Chicago Joins the Shine Hope Company's Network of Hopeful Cities, Providing New Resources to Support Behavioral Health

January 22, 2025

CDPH Public Information Office:    media.cdph@cityofchicago.org

The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) has partnered with The Shine Hope Company (TSHC) to join its Hopeful Cities initiative. The program is designed to boost mental health resources and teach Chicago residents how to cultivate hope through an evidence-based framework grounded in science, which shows that hope is measurable, teachable, and can be developed to support mental wellness. Programming is available at no cost to all Chicago residents via The Shine Hope Company on the Hopeful Cities website.

In 2024, Illinois ranked 8th among states with the highest prevalence of mental illnesses, affecting nearly 2.1 million residents (22.01%), and due to a national shortage of mental health professionals, only 22% of the demand for mental health services is being met (KFF, 2024; NIMH, 2024 ). Nationwide, 1 in 5 people experience anxiety, 29% are diagnosed with depression, 45 million Americans (17.82%) struggle with substance use, and over 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men reported intimate partner violence (NIMH, 2024). Through the Hopeful Cities initiative, residents of Chicago—across neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, places of worship, and more—will gain access to free, accessible resources and community-focused programming that promote hope and teach crucial life skills.

“As we confront the complex health challenges in our communities, we constantly seek ways to build resilience through resources and support for healing and growth,” says Dr. Olusimbo Ige, Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health. “The Hopeful Cities initiative provides us with the means to do just that. Hope is a powerful tool that can be learned and put to use daily and in stressful situations as an important coping mechanism. Through this work, we intend to build a more hopeful and healthy city.”

Chicago residents can access a range of tools designed to increase hope, that use the Shine Hope Framework of Stress Skills, Happiness Habits, Inspired Actions, Nourishing Networks, and Eliminating Challenges. These include the Children and Adult Hope Scales, which allow individuals to measure their hope, and the Shine Hope Infographic, featuring clickable links to information on the Five Keys to Shine Hope. The Five-Day Global Hope Challenge introduces the essentials of hope and its measurable impact, while digital posters and brochures are available for workplaces, hospitals, libraries, schools, places of worship, community centers, and other gathering spaces. The My Shine Hope Story and My Shine Hope Hero Templates encourage individuals to share experiences of overcoming challenges and share examples using Shine Hope Skills.

Additionally, the Hopeful Minds Parent's Guide provides practical tips for practicing skills to create a hope-filled home. The Overview and Deep Dive Educator Guides and Workbooks and Hopeful Minds for Teens Program offer lessons on the "what," "why," and "how" of hope for youth, designed for use by educators, places of worship, after-school programs, police working with youth, community centers, parents, or nonprofits. There is also a Hopeful Mindsets for Veterans Facilitator and Workbook for use with those that served in the military. All programs meet the National Health Education Standards.

“It's been almost 35 years since my hero, my dad Jon Goetzke, a VP of retail banking at the First National Bank of Chicago, now Chase Bank, died by suicide, and I almost followed in his footsteps," says Kathryn Goetzke, MBA, Founder of iFred, CEO and Chief Hope Officer of The Shine Hope Company , and UN Representative for the World Federation for Mental Health. "So, it is an honor to bring to my hometown, Chicago, our evidence-based programs and build that critically important network of support in workplaces, neighborhoods, schools and more. We need to stop waiting until people are struggling with substance use disorder or homelessness, are in prison, hospitals, or in crisis to address skills that are critical to all aspects of life. It is time to normalize the conversation around hopelessness and share the skills to manage it proactively by learning how to Shine Hope.”

Dr. Edward Barksdale Jr.—Advisor at The Shine Hope Company, Chief of Surgery for the Chicagoland Children's Health Alliance (CCHA), and Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics at The University of Chicago— shares, “In these challenging times, hopelessness is only going to increase in marginalized communities, so it is critical that while we work on broader societal issues, we get these skills to all for 'how' to hope. Hopelessness is one of the root causes of suicide, violence, and substance use disorder, so by joining the Hopeful Cities Movement our city is taking a bold, proactive step to address these very challenging issues.”

CDPH will offer Hopeful Cities information and resources at free Question, Persuade, and Refer (QPR) suicide prevention trainings available to the public across the city. Chicago Residents can sign up at chicago.gov/suicideprevention to recognize suicide warning signs, take immediate steps to mitigate the risk of a suicide attempt, make referrals to professional care, and instill hope. Trainings are added on an ongoing basis; please see the available trainings in February:

  • February 11th: Wrightwood-Ashburn Branch, Chicago Public Library, 8530 S Kedzie Ave, Chicago, IL 60652, 4:00 - 5:30 p.m., In-Person, Open to the Public. Registration
  • February 20th: Virtual CDPH QPR Training, 1- 2:30 p.m. Registration

CDPH will incorporate Hopeful Cities resources into its 2025 Behavioral Health initiatives to ensure Hope messaging is infused throughout efforts to address Chicago's most pressing issues around mental health, substance use, and violence.

About Hopeful Cities:

Hopeful Cities is equipping cities around the world with the tools they need to create, maintain, and grow hope, citywide. This initiative features the Hopeful Cities Playbook, a step-by-step guide to help cities activate the “how-to” of hope in the sectors of government, education, science, workplace, healthcare, and art. The Eight Guiding Principles of Hopeful Cities are integrated into all interventions across these six sectors, driving change and ensuring everyone can proactively move from hopelessness to hope. Visit www.hopefulcities.org.

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