- HOPEFUL is an intervention that uses the science of hope to help young people live better lives
- We define hope as a thinking style or a mindset that is focused on a meaningful goal – this is called the cognitive model of hope
- Hope has two parts; self-agency, which is motivation and self-belief that you can reach your goal, and pathways, which is identifying steps you can take to work towards your goal
There are three important reasons why this HOPEFUL intervention focuses on hope:
1. Hope matters to young people
Young people, their family members, and support professionals have all told us that hope is fundamental to living happy and healthy lives. However, many young people need some help to grow and maintain their hope, especially if they have experienced adversity or difficult experiences.
2. Hope makes things better
Research shows that hope has lots of positive effects for young people. Hopeful people are more likely to reach their goals, but can also cope better if they come across barriers that get in the way. Hope predicts more positive outcomes across work, studying, sports, and social lives. Hope protects against the negative effects of adversity, reducing the chance of people developing health problems afterwards.
3. Hope can grow
Research shows that, using simple techniques, hope really can grow. Hope is not fixed or rigid. Hope is a changeable mindset – this means that being hopeful reflects a set of skills that can be learned and then used in daily life. Through understanding more about hope, and learning and practicing these skills, young people really can grow their hope and maintain it over time.