KNOW THE SIGNS PROGRAMS

Proven programs to protect children from violence.

Know the Signs. Save lives.

People who are at risk of hurting themselves or others often show signs and signals before an act of violence takes place. When you don’t know what to look for, it can be easy to miss signs, or dismiss them as unimportant, sometimes with tragic consequences.

Sandy Hook Promise’s proven Know the Signs programs teach youth and adults how to prevent school violence, shootings, and other harmful acts. Students and educators learn how to help identify at-risk behaviors and intervene to get them the help they need. These early-prevention measures empower them to keep their schools and communities safe.

Know the Signs Programs

Each proven program offers 30- to 40-minute student trainings that can be delivered in a classroom or an assembly. Programs also align with Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) competencies for Social-Emotional Learning including relationship skills, social awareness, responsible decision-making and self-awareness. All resources needed are provided at no cost, including:

• Lesson plans, activities, games and more to engage and inform students

• Discussion guides to reinforce and expand on the core teachings in a classroom setting

• Companion parent brochures that explain the features and benefits of these programs

More than 11 million people nationwide have been trained in Sandy Hook Promise’s proven Know the Signs programs that focus on prevention to help end the epidemic of school shootings and violence. Through these programs, Sandy Hook Promise has averted multiple school shooting plots, teen suicides, and countless other acts of violence in schools. Join us and bring these programs to your community.

Start With Hello

Start With Hello

Teaches youth to minimize social isolation, empathize with others, and create a more inclusive and connected culture.

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Say Something

Say Something

Trains students to look for warning signs of someone at risk of hurting themselves or others and to “say something” before a tragedy can occur.

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Say Something Anonymous Reporting System

Builds on the Say Something program and includes an anonymous reporting system via a downloadable app, telephone hotline, and website that students can use to report an issue when they see a classmate who is at risk of harming themselves or others.  Additional training for school district personnel and local law enforcement are required elements of this program.

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Program Sustainability

Sandy Hook Promise has empowered student organizations to nurture lifesaving Know the Signs programs throughout the school year through SAVE (Students Against Violence Everywhere) Promise Clubs (grades K-12).

This student-led organization encourages youth to take charge of keeping schools safe by teaching, modeling, and continually reinforcing the key messages of Start with Hello and Say Something. Each SAVE Promise Club receives tools and resources to plan events, activities, and projects that promote kindness, inclusiveness, and the value of looking out for one another in preventing violence.

Join the SAVE Promise Club

Program Partners

Sandy Hook Promise is proud to partner with leading experts on violence and suicide prevention who have created these proven programs for schools. If you would like to bring these programs to your school, please reach out to these organizations directly.

Threat Assessment & Intervention is a national proven violence prevention training program researched and developed by Dewey G. Cornell, Ph.D., a forensic clinical psychologist and professor of education at the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. Learn more about threat assessment training

Signs of Suicide (SOS) is an educational program that teaches students to recognize the symptoms of depression and suicide. The program includes a mental health self-assessment that screens every student for depression and suicide. The program also includes training and educational materials for faculty, staff and parents.

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