Story by Hannah Wurz.

The Luseland Community Development Committee is holding a Mental Health Awareness workshop tomorrow from 9:00am to 4:00pm. This event will be held at the Luseland Homecoming Hall. 

This workshop will cover many topics such as mental wellness, language essentials, suicide crisis intervention, self-care, and stress management. Mayor Kathy Wurz helped organize the workshop. Dealing with the pandemic as the mayor has been stressful for Wurz, but she finds ways to cope and uplift her community as well. 

“Having friendships and being able to rely on my council has helped me keep a positive mindset. Past governments have not had to deal with a pandemic and things are constantly changing. We are a tight knit close community. Finding a connection with people helps me deal with stress.  

The committee felt that it was a suitable time to have the workshop as it has been a rough year agriculturally and economically. COVID-19 has affected the mental health of many individuals as well. 

Small towns such as Luseland may not have the same mental health resources as more urban areas. Wurz recognizes this and believes that there is still a lot to be done. She states that holding a workshop to educate the community about mental health resources is the first step to destigmatize mental health. 

“This couldn’t be a better time considering everything that is happening in the world. Our board chair Ryley Magnus has previously attended this workshop in the past. He found it an incredibly valuable experience and he learned many great tools and skills for stress management.” 

The Canadian Agricultural Network is just one of the many sponsors that made the event possible.