Goal 1

100 natural helpers will be trained each year to identify and refer individuals experiencing grief and feelings of loss and pain to appropriate services.

GFOL provided training to individuals to serve as natural helpers to youth and young adults. GFOL used six evidence-based programs—Adult Mental Health First Aid (AMHFA), Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), Lethal Means Safety (LMS) Workshop, LivingWorks START, Resilience and Thriving (R&T) and SafeTALK—to train natural helpers.

Participants came from organizations such as the Breaking Wave Theater Company, Department of Public Health and Social Services, Department of Youth Affairs, Guam Army National Guard, Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center, Guam Community College, Guam Department of Education, GY671, Helping Hands Adult Care Center, Honolulu Coffee Company, Ironwood NCS Residents, Izakaya by Jimmy, Lighthouse Recovery Center, Mayflour II, Payless Supermarket, Sanctuary Inc., Santa Barbara Catholic School, TGT (The Giving Tree) Guam LLC, University of Guam, Varo & TOHGE, Ymagas. A few participants had no employment or organization affiliation.

During Year 6, a total of 192 natural helpers completed their training.

GFOL conducting ASIST training

OUTREACH ACTIVITY HIGHLIGHTS FROM YEAR 6

Outreach activities continued to be a significant part of the work completed by GFOL in Year 6. GFOL team organized and participated in outreach activities with community organizations, government entities, media outlets, and school groups. Some of the activities included outreach at the Finegayan Employee Outreach/Health Fair, PC Lujan Elementary School, the Guam Women’s Chamber of Commerce (GWCC) Fanachu’ Famalao’an In Bloom, and the National Evaluation Community of Practice. GFOL participated in the Suicide Mortality Review Site Visit on July 24-25, 2025 and a private screening of “Just One Kind Word,” a suicide prevention documentary with UOG Press and Brian Muña films. GFOL was featured in the December National Evaluation Newsletter for their work this documentary.

GFOL also partnered with the Todu Guam Foundation to host Kevin Hines in Guam for Kindness Heals Week 2025: Powering Up for Mental Wellness. Hines presented to youth at several schools and community and government groups. Hines also appeared on local media shows and screened his documentary film, “Suicide: The Ripple Effect”. Kindness Heals Week concluded with the Getting Guam Healthy Sunset 5k Bubble Run/Walk and Health Fair.

Just One Kind Word Screening

Focus on Life Coalition Incorporation Ceremony

Dr. KristiAnna Whitman, GFOL Project Director, participates in the GoPEACE Plenary Panel

Suicide prevention month 2025 highlights

For Suicide Prevention Month, GFOL also participated in the following events:

On September 5, GFOL participated in the proclamation signing for Suicide Prevention Month.
On September 25, GFOL participated in the I Pinangon Suicide Prevention Forum.

By 2024, Guam’s revised Youth Suicide Strategic Prevention and Intervention Plan for a suicide-safer community will incorporate epidemiological inferences based on qualitative data offered by individuals with lived experience, including youth and adult survivors of loss and suicide attempts.

This benchmark was completed in Year 5. There are no additional updates in Year 6.

In Years 2-5, three evidence based programs will be implemented that normalize positive coping skills and increase help-seeking behavior among youth screened "at risk" from Guam's public school system, emergency departments, psychiatric in- or out-patient units, and other child and youth support organizations.

GFOL partnered with two organizations to implement a program for “at-risk” youth: Gametime Inc. hosted the H.O.P.E. Youth Football Camp on November 28-30, 2025. The Camp focused on physical fitness training, suicide prevention, and college preparation. Two certified grief recovery specialists were onsite during the event to distribute information and speak to parents about grief and suicide. Gametime used Planting the Seeds of Prevention and the Grief Recovery Method as the evidence-based program, which included group discussion, activities, and ice breakers. A total of 182 kids participated in the 3-day camp.

Clutch Guam hosted the Boys High School Basketball Classic, which provided a community space to share mental health support and suicide prevention messaging with Guam’s youth and their peer and adult supporters. The event took place on January 6-14, 2026, and hosted over 220 student-athletes, 3,070 in-person attendees and 11,273 online viewers. GFOL messaging was available to participants via livestream, in the venue, and on social media.

Clutch Guam Boys High School Basketball Clinic

RESULTS FROM YEAR 6

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