City of Las Vegas Joins the Hopeful Cities Movement

*LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / March 6, 2024 / *The Shine Hope Company (TSHC) proudly announces that the City of Las Vegas joins the Hopeful Cities movement. The Hopeful Cities initiative is a comprehensive program and public health campaign aimed at raising awareness about the elements for creating, maintaining, and growing hope through targeted interventions across various city sectors, including government, the workplace, art, science, education, and healthcare. Hope is measurable and teachable, and all residents in the city of Las Vegas are encouraged to visit www.hopefulcities.org/unitedstates/nevada/lasvegas to access and download materials to cultivate hope.

The Hopeful Cities movement was made possible by a generous donation from Dr. Frank Gard Jameson and funded through the Mayor's Fund For Las Vegas LIFE, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Dr. Jameson is a community philanthropist, an advisory committee member of the Mayor's Fund, and Treasurer and Co-Founder of Hope Means Nevada. Dr. Jameson is the co-founder of Compassionate Las Vegas, Children's Advocacy Alliance, and the Interfaith Council of Southern Nevada.

"Hopelessness is learned and the single consistent predictor of violence and suicide, a predictor of addiction, and also the primary symptom of depression and a key symptom of anxiety", says Kathryn Goetzke, MBA, Founder of iFred and CEO and Chief Hope Officer of The Shine Hope Company, "We all experience moments of hopelessness (despair and helplessness); when we don't know how to manage it or it becomes persistent, hopelessness is a problem. We need to normalize the conversation around hopelessness and share the skills on how to proactively manage it and get to hope, together. Hope can be a proactive, preventative approach to addiction, violence, and suicide. Brand new research was published on eleven positive outcomes of hope in youth, which found a higher level of hope is linked to higher cognition and self-rated health, less physical inactivity, fewer depressive and stress-related symptoms, greater happiness, more satisfaction with parents, and increased voting and volunteering in adulthood. *As we have shown in our research, hope is teachable. It is time to teach everyone these critical Shine Hope skills*. "

Research just published a new study on the outcomes of hopelessness, which found nearly 48% of all Americans report hopelessness, and 3 in 5 teenage girls experience hopelessness. Kathryn, after reading that hopelessness is the single consistent predictor of suicide and a key symptom of depression and anxiety, transformed the theory that hope is teachable into action. She pioneered a global curriculum explicitly designed to impart hope as a skill and proved her theory you could teach it; her program was recognized as an innovation by the World Bank. Higher levels of hope correspond to greater emotional and psychological well-being, greater economic security, improved academic performance, less violence, more connection, less loneliness, and enhanced personal relationships.

Myron Belfer, MD, MPA, an advisor for the Hopeful Minds and, Professor of Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry, Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, has shown from a review of research that, "Hope is tangible and teachable, and it is an essential ingredient for a successful life trajectory." He has cited the clinical approach of the Nobel Prize winner Dr. Joseph E. Murray, who helped his severely ill patients not by talking about prognosis but by offering a future orientation embodying hope.

Hopeful Cities aims to operationalize hope in the city of Las Vegas through a public health campaign, driving residents to the Las Vegas landing page on the Hopeful Cities website with no-cost interventions for six sectors across the city. The landing page includes resources such as workplace posters, Hopeful Minds Overview programs for youth, Hopeful Minds for teens, and a Parent's Guide for using hope language at home.

"Hope and Compassion are THE most practical values for creating a better community," says Dr. Frank Gard Jameson. "They express that when we view the other with compassion we create a hopeful path forward."

"We are proud to be a part of this initiative and excited to get the work in the hands of those that can help spread the word," says Mayor Pro Tem Brian Knudsen.

"I'm so excited to take the mission of hope to the next level in Las Vegas so it can impact and save lives. For too long mental health has been in the shadows, and now our community has the chance to empower each other to make sure nobody ever feels alone in this battle." Says Grace Netski, Hope Means Nevada Teen Committee Co-Chair.

