Rural Minds Matter event to bring mental health awareness to Fort St. John

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A mental health awareness campaign aimed at rural and remote communities across Canada is coming to Fort St. John. (Energeticcity.ca)

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – A mental health awareness campaign aimed at rural and remote communities across Canada is coming to Fort St. John.

Presented by the Fort St. John and District Chamber of Commerce and the City of Fort St. John, the Rural Minds Matter: Leading Together for Resilience event is scheduled for November 12th at the Pomeroy Sports Centre starting at 4:30 p.m.

Andrea Paquette, president of Stigma-Free Mental Health Society (SFMHS), and SFMHS speaker Mike Skrypnek will host the information session for local community and business leaders. Tiffany Hetenyi, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, will also host a networking presentation alongside SFMHS.

“In rural communities, connection is everything. ‘Rural Minds Matter’ is about fostering a sense of belonging and empowering individuals to support one another in overcoming mental health challenges,” Paquette said in a November 5th press release.

According to the society, one in five Canadians will experience mental health challenges this year, and incidents of crises are estimated to be much higher in rural and remote communities.

The campaign is intended to support a national shift in mental health stigma, and emphasize the importance of offline learning from in-person experiences and connections.

The campaign will visit communities across Canada but will focus on serving ‘people in communities that are inadequately underserved with mental health information and infrastructure.’