Tempe, AZ - You matter. You’re not alone. It’s okay not to be okay. If you are broken, you don’t have to stay broken.
Encouraged to help keep their schools safe, students across Tempe have been promoting messages like these using chalk art, painted masks, gratitude walls, self-care workshops and other activities as part of the Sandy Hook Promise (SHP) Say Something initiative.
Students are working alongside the City of Tempe’s CARE 7 Youth Specialists, in partnership with Tempe Union High School District and Tempe Elementary School District, to lead activities that encourage young people to take charge of keeping their friends, schools and communities safe.
“See Something, Say Something to me means standing up for yourself and your friends as well as standing up for strangers when they are being bullied or feel unsafe,” said Audrey, 16, a junior at Corona del Sol High School.
Youth Specialists are part of the City’s Community Health and Human Services Department, which partners with both school districts to embed specialists at 12 campuses.
They provide social and emotional support to students who may be struggling with stress, anger, anxiety and more, and assist during crisis situations. They also connect students and their families with City resources such as low-cost counseling and job help to improve their quality of life. Last school year they assisted nearly 1,250 students at both districts.
Youth Specialists work with SAVE Promise Clubs at elementary, middle and high school sites to elevate important messages: be an upstander rather than a bystander, identify trusted adults and be kind to one another.
Activities this month run the gamut, from decorating cardboard masks as a way of discussing hidden feelings to exploring safety resource booths to filling the branches of a large paper tree with messages about reporting things that don’t feel right.
“It is important because there will be people who you trust that sometimes misguide and advise you to keep it to yourself, so you should know that you need stand up for yourself and others despite what they say,” said Abigail, 18, a junior at Corona del Sol.
"It takes everyone to ensure we have safe schools, and the Say Something, See Something/Sandy Hook Promise program provides another important layer of safety for us,” said Sean McDonald, Tempe Union Assistant Superintendent of District Operations, Safety & Student Support. “Over the last two years, this program has enabled us to learn so much from our students that ultimately helps us support the ongoing safety of our campuses.”
Tempe was the first city in Arizona to adopt a resolution in support of Sandy Hook Promise and declared January 25 as Sandy Hook Promise Day, an effort led by City Councilmember Berdetta Hodge.
“I’m so proud to see our Youth Specialists, school districts and Tempe students leading the way to encourage school safety, kindness and community,” Hodge said.
Learn more about City of Tempe Youth Specialists at tempe.gov/YouthSpecialists.
City of Tempe media contact: Susie Steckner at susie_steckner@tempe.gov or 480-604-6128