Building a Culture of Hope for Youth At Risk: Supporting Learners with Optimism, Place, Pride, and Purpose

Abstract

A Culture of Hope provides a blueprint for schools wanting to meet the social/emotional needs of youth placed at risk. While the importance of meeting students’ social/emotional needs is clearly supported in the literature and in the media, teachers and administrators may need help in determining where and how to start. This essay introduces the Culture of Hope, provides an overview of the four Seeds of Hope, and shares links to student and staff surveys as well as methods for analyzing surveys to reveal student and staff needs.