Shine Hope Resources are available for download for Las Vegas residents on the city of Las Vegas page. You'll get access to these materials after filling out the download form:

· *Shine Hope Infographic:* shows the How-to of Hope in trying times. It is a clickable tool where you can start learning about how the skills in the Shine Framework are critical for life.
· *Five-Day Global Hope Challenge*: ensures all know the what, why, and how to hope. It reviews what hopelessness is, the Shine Hope framework, and instructs how to measure hope. It is a simple way to get started learning how to Shine Hope.
· *My Hope Story and My Hope Hero Templates*: give leaders an avenue to normalize hopelessness and share their unique experiences using the Shine Hope framework. We all experience moments of hopelessness (i.e., emotional despair and motivational helplessness). How we manage the moments of hopelessness matters and sharing with others the skills that work.
· *Hopeful Minds Parent's Guide*: provides a broad overview of the concepts discussed in the Hopeful Minds curriculums, and provides parents with easy ways to implement the Five Keys to Shine Hope (Stress Skills, Happiness Habits, Inspired Actions, Nourishing Networks, and Eliminating Challenges) and hopeful language in the home.
· *Hopeful Minds Overview Educator Guide*: a curriculum designed to give children an introduction to the "what," "why," and "how" of hope. The curriculum includes three, one-hour lessons introducing the key tools needed to create, maintain, and grow hope. The curriculum includes background information for educators, supplemental resources, classroom visuals, and a Hopework Book for students. (Anyone can teach it!)
· *Hopeful Minds Deep Dive Educator Guide*: a curriculum for K-6 (but can be used for any age) designed to give children a deeper understanding of the core components of hope. The curriculum is scripted allowing anyone to teach the 16, 45-minute lessons that explore the tools needed to create, maintain, and grow hope, background information for educators, supplemental resources, classroom visuals, and a Hopework Book for students. It meets National Health Education Standards put forth by the CDC, and anyone can teach it!
· *Hopeful Minds Teen Hopeguide*: a 12-module workbook that was tested and approved by teens. The workbook employs a peer-to-peer teaching style, encouraging both individual reflection and group discussions. Interactive elements such as engaging activities, games, creative expressions, worksheets, and puzzles enhance the learning experience. The workbook itself is the curriculum, so educators are not necessary for use. We encourage having facilitators, yet it is designed for anyone to use.

We provide digital resources for the workplace, healthcare settings, schools, the government, art, and science. We encourage all residents of Las Vegas to start using the tools to cultivate hope - www.hopefulcities.org/unitedstates/nevada/lasvegas.

If you live in a city that needs a little hope, you can purchase the Hopeful Cities Playbook, which highlights the full programming for cities. You can purchase a copy of the Playbook at The Shine Hope Store or Ingramspark. Some interventions that are no cost are included in the playbook, but to be an official city you need to license the programs from The Shine Hope Company.

Gard Jameson Sharing Why Hope Matters

Kathryn Goetzke Sharing Hopeful Cities Strategy

Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman Honoring Gard Jameson

Mayor Pro Tem Brian Knudson

Grace Netski Hope Means Nevada

Krista Darnold, Kathryn Goetzke,
Gard Jameson and Sallie Dobler
Mayors Fund

*About The Shine Hope Company:*

Our mission is to empower all by teaching scientifically informed and evidence-based methods that cultivate hope. Through our educational resources, tools, and activations, we aim to inspire individuals to foster positive feelings and take inspired action, measuring their progress in nurturing and sustaining hope in their lives. Visit www.theshinehopecompany.com to find out more.

*About iFred:*

iFred, a 501(c)3 organization, is working to teach hope. iFred has worked to shine a positive light on mental health and eliminate stigma through prevention, research and education and created a shift in society's negative perception of the disease through positive imagery, rebranding, celebrity engagement, cause marketing campaigns, and establishing the sunflower and color yellow as the international symbols for hope. iFred worked with The Mood Factory to do the first nationwide cause marketing campaign for mental health in the US, and created the first ever program to teach hope, based on research it is a teachable skill.

*About Hopeful Cities*

Hopeful Cities is equipping cities around the world with the tools they need to create, maintain, and grow hope, citywide. This initiative features the Hopeful Cities Playbook, a step-by-step guide to help cities activate the "how-to" of hope in the sectors of government, education, science, workplace, healthcare, and art. The Eight Guiding Principles of Hopeful Cities are integrated into all interventions across these six sectors, driving change and ensuring everyone can proactively move from hopelessness to hope. Visit www.hopefulcities.org and find out more how you can activate hope in your city today.

*Media Contact:*

For media inquiries contact

Veronica O'Brien
veronica@theshinehopecompany.com
734-355-6716

*SOURCE: *The Shine Hope Company
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