Home Base Initiative

WHO WE ARE

We are a group of students from Arizona State University passionate about student well-being!

We are dedicated to reducing teen suicide.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death in the U.S. for youth ages 10-19. While this statistic is staggering, there are many programs and a lot of information out there that can help! Much of the information about these programs can only be found inside difficult to read research journals, creating a barrier between innovation and application. The goal of this website is to smash that barrier by serving as a digital resource guide full of suicide prevention programs and mental wellness tips THAT WORK.

Check it out, and let us know what you think!

WHAT WE DO

Collaborative Consulting

We team up with high school administrators and educators to understand the unique strengths and needs of their school. We offer resources and hands-on support to foster a school community best suited for student social and emotional growth, the foundations for academic learning and positive well-being.

Learn More About Our Approach

Mental Health Resource Guide

A compilation of current research-backed mental health programs and tips for students, parents, and educators can be found on the different pages of this website or downloaded as a PDF.

Downloadable PDF Coming Soon

PHOTO GALLERY

Wellness Week - Sunset Yoga

Wellness Week - Dog Costume Contest

Wellness Week - Dog Costume Contest: Students voted on their favorite dog costumes in the categories of scariest, funniest, cutest, and most creative.

Wellness Week - Dog Costume Contest

Wellness Week - Fall Folly: Thanks to All New Hopes for providing live music at the community building event - these guys [email protected]

Wellness Week - Fall Folly: Coach Dan from Dan Huber Training came out and showed us some MMA skills

Wellness Week - Fall Folly

Wellness Week - Fall Folly: The awesome Hands for Henna team and our Cofounders

Wellness Week - Fall Folly: Hands for Henna

Photo Credit: Gannon Hart // IG: @gannonhxrt

IN THE PRESS

OUR TEAM

Annika Sra

CO-PRESIDENT

Management

My name is Zoe Sabrowsky and I am a freshman. I am interested in mental health because it's something that everyone struggles with at some point in their life but is often not regarded as serious as it should be. The less we talk about mental health issues the more people feel isolated by it. By normalizing the conversation and extend a helping hand, it becomes easier to reach out for help when it's needed.

Andie McDonald

CO-PRESIDENT

Engagement

Alana Samuels

SR. CONSULTANT

The issue of mental health amongst high-school aged students is something with which I have first hand experience, both with my peers and within my family. My high school suffered through three student suicides during my time there, and my sister has been a victim of severe depression. Having witnessed the rippling effect of suicide and how much it has developed into an epidemic, I made a promise to myself to work towards a better future for adolescent mental health. At Home Base, my role in curriculum involves establishing a program of activities aimed to increase peer connectedness and overall encourage positive social, emotional, and mental wellbeing.

Sarah Shipley

JR. CONSULTANT

Joanna Gunaraj

SR. CONSULTANT

My name is Joanna Gunaraj I am a sophomore studying Business (Law) at Arizona State University. I will be graduating in May of 2022. I am passionate about mental health because myself and those who are close to me have been negatively impacted by the stigma surrounding this issue for so long. It is frustrating to see those close to you not being able to fully sympathize with you because they do not see mental illness as a real health issue. Which is why my interests within HBI are in outreach. I am in the process of reaching out to School officials to try to understand their stance on mental health within high schools so that myself and the HBI team can better understand how to tackle the stigma.

Arni Dizon

SR. CONSULTANT

My name is Arni Dizon, a Psychology and Justice Studies student at Arizona State University! I'm passionate about social justice, fantasy books, writing creative non-fiction, and making mental health a prime priority. Too many people, from all social backgrounds, are barred from understanding mental illnesses and their implications. Joining Home Base Initiative represents a big step for me, to combat suicide, eradicate the stigma, and bridge the mental health awareness gap prevalent today.

Chris McClung

SR. CONSULTANT

My name is Chris McClung, and I'm a freshman majoring in Psychology and Religious Studies. I'm interested in mental health because someone needed to support my friends. Some people need help to support them, to help build them up to a person who can carry the stresses and burdens of life because otherwise, they won't. I want to help those people, and I'd like to do so directly through education and interacting with others about mental health.

Kavya Balasubramanian

JR. CONSULTANT

Madison Sutton

CO-FOUNDER

Maddie Sutton is an alumni at Barrett, the Honors College at ASU with degrees in global studies and psychological sciences with a french minor. She cofounded Home Base Initiative after experiencing a friend's suicide during her senior year of high school. Maddie thinks that mental health is the most important yet overlooked aspect of people's day-to-day lives and aspires to bring awareness to the resources that are out there to help. She lives by the motto: people need people and hopes to show others the power of social connection for well-being.

Sonia Sabrowsky

CO-FOUNDER

I am an alumni at Arizona State University with degrees in Biochemistry and Psychology. Having felt the personal impact of losing a friend to suicide and struggled with my own mental health in the past, I understand the immense power of vulnerability and social support when developing and sustaining positive mental health habits. I co-founded Home Base Initiative with the hope of sharing this understanding and positively impacting our local youth. In the future, I hope to support patients as a genetic counselor and continue to be an advocate for mental health.

Interested in joining the team? Click here!

Want to learn more about what we're doing or how to get involved?

SEND US A MESSAGE

[email protected]

Please let us know of any questions or comments you have regarding the website or any of the work we do. We would be happy to provide additional information!

FUNDERS & SUPPORTERS

None of this would be possible without our many dedicated partners and supporters.

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