SANDY HOOK PROMISE FOUNDATION

Sandy Hook Promise envisions a future where all children are free from shootings and acts of violence in their schools, homes, and communities. Our mission is to end school shootings and create a culture change that prevents violence and other harmful acts that hurt children.

Sandy Hook Promise (SHP) believes that the safety of our schools and communities depends on a shared commitment to “know the signs” of potential violence and willingness to look out for one another. We are the only gun violence prevention organization in the nation to research, develop, and deliver evidence-informed programs that teach these warning signs and how to respond at no cost to schools, as well as successfully write and pass nonpartisan federal and state legislation that makes schools safer.

● Train and support schools in sustaining our proven Know the Signs violence prevention programs that foster inclusivity, connection, and the ability to intervene when someone needs help
● Pass state and federal policy via the Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund (a 501c4 organization) that expands, funds, and maintains Know the Signs programs in schools and communities and advocates for related school, mental wellness, and gun safety legislation
● Attract, engage, and sustain a multi-generational base committed to ending school shootings and keeping children safe everywhere
● Create long-term behavior and culture change by empowering youth with the tools to create safer communities that save lives today, and to advocate for the violence-free future they deserve
● Create a culture, externally and internally, where every life is valued for the promise it holds, all perspectives are treated with respect, we lead with love instead of hate, and conversations are turned into actions.
● Foster a workplace where people thrive with honesty, transparency, open communication, genuine curiosity, acceptance, and structures that maximize our diversity, capability, and capacity
● Strengthen our financial sustainability by developing diverse and recurring revenue streams that support our impact, expansion, and sustainability

Sandy Hook Promise’s evidence-based “Know the Signs” programs, “Start With Hello” and “Say Something,” teach youth and adults how to prevent school violence, shootings, and other harmful acts by identifying at-risk behaviors and intervening to get people the help they may need. These early prevention measures empower students and educators to keep schools and communities safe.

Each program offers 30- to 40-minute student trainings that can be delivered in a classroom or an assembly. All resources needed are provided, including an Educator’s Guide and toolkits that offer lesson plans, activities, games, and discussion guides to reinforce and expand on the core teachings in a classroom setting. Companion parent brochures explain the features and benefits of these programs. Related programs focusing on youth suicide and adult support are also offered. The programs and resource materials are provided at no-cost to schools and can be accessed on-demand via an online Learning Center.

Sandy Hook Promise programs also align with CASEL standards for Social-Emotional Learning including relationship skills, social awareness, responsible decision-making, and self-awareness.

The Say Something Anonymous Reporting System equips school communities with app, website, and telephone hotline to safely report concerning behaviors or overt threats. These reports are handles by certified counselors at the Sandy Hook Promise National Crisis Center, the only 24/7/365 crisis team exclusively supporting schools nationwide.

Thousands of student-led SAVE Promise Clubs embedded in elementary, middle, and high schools nationwide are encouraging youth to take charge of keeping schools safe by teaching, modeling, and continually reinforcing the “know the signs” message. Each Club receives tools and resources to plan events, activities, and projects that promote kindness, inclusiveness, and the value of looking out for one another.

Over 18 million people have participated in Sandy Hook Promise’s proven “Know the Signs” programs that focus on prevention to help end the epidemic of gun violence by training youth and adults on how to identify at-risk behavior and intervene to get help before a tragedy can occur.

Through these no-cost signature programs, Sandy Hook Promise has averted multiple school shootings, hundreds of teen suicides, and countless other acts of violence.

Since launching the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System in Spring 2018, data through June 30, 2022 shows more than 361 lives have been confirmed to be saved, 89 acts of violence with a weapon were prevented, along with an additional 2,800 youth getting the mental health support they need as direct results of using the training and system.