Idaho high school students spent the day at Boise State University learning how to become mental health leaders on their own campuses as part of the BroncoBOLD program.<\/p>\n
Students from high schools throughout Idaho participated in this year\u2019s BroncoBOLD High School Ambassador Summit. The program teaches students how to launch a mental health campaign at their school while also giving them tools to become mental health advocates on their campuses.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of our goals with BroncoBOLD is to really reach all corners of Idaho and really spread the awareness and that’s something that we are so excited to be a part of,\u201d said Sarah Campbell, a Boise High School advisor.<\/p>\n
BroncoBOLD held its first high school summit in 2023 with four schools participating. The program has since expanded to 20 participating high schools, including first-time participants Melba, Camas County, Homedale and Skyview.<\/p>\n
Ezra Hamlin, a Centennial High School ambassador, said the program\u2019s message connects directly to students\u2019 daily lives and relationships.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think if I was negative minded and I’m just always angry and I don’t have good mental health and I’m not looking to better my mental health then I’d just be a worse teammate and I don’t get to be a light like I try to be on the basketball team and on the tennis team and to the people who surround me,\u201d Hamlin said.<\/p>\n
What started as a small student-led effort inside Boise State athletics has grown into a statewide movement. Charlie Farris, a BroncoBOLD ambassador at Centennial High School, said the program\u2019s reach has expanded significantly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first year that I was in BroncoBOLD, there were six total high schools and now they’ve expanded to 20. The impact is just way more broad with BroncoBOLD and I think getting to reach more people to hear about BroncoBOLD and what it’s about that’s really good for honestly just the state of Idaho,\u201d Farris said.<\/p>\n
BroncoBOLD was built around three goals: reducing stigma, raising awareness and building resilience. Organizers said the summit is part of the effort to bring more Idaho high schools into that vision.<\/p>\n