ARIZONA NEWS

Arizona high school rivals team up to fight teen suicide in video campaign

Oct 3, 2024, 7:38 AM | Updated: 10:59 am

PHOENIX — Athletes and supporters from rival high schools in the Phoenix and Tucson areas are encouraging troubled teens to reach out for help.

That’s according to the Teen Lifeline, an Arizona-based nonprofit that aims to prevent teen suicide by creating supportive communities and teaching young people to be resilient.

The group organizes a recurring video campaign called Messages of Hope. The PSA-style videos feature football players, cheerleaders and band members from 20 high schools.

This year’s videos were posted throughout September, which was Teen Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, on student, team and school social media channels. They also are being broadcast during school announcements when possible.

The program helped double the number calls to Teen Lifeline’s 24/7 suicide prevention hotline from July to September.

What is Teen Lifeline and how does it help Arizona youth?

The nonprofit offers Arizona’s only teen-to-teen crisis hotline, according to its website.

Teens feeling lonely or depressed can call Teen Lifeline at 602-248-TEEN (8336) or 800-248-TEEN.

The hotline also receives texts at 602-248-8336 between noon and 9 p.m. on weekdays and 3 p.m. until 9 p.m. on weekends.

It’s a 24/7 resource staffed by teen peer counselors 3-9 p.m. daily. At other times, trained professional counselors are available to talk to youth about teen suicide prevention and other issues.

What is the Messages of Hope campaign?

The suicide prevention campaign creates videos similar to public service announcements.

The students who took part in the campaign created two types of videos. In some, they were alone, talking to the camera, while in others, they co-starred with students from rival high schools.

The awareness campaign has helped inspire Arizona teens to reach out to the nonprofit’s suicide prevention hotline in near record numbers, according to nonprofit officials.

In fact, Nikki Kontz, the nonprofit’s clinical director, hopes this campaign will help remind teens there is always someone who troubled teens can talk to when they need help.

“The point of this campaign is for teenagers to remind other teens that everyone has bad days, feels sad sometimes or just needs to talk,” Kontz said in a Wednesday news release. “No matter what age you are, how talented you are or how popular you are, you’re not alone if you are struggling with your thoughts and feelings.”

Students, schools that joined video campaign to fight teen suicide in Arizona

Two Tucson-area football players participated in this year’s Messages of Hope campaign, and the rest of the students who volunteered to make the videos are from the Valley.

Here were the six students from Phoenix schools who filmed videos to inspire troubled teens in Arizona:

  • Christian Camarata, a football player at Brophy College Preparatory.
  • Nathan Benzie, a football player at Brophy College Preparatory.
  • Ema Blanton, a cheerleader and member of the marching band at Camelback High School.
  • Murray Crump, a football player at Camelback High School.
  • Lillian Rowe, a cheerleader at Mountain Pointe High School.
  • Ruth Reyes, a flag football player at Xavier College Preparatory.

Six students from Scottsdale high schools also took part:

  • Jordan Partridge, a football player at Horizon High School.
  • Brooke Powers, a cheerleader at Notre Dame Preparatory High School.
  • Emma Falconbridge, a cheerleader at Notre Dame Preparatory High School.
  • Riley Faller, a cheerleader at Notre Dame Preparatory High School.
  • Yassie Sezen, a cheerleader at Notre Dame Preparatory High School.
  • Elias Johnson, a football player at Saguaro High School.
Nine East Valley students also filmed videos to inspire their fellow students:
  • Lily Whitlark, a pom member at Basha High School in Chandler.
  • Mia Shea, a cheerleader at Campo Verde High School in Gilbert.
  • Ayanna Austin, a flag football player at Casteel High School in Queen Creek.
  • Camryn Favre, a cheerleader at Casteel High School in Queen Creek.
  • Deblin Hemphill, a cheerleader at Chandler High School in Chandler.
  • Melina Loreto, a cheerleader at Chandler High School in Chandler.
  • Rasia Perkins, a flag football player at Corona Del Sol High School in Tempe.
  • Jaxson Knutson, a football player at McClintock High School in Tempe.
  • Jasper Lake, a football player at Mountain View High School in Mesa.

Lastly, seven students from various West Valley schools joined the video campaign:

  • Abbey Harris, a member of the marching band at Centennial High School in Peoria.
  • Jacob Sajan, a marching band member at Centennial High School in Peoria.
  • David Cabrera, a football player at Desert Edge High School in Goodyear.
  • Jamar Beal-Goines, a football player at Desert Edge High School in Goodyear.
  • Joshua Hopphaus, a football player at Desert Edge High School in Goodyear.
  • Hayden Fletcher, a football player at Liberty High School in Peoria.
  • Camden Brown, a football player at Shadow Ridge High School in Surprise.

“We’re grateful that these students volunteer their personal time to record Messages of Hope,” Kontz said. “Many of the messengers have friends who have experienced thoughts of suicide, so they know first-hand how important it is to let troubled teens know that support is always just a phone call away.”

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Arizona high school rivals team up to fight teen suicide in video campaign