COLORADO SPRINGS, CO. – In response to the growing mental health crisis affecting young people, a grant from the U.S. Department of Education will allow the statewide expansion of Team STRONG, a program designed to build resilience in children and youth. The program, which combines the Becoming Your Personal Best (BYPB) initiative from the United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum and the GRIT program from the Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience, will now extend its reach across Colorado, helping students better cope with depression and anxiety.
Team STRONG integrates lessons from BYPB, which uses the inspiring stories of Olympians and Paralympians to teach students about perseverance, and GRIT (Greater Resilience Information Toolkit), a community-based program that trains people to support others through challenging times. Together, the programs form a comprehensive resilience initiative, addressing both internal and external support systems for youth. The GRIT program, which has expanded to all 50 states and 36 countries, fosters community resilience by empowering individuals to coach friends, neighbors, and colleagues through adversity.
“Becoming Your Personal Best enables us to engage youth through the powerful stories of Olympians and Paralympians—not just stories of wins and medals, but also stories of overcoming challenges, losses, and barriers,” said Hunter Kemper, four-time Olympian and athlete ambassador for BYPB. “We’ve been working with Colorado youth who are struggling with their own life challenges. BYPB helps us have conversations about what it looks like to live and practice resiliency in their everyday lives.”
Since its inception in 2021, Team STRONG has empowered students in Colorado Springs, creating a foundation for mental health support that extends through schools, families, and communities. With the new federal funding, the program aims to expand across the state, reaching more schools and communities in need.
Laura Quinn, Team STRONG program director, highlighted the critical timing of the expansion: “We are in the midst of an unprecedented mental health crisis where young people are impacted as never before. Team STRONG brings together two transformative resilience programs to address this crisis and support the development of resiliency not only in our youth but in the adults supporting them—parents, teachers, counselors, and coaches. This program is making a significant difference in the schools we’ve worked with, and we are excited to expand its reach across Colorado through this grant.”
Any school in Colorado is eligible to participate in Team STRONG. Schools interested in learning more can contact education@usopm.org for further information.
Nicole Weis, director of the GRIT program, emphasized the unique nature of the collaboration: “The goal of Team STRONG is to create a comprehensive resilience program that reaches young people from both perspectives. The programs complement each other, focusing on different aspects of resilience while working toward the same goal.”
Team STRONG began in Colorado Springs and will now expand throughout the state, with the long-term vision of reaching youth across the United States and around the world.
“Resilience to adversity—whether it comes from a pandemic, floods, or fires—has never been more crucial to our society,” said Dr. Chip Benight of the Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience. “Institutions worldwide are searching for ways to teach resilience to individuals and communities. With Team STRONG, we’re moving beyond isolated efforts to create a comprehensive program that can help end this global mental health crisis.”
