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Crow Wing 4‑H youths present mental‑health awareness campaign to county commissioners
Summary
Three Crow Wing County 4‑H youth presented a social‑media campaign on loneliness and mental health to the county board, saying their eight short videos will run across regional 4‑H pages to coincide with National Mental Health Awareness Month.
Tony Hansen of the University of Minnesota Extension opened a brief update from Crow Wing County 4‑H on behalf of the Extension office and handed the presentation to Susanna O'Shea, the county extension educator.
"Through meaningful experiences and relationships, 4‑H helps youth discover their potential and create positive changes in their communities," O'Shea told commissioners as she introduced three youth who had taken part in the Beyond Ready to Serve cohort.
Heather Nelson, Jared Aderman and Adara Jidlinski described the cohort and the project they developed after surveying peers and meeting field experts. Jared said the group settled on mental health and loneliness after many participants reported personal connections to the topic.
"I didn't know how many people were actually struggling with mental health," Jared said, describing how the team surveyed peers at a regional leadership event and researched their findings.
The students said they created eight short videos — skits and awareness pieces — that will run on the 4‑H Northeast and Northwest Region Facebook and Instagram pages from May 18–29 to complement National Mental Health Awareness Month. Adara said the project used the IPARD framework (investigate, plan, act, reflect, demonstrate) and helped the group learn to collaborate and lead.
"Working on this project, I've realized that it's become something far more real than when it just began. Now it feels like we're really changing something," Nelson told the board.
Commissioners praised the students and wished them luck at the state leadership conference where they will present their work.
The board did not take formal action on the presentation; the item was informational.
