Georgia

Mental Health First Aid full-day trainings were taught to 68 Young Farmer teachers across the state of Georgia. This effort was in conjunction with Southern Region Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network. The Young Farmer (YF) program was created in 1951 to provide educational instruction and opportunities to adults interested or engaged in agriculture, and it seeks to increase proficiency in agricultural production, management, agribusiness, and leadership. Currently, there are 61 active YF programs across the state of Georgia. School systems apply for a state of Georgia grant to have a Young Farmer teacher. If approved, the teacher will spend 30% of his/her time working with students in the school system. The remaining 70% is as a state employee working hands-on in the community with young farmers. While they often work collaboratively with Cooperative Extension, they are a different organization with somewhat different responsibilities.

Georgia AgrAbility staff met with the Department of Veterans Affairs' community engagement and partnership teams along with local community leaders to create community coalitions with the purpose of establishing a resource rich, self-sustaining community support system for individuals in crisis throughout the southern Georgia counties of Decatur, Lowndes, Grady, Colquitt, and Thomas. Over 100 leaders from the faith community, healthcare workers, first responders, veterans, business operators, nonprofit organizations, and others attended these five sessions to discuss how they may be of continued service to their communities and how to increase overall awareness and reduce the number of suicides across the state.

Submitted by AgrAbility in Georgia