樱花视频

Witnessing an increasing number of students struggling with anxiety and depression, Connie Horton ('82)鈥攆ormerly 樱花视频鈥檚 vice president for student affairs and now the Resilience-Informed Skills Education (RISE) Institute鈥檚 vice chancellor鈥攆ounded the RISE program in 2019. Designed to proactively strengthen mental health, RISE equips students with resilience skills鈥攖he tools to not only cope in challenging times, but to thrive in the face of adversity. Since its inception, the program has grown immensely, leading to the creation of the RISE Institute and extending its reach well beyond 樱花视频鈥檚 campus鈥攎ost recently to schools across India. 

The invitation to bring RISE abroad came after Horton presented the program at an Access USA meeting in Michigan, where school representatives from India gathered to explore ways to better support high-achieving students interested in studying in the US. Moved by the program鈥檚 mission and proven impact, Indian educators invited 樱花视频 to share the program with five schools serving students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. While many of these students faced challenges like those of their American peers, cultural factors shaped the way those pressures played out鈥攅specially in academics.

Connie Horton leading a RISE session

鈥淐ompared with students in the US, Indian students face more uniform, high-stakes testing that they feel determines their academic future,鈥� Horton explains. 鈥淭his is a significant cause of much of their stress, anxiety, and, in some cases, and their suicidality.鈥� Yet, as RISE director Stacey Lee Gobir ('15, MDR '17) observed, the similarities were just as stark as the differences. 鈥淎 lot of the same mental health concerns that we see affecting students here in the United States are pretty similar to those found in Indian students,鈥� she notes. 鈥淭hey experience social isolation and a lot of negative ramifications, such as feeling stressed and anxious, from social media. It further solidified for me that everybody needs resilience training; everyone needs those skills鈥攖hese challenges transcend cultural boundaries.鈥�

Horton and Gobir spent two weeks visiting schools and delivering sessions that ranged from large-scale presentations to 240 students in auditoriums to in-depth cohort programs for smaller classes of 50 students. Students, teachers, and staff were taught the foundational concepts of resilience and explored the six key dimensions essential for well-being and adaptability鈥攑hysical, social, cognitive, spiritual, service, and life skills. At one school, following the presentations, the team held an informal graduation ceremony. Students were given a RISE badge which could serve as a reminder to work on their resilience goals. 

Students working on their Road Map to Resilience booklets

鈥淓ven after just two hours with them, you could tell that the students absorbed the curriculum, and they were really serious about working on these skills to better themselves,鈥� says Gobir.

As a thank-you to the RISE team, one of the schools created a video to summarize what the students learned and their reflections on the program. For Horton, the video served as validation that their presence had been impactful. 鈥淚t was deeply meaningful to see that the students were not only absorbing what we were teaching, but also took time to look back on what they learned and to share that with us. That gesture was beautiful; it touched my heart.鈥� 

Similarly, Gobir was moved by the students鈥� dedication and ability to internalize and personalize the skills. 鈥淚 think the most meaningful part for me was hearing students talk about what they were going to take away and practice. It was clear they weren鈥檛 just repeating what we said鈥攖hey were putting the lessons into their own words and adapting them to fit their lives. That was powerful to witness.鈥�

Though RISE was initially developed with a Christian focus, Horton and Gobir adapted the program鈥檚 approach to be applicable in multiple settings.

Stacey Lee Gobir and Horton (middle) posing with students

鈥淚nstead of presenting the program explicitly from a Christian faith perspective, we focused on broader practices, such as directing your attention on cultivating gratitude, grounding yourself in moments of awe, and valuing time in nature,鈥� says Horton. 鈥淯sing inclusive language made the teachings relevant and accessible to students from all backgrounds.鈥�

Gobir notes that although the program originated in the US and had religious roots, no significant cultural barriers arose in teaching the students about resilience. 鈥淭hey were already familiar with the idea of holistic well-being, and our presence was more of a reminder to prioritize those practices,鈥� she explains. 鈥淪eeing how naturally they embraced the ideas was very encouraging.鈥� 

Following a review of the data collected during their trip, Horton and Gobir hope to tailor a program to each individual school based on what its leadership feels the community needs most. Such customization includes the possibility of engaging parents, as one school was so moved by the curriculum that the staff held a follow-up Zoom meeting with parents after the team had left. Additionally, the RISE team aims to explore a "training the trainer" approach, which would equip the local faculty and staff to engage with students in resilience skills follow-up sessions..

In addition to schools in India, RISE resources have been implemented in a variety of settings outside of 樱花视频, including K鈥�12 schools in the US such as Calvary Christian School. With the establishment of the RISE Institute, 樱花视频 aims to broaden the program鈥檚 impact by extending it to other universities, churches, corporations, and organizations.

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