South West NRM expands community resilience network helping mental health in rural communities

South West Natural Resource Management is continuing its Community Resilience Network in order to help farmers cope with the expanding pressures that face rural regions. The network stems from the South West NRM partnering with several community resource centres throughout the South West. They aim to build a strong community in order to support farmers in increasingly difficult times. The NRM is hosting six community meetings this year with guest speakers — the next of which will be on May 3 from 12pm with Renee Knapp. A former Boyup Brook school teacher, Ms Knapp developed a new way to address the mental health challenges she saw in students. She developed the award-winning Mental Health Action Team bringing a teacher, doctor, business owner and the community together with a commitment to addressing the issue. “I had never in my education career engaged with people in other sectors regarding improvements for our system,” she said. “I soon realised this was a game changer and could make all the difference to mental health approaches with better outcomes not just for my students but for entire communities. “We’ll take the amazing strengths that already exist in all of the sectors and from passionate people across communities and put them together to create localised and sustainable change. “If you are passionate about improving mental health outcomes across your community or improving wellbeing, whether you are part of a collective group or just one individual, I can provide you with a step-by-step process and framework to make this happen.” The meetings are held online and at CRCs in Boyup Brook, Bridgetown, Donnybrook, Harvey, Brunswick and Manjimup. For more information contact Peter Clifton on 0409 680 900 or pclifton@southwestnrm.org.au.