Natural Helpers say program is showing results

The Natural Helpers program at Lake Roosevelt High School has been a success, staff members and students say, and they want to keep it going.

The program, which used a student survey to identify 21 students to whom other students feel comfortable turning in a time of need, took those students on a multi-day retreat to K Diamond K Ranch outside of Republic last fall.

There, the Natural Helpers learned how to help peers deal with issues such as depression, suicide, drugs, alcohol, and physical and emotional abuse.

The program was discussed at a Feb. 25 school board meeting.

“A key part of Natural Helpers is knowing when you are invading someone’s space too much, or knowing when it’s too much for you,” said LR Pathways Coordinator Jesse Utz, who helps run the program. “We knew we had to do something to help the mental health here.”

The group meets on a monthly basis with nearly 100-percent attendance, Utz said.

“I feel like the camp has given me a new way to handle the problems that my friends come to me with,” said LorRinda Richardson, a student in the program. “It also helps me build stronger relationships with people. It helped me learn to read body language. One message that really stuck is how to help yourself before you help others, because if you’re not in the right mental state you can’t provide help as well.”

“It also taught us how to reach out to others, how to recognize someone who needs help, how to help them, and how to address a situation,” said Chelsea Dudley, another student in the program. “We have better tools to help them now. If we can’t help them ourselves, we know how to refer them to someone else.”

“It really impacted me a lot,” said Isaijah Derr, another student in the program. “It brought us all closer. I started reading body language. It showed me what I didn’t realize before, and it makes me want to reach out to people more.”

Isaijah’s father, Aaron Derr, also an LR staff member, weighed in on the topic:

“When Isaijah came back, it was evident to me he was much more insightful,” he said. “One thing I’ve noticed a big improvement on is his ability to understand himself and be open with himself. I think if there are 20 other parents that feel the way I do about that — the value, you can’t calculate it. Knowing that my son has grown as much as he has, and that he feels pride when he helps someone; to see that level of pride, that’s what a parent dreams of.”

“In the first week after Natural Helpers came back the kids were dragging people non-stop to [school counselor Casey Clark’s] office,” Utz said. “They’re bringing serious things to the nurse, to staff members, and it’s getting taken care of a lot sooner than it used to.”

LR Indian Education Director Kim Stanger, who also helps run the program, said she can envision Natural Helpers becoming a class, and would like to see the program help benefit elementary and junior-high students as well.

The group anticipates getting the same $5,000 grant next year that they used this year — the Stronger Schools Grant from Community Foundation of North Central Washington — and would like to apply for more grants. They asked the school board to see if they can find any money to pour into the program.

This year’s program also received a $1,000 BP Teachers Grant from the Colville Tribes.

Those interested in helping with the program may call Utz or Stanger at the high school at 633-1442.