Hopeful Minds have allowed us to now give something to adults that explains the “what, why, and how” of hope,” said Goetzke. “With individual engagement and practice through our program, we want participants to understand the science behind hope and the “how-to” of hope so they can effectively teach others around them when all hope feels lost. Hope is not just about the self, it is about others. And it is not just a wish, it takes action.”
The Hopeful Cities initiative was based on the free, global Hopeful Minds curriculums for parents, educators, and students. The Hopeful Minds curriculums were recently updated due to the impact of the pandemic, and include remote compliant lessons, meet National Health Education Standards, offer bullying-prevention strategies, are trauma-informed, and aim to equip parents, teachers, and students with critical hope skills.
The Hopeful Cities campaign in Reno includes a Reno-specific landing page that has a list of tools and resources available in the city.
For more information, visit: hopefulcities.org.
To take the challenge, visit: globalhopechallenge.com.
About Hopeful Cities
Hopeful Cities™, an iFred.org project, was created based on research that suggests that hope is a teachable skill. It launched the first-ever Hopeful City of Reno, NV. It was created as a marketing plan in action that operationalizes hope as it creates awareness about the importance of it. It is a website full of resources any city can implement, and aims to equip the “how-to” of hope wherever it is needed: in the workplace, community, schools, and at home. Find out more at www.hopefulcities.org.
About iFred
The mission of International Foundation for Research and Education on Depression (iFred) is to shine a positive light on depression and eliminate the stigma associated with mental health through prevention, research, and education. iFred is creating a shift in society’s negative perception of hopelessness, the primary symptom of depression and anxiety and a key predictor of suicide, through positive imagery and branding, establishing the sunflower and color yellow as the international symbols of hope, and teaching all about the “how-to” of hope with Hopeful Minds.
About the City of Reno
The City of Reno government’s mission is creating a community that people are proud to call home. In order to achieve that purpose, the Reno City Council has established six Tier 1 priorities and seven Tier 2 priorities. To learn more about the City of Reno, visit Reno.gov or call 775-334-INFO (4636).
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