About
Vision
We envision a world where our youth are mentally strong, resilient, free of bullying and hopeful.
Mission
Be Strong’s mission is to save and improve the lives of our youth using a peer-to-peer approach to strengthen mental, emotional, and relational health, build resilience, and prevent bullying.
Approach
Be Strong is a charity that serves youth, parents/guardians, educators, and communities by:
- Hosting educational events
- Recruiting and equipping student representatives
- Supporting on-campus student-led initiatives,
- Providing social, emotional and resilience skill-building training, and
- Offering digital intervention tools such as The Be Strong App.
Founding Story
In 2012, the Moore family was facing a crisis as their child was directly affected by bullying, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. The family reached out to nonprofits and professionals for help but both groups were unable to address the urgent and dire situation. As a last resort, the family entered their child into a residential treatment facility where resilience, DBT, and social-emotional skills were taught. While their child was in treatment, and the Moores began to hear many children’s stories with a similar theme, the Moores began to explore how pervasive the issues of bullying, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation was for youth. To their surprise, the four issues affected about 1/3 of the 55 million K-12 students in the US. They were particularly troubled that one in eleven students in grades 9 – 12 had attempted to end their life one or more times in the previous twelve months. The Moores knew they needed to take action so that parents like them, with a child like theirs, could find help and guidance during a time of need regardless of the family’s ability to pay. So, the Moores founded Be Strong in 2014 to save lives and prevent bullying. While the mission continues to be refined to enhance organizational impact, the founding principles remain resolute.
In 2012, the Moore family was facing a crisis as their child was directly affected by bullying, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. The family reached out to nonprofits and professionals for help but both groups were unable to address the urgent and dire situation. As a last resort, the family entered their child into a residential treatment facility where resilience, DBT, and social-emotional skills were taught. While their child was in treatment, and the Moores began to hear many children’s stories with a similar theme, the Moores began to explore how pervasive the issues of bullying, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation was for youth. To their surprise, the four issues affected about 1/3 of the 55 million K-12 students in the US. They were particularly troubled that one in eleven students in grades 9 – 12 had attempted to end their life one or more times in the previous twelve months. The Moores knew they needed to take action so that parents like them, with a child like theirs, could find help and guidance during a time of need regardless of the family’s ability to pay. So, the Moores founded Be Strong in 2014 to save lives and prevent bullying. While the mission continues to be refined to enhance organizational impact, the founding principles remain resolute.
WHY DO WE NEED
BE STRONG?
A mental health crisis is exposing questions of meaning, purpose, and connection, resulting in fear and violence. And the world is only getting more complex. Amid these challenges, students are also the least hopeful they’ve been in history.
This moment of flux is also a moment of opportunity. What if students take the pain they experience from anxiety, depression, bullying, isolation and hopelessness, and used it as motivation to create inclusive environments?
What if instead of being the reason they don’t go to school, become violent, or harm themselves, it’s the reason they find resilience, hope, happiness and purpose?
%
%
of students have ATTEMPTED SUICIDE one or more times in the past 12 months
*suicide is the second leading cause of death for students between the ages of 10 & 17
%
%
of students STRUGGLED WITH A MENTAL ILLNESS
*less than 50% get help
%
%
of students WON'T TELL AN ADULT BUT WILL TELL A PEER about challenges
RISK FACTORS for
Students
- Major Depression
- Anxiety
- BiPolar
- Family History
- Lack of Support Network
- Loss of Parent
- Divorce
- Physical Abuse
- Sexual Abuse
- Social Isolation
- Bullying
Statistics based on the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey Report published by the US Department of Health and Human Services.