In 2016 we began to start promoting education around mental health primarily and started with Mental Health First Aid.   Community education including personal testimony of a persons struggle with sucicide and PTSD was attempted at that time with a very poor turn out.  Stomp That Stigma was formed and began to invite local people who experience mental illness to come together to tell their stories and host an annual event to raise funds to address Mental Illness.    Simultaneosly, Becker County Energize worked to utilize resources (with financial support from Essentia Health) to bring Trauma Sensitive Schools Training to the Becker County area for schools, Headstart and the Boys and Girls Club staff.   In 2017 Anna Schumacher, a local DL student, recieved a Benzo scholarship and focused her energy on DL Thriving and an event to raise awareness about mental wellbeing.   It was very well attended.   In 2017-2019 five local people were trained on ACE Interface, and they have since been providing trainings locally for professionals and community on ACES.    In 2018, Erika Gilsdorf, a local DL person, wanted to create a video series of personal stories about Mental Illness which was named "Inside Out: A Step Inside Mental Illness" and it was launched through Becker County Energize.    In 2018-2019 Essentia Health and Becker County Public Health reached out to Compassion House and A Place to Belong to engage in identifying the top needs of the community in a focus group.    More awareness has been raised about the issue of substance use disorder, and Inside Out features a couple stories with co-occuring disorders.   Even though 2017 had the highest attendence it was primaritly due to the DL Thriving initiative led by a student that caught media attention.    This has helped to bolster other trainings.   In addition, in 2018-2019 the focus of BCE has been on completing the Community Health Needs Assessment, and not programming.   With the current progress the trend should break the 2017 mark of 672 participants as we are rolling forward with training on multiple topics starting in fall 2019 and taking "Inside Out: Breaking Stigmas" on the road.  

Hot Topics: 

• ACES/trauma
• Vaping
• Sex Trafficking  

Awareness: 

• Catchy Titles
• partnership with marketing organizations
  • Leighton Broadcasting
  • DL Newspapers
• email blasts
• Chamber Announcement
• Social media: notice on page, event, boost event
• Service club presentations 

Personal Stories & Motivational Speaking 

• people will attend events if someone they know and has a relationship with is personally testifying about their life experience
• People want to be inspired & feel hope
• Video series was impactful

Provider/Consumer Collaboration

• Providing an opportunity for MH/SUD professionals to talk to people who submitted annonymous questions was successful as a follow up to personal testimony

Funding:

• Sponsorships
• Grants
• Donations
• Free opportunities

Provision of Benefit:

• CEU offerings
• Food for attendees 
• Free resources & give aways 
• Transportation or child care supports

Convenient location

1.  Identify interest of BCE volunteers by sending out survey monkey:

• Their topic of interest
• Impact of topic 
• Availability to volunteer 
• Contact Information 

2. Identify top priorities & volunteers for each subject area

• Set up spreadsheet 
• Set up subgroups by topic area 
• First 90 days priorities:  Mentoring, Film Festival, "Inside Out: Breaking Stigma's Tour"

3. Subgroups set up two year education plan: # of sessions, specific type, CEU'S, date, site and time

• Develop master list of all education topics and info
• Develop marketing materials via partners
• Market with partners