HOPE at UCF

Check out our next HOPE GBM!

When: Friday, February 20th at 4:00-5:00 PM
Where: ZOOM only - RSVP on Knight Connect.

Join us for a training from Victim Service Center, which serves Orange, Osceola, and Seminole Counties. Be the Hero empowers learners with knowledge for intervening, determining the differences between active and passive bystanders, and understanding a consent framework to prevent victimization.

Register for the event on Knight Connect! This event will be held ONLINE only.

We can't wait for our next HOPE GBM!

When: Friday, February 6th at 4:00 PM
Where: ZOOM only - RSVP on Knight Connect.

Join us to hear from Caroline Pittman, the Outreach Coordinator at Peer Support Space, Inc.. Caroline will be sharing about the importance of peer support in recovery and healing. This is a great session especially if you’ve ever considered a career as a peer support specialist.

The mission of Peer Support Space is to support anyone 18+, particularly those who are struggling to access care through the emotional health system. All services are led by members of the community served, guided by the belief that those with lived experiences can best advocate for the goals and needs of the group. If you'd like to learn more about Peer Support Space, visit https://peersupportspace.org/

LAST DATE TO REGISTER: Monday, January 19th, 11:59 PM.

Join us for Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Training on Tuesday, January 27th, for a fun day learning how to recognize signs of mental distress and how to help a person in crisis. You'll earn your certificate from the National Council on Wellbeing as a Mental Health First Aider. Lunch is included!

Register at the link in our bio!

Join HOPE for an overnight trip to Tampa to take ASIST (Applied Su***de Intervention Skills Training)! This is an interactive, hands-on workshop where participants learn about su***de warning signs and risk factors, and role play how to compassionately intervene, safety plan, and connect a person in crisis with resources. Last semester, we trained 18 students in ASIST and we're looking forward to getting more Knights trained in the spring!

This is open to all UCF students who join as a member of HOPE.

Registration is $30 and covers the hotel fee. Register before February 12th; or, as soon as possible. The training is hosted by a nonprofit community partner and their seats go quickly!

Dates: Thursday Afternoon March 19 through Saturday March 21st
Where: Tampa, FL 33647 for the training site

Registration form is a Google Form in our LinkTree, or you can use this link to the form: https://bit.ly/4qeIJTJ

Please send questions to [email protected]!

Walk with us at the Out of the Darkness Campus Walk on March 28, 2026! 🩵💛🎗️🚶👋 The registration starts at 9:00 AM and walk begins at 10:00 AM.

REGISTER NOW to join the HOPE team and receive updates as we get closer to the day of the walk! bit.ly/4s9Ij2c
The link is also in our LinkTree (visit our bio).

It's 100% free to join and walk! These campus walks are signature student fundraising series which are designed to engage youth and young adults in the fight to prevent su***de, a leading cause of death.

Be sure to follow .ucf, the official social media page for the walk!

Want to take Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) for Adults? We have a training at DOWNTOWN UCF Campus on Tuesday January 27th at 9:00-5:00 pm (with a lunch break included).

During this training you'll learn warning signs of mental health challenges such as stress, anxiety, depression, psychosis and suicidal ideation. MHFA equips you with an ALGEE model to approach, assess, give reassurance, encourage professional support, and encourage self-care. The training includes videos, discussions, role-plays, and workbooks for you to keep with notes and reference materials for later.

This training is 100% FREE for HOPE members. We have a limited number of seats and will close the form once we reach capacity, so register now to be part of our class on January 27th! 🧡

Register here: https://forms.gle/8jrL4eoDMzYDSPhK7 or use the link in our bio (our LinkTree).

Also, there is a shuttle that runs every hour from main campus to Downtown campus, for anyone concerned about the commute!

We had fun bringing some hope and holiday tunes to the residents of Oakmonte Village in Lake Mary! 🧑‍🎄 Between Christmas and holiday music on piano 🎶 and guitar, sing-alongs, poetry, and card making, we enjoyed sharing holiday cheer with the residents in assisted living, as we (as students) took a much-needed break from the stress of finals season.

Want to get into the holiday spirit after surviving finals? Join HOPE for our last event of the year on Saturday, December 6th.

5:30PM - Meet up at Blaze Pizza (4100 N Alafaya Trail #113) - HOPE will be buying several pizzas for the members who come. Recommended $3 donation to help us fundraise for upcoming trainings in 2026!

7:00PM - We will visit the Annual Winter Parade at Oviedo on the Park! Get into the holiday spirit with the lights, magic, and festivities at the Oviedo's Center Lake Park. This is a free event.

RSVP on Knight Connect!

We had fun volunteering with ‘s Thanksgiving project, helping to pack 6,000 meals kits for families and individuals in central Florida! It was inspiring to see the community come together to make sure every person is seen, cared for, and fed on Thanksgiving. 🍂🍁🦃

Join us on Sunday, November 23rd for a Jeopardy night! 🎄❄️☃️🌟 Test your knowledge as you answer questions with your team members about mental health and the holidays.

When: Sunday November 23 at 7:00 PM.
Where: Zoom - RSVP on Knight Connect for the link!

**Update on Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Trainings for 2026!
Do you want to become a Mental Health First Aider? You'll learn signs of symptoms of common mental health conditions, how to intervene and support someone else, and ways to stigmatize conversations about mental health.

HOPE is hosting two training opportunities early in 2026 through a partnership with MHFA trainers at Central FL Cares.

🔶 You only sign up for ONE of the two workshops - it is the same workshop on both days!

REGISTER using the Google Form in our bio - or complete it here: forms.gle/YekPgbvDC6krCW2C8

🔶 January 27th, 9am-5pm
WHERE: Downtown UCF Campus (there are shuttles directly from main to downtown nearly every hour of the day).

🔶 February 2, 9a -5pm
WHERE: Magnolia Room, Live Oak Center at Main Campus UCF.

**We are NOT holding the first training on December 2nd anymore. The training will be on January 27th.

💡 Congratulations to our 14 HOPE members who completed Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) in our Fort Myers Trip this past weekend!

Audric Vidaurri
Ayanna Ambrose
Brianna Bugbee
Cassidy Chergi
David Suriel
Emily Johnson@emilygrayce72
Kimyah Charles
Marla Eveillard
Oumaima Bakkali .f_hope
Samantha Freeman .freeman
Seva Reilly .ruth
Skyler Mlodzinski
Vitoria Motta
Zoe Fulgencio

Thank you all for being mental health advocates and being the change in our community, at UCF and beyond!

***deprevention