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International Foundation for Research and Education on Depression Rebrands to Hope

Thursday, 23 March 2023 06:00 AM

iFred

RENO, NV / ACCESSWIRE / March 23, 2023 / iFred, The International Foundation for Research and Education on Depression, established in 2004, announces an upcoming name change to iFred, The International Foundation for Research and Education on Hope. This name reflects the evolution from researching and educating on depression, to understanding and teaching the ‘how' to Hope. Through the work, iFred Founder Kathryn Goetzke has proven her hypothesis that Hope is a teachable skill, using scientifically validated scales that measure Hope pre and post-Hopeful Minds interventions, in collaboration with scientists around the world.

iFred, Thursday, March 23, 2023, Press release picture
Kathryn lost her dad, Jon Goetzke, to suicide, when she was 18 and a freshman at the University of Iowa, and has done this work in his honor, as well as all those around the world struggling in silence.
iFred, Thursday, March 23, 2023, Press release picture
Kathryn Goetzke addressing the United Nations in 2015 to ensure mental health was included in the Sustainable Development Goals.

Kathryn Goetzke, MBA, Founder of iFred and Chief Hope Officer at The Shine Hope Company, shares the reason for the change, "I started out almost 20 years ago with a mission to rebrand depression and mental health, changing the negative imagery, using more positive language, talking about the biology of the brain, and asking leaders and celebrities to share their stories to end stigma. We made extraordinary progress, and what I found along the way is hopelessness is the single consistent predictor of suicide and also predicts violence, addiction, and self-harm, and is the primary symptom of anxiety and depression. Yet we are never taught what hopelessness is, and how to Hope, so ten years ago I set out to figure out how to do just that, and created the first, free, evidence-based global program to teach Hope called Hopeful Minds."

Kathryn continues, "We decided to keep the acronym iFred, as it is important to show our transition from wanting to understand depression to instead becoming experts in Hope. We thought of changing the acronym to iFreh, but it just doesn't have the same ring. So we will keep iFred, and continue to work both to destigmatize mental health and ensure all kids around the world know ‘how' to Hope."

The CDC released a new study showing nearly 3 in 5 (57%) U.S. teen girls felt persistently sad or hopeless in 2021, nearly double that of boys. This number represents a nearly 60% increase and is the highest level reported over the past decade. A startling 1 in 3 girls considering suicide is a national crisis and demands swift action.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

iFred invites all to join us for the International Day of Hope on the first Monday in May (May 1st, 2023) to activate the science of Hope on a global scale.

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

"Hope is tangible and teachable, and it is an essential ingredient for a successful life trajectory." - Myron Belfer, MD, MPA, Advisor for Hopeful Minds and Professor of Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry, Children's Hospital Boston - Harvard Medical School.

About iFred

iFred, the International Foundation for Research and Education on Hope, is a 501(c)3 organization established in 2004. iFred has worked to shine a positive light on mental health and eliminate stigma through prevention, research and education and created a shift in society's negative perception of the disease through positive imagery, rebranding, celebrity engagement, cause marketing campaigns, and establishing the sunflower and color yellow as the international symbols for Hope. iFred worked with The Mood Factory to do the first nationwide cause marketing campaign for mental health in the US, and created the first-ever free global program to teach Hope, based on research it is a teachable skill.

About Hopeful Minds

Hopeful Minds is a project developed by iFred, the International Foundation for Research and Education on Hope, and a set of free, global, downloadable curriculums. It is based on research that suggests Hope is teachable (a skill). The aim is to equip students, teachers, and parents with the tools they need to define, learn, and grow a Hopeful mindset and prevent hopelessness around the world. See the presentation at the International Child Mental Health Working Group (ICMH), Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston where we share our goals and ambitions for the project. Find out more at www.hopefulminds.org

About Hopeful Cities

Hopeful Cities is a project developed by iFred. It is a marketing plan in action. It operationalizes Hope as it creates awareness about its importance. It teaches while it talks. iFred grew out of a need to rebrand depression and provide tools globally that not just educate on the importance of Hope, but teach the "how-to" in the process. Reno, the first city to join the initiative, helped sponsor the program through Cares Act funding, recognizing how all aspects of the global pandemic impact mental health. As Hope is a known protective factor for anxiety and depression, the more we actively practice our Hope skills, the better we all are in the world. Hopeful Cities include free, downloadable materials that are continually being updated. Find out more at www.hopefulcities.org

About International Day of Hope

The International Day of Hope allows us to join in solidarity on a single day to share the science, stories, and strategies of Hope, and to activate the "how-to" of Hope in our lives and in communities around the world. It is a day focused on celebrating the Science of Hope, ensuring all know how to proactively manage hopelessness, and providing strategies for ‘how' to activate Hope. Find out more at www.internationaldayofhope.org.

About Kathryn Goetzke

Kathryn Goetzke has over 30 years of experience in marketing, branding, and strategy. She was recently appointed to be a representative at the United Nations for the World Federation for Mental Health. She is Chief Hope Officer at The Shine Hope Company, where she consults businesses on activating Hope in the workplace, and created a college program Hopeful Mindsets, a marketing strategy, and a course for college students to activate hope on campus. She is the author of the Biggest Little Book About Hope and host of The Hope Matrix Podcast.

Kathryn presented at Harvard University, the World Bank, the United Nations, the Never Alone Summit, her program Hopeful Minds was featured in a documentary by the BBC, and her products and projects have been featured in global media. In her role as Chief Mood Officer at The Mood Factory, she created the first nationwide cause marketing campaign for mental health through her brand Mood-lites, which achieved over 35M in retail sales. Kathryn is the Founder of iFred, the International Foundation for Research and Education on Depression Hope, through which she created Hopeful Minds, Hopeful Cities, and the International Day of Hope, and is dedicated to sharing the "how-to" of Hope with children, parents, and communities globally.

For Press Inquiries, Contact:
Jenniffer Wiegel
312-485-8545
[email protected]

SOURCE: iFred

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