Free Mental Health Workshops and Literacy Programs for Farming Communities

Farm Credit Canada (FCC) and The Do More Agriculture Foundation are once again accepting applications for the Community Fund, helping you bring free mental health workshops and literacy programs to your farming community. 

Applications for the 5th years of the Community Fund are now open until February 15, 2024 at 5 p.m. The fund application should be completed by anyone interested in organizing a Mental Health Education course within their community.

As we enter yet another year, The Do More Agriculture Foundation is excited to bring an even broader selection of free mental health workshops to agricultural communities. With the support of FCC, they've been able to grow their offerings and increase the number of rural communities receiving programming across Canada.

The ability to deliver these courses relies on the support and involvement of community champions. Leaders, business owners, associations, and individuals from rural communities play a pivotal role in facilitating these sessions and all are encouraged to apply. 

There are a variety of courses offered, including:

Community Workshops

Talk Ask Listen: A half-day interactive workshops solely dedicated to those involved in agriculture. The goal is to walk away with greater awareness and understanding of mental health and help you, and those around you, break down barriers and dispel the stigma through talking, asking, and listening. The training can be accessed online, in the cab of your tractor or at the office. The workshops was created by farmers for farmers. 

Mental Health First Aid: A 2-day, 12 hour course, developed by the Mental Health Commission of Canada and facilitated by a certified instructor, training you to provide help to a person developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. The course aims to improve mental health literacy and provide the skills and knowledge to help people better manage mental health problems in themselves and others.

In The Know: A farm-focused mental health program for anyone who works in agriculture. This 4-hour program was developed by the University of Guelph with critical input from farmers. In The Know covers topics including recognizing signs of mental health problems, understanding how mental health conditions can affect people, and knowing how to find support or help. The course is offered both in-person and virtually by trained farm-savvy facilitators. 

SafeTALK: In the LivingWorks 4-hour safeTALK workshop, you will learn how to reach out to someone thinking about suicide and help them keep safe by connecting them to the correct support. The main focus of the training is your role as connector, although you will also be encouraged and empowered to talk openly with someone about suicide through a 4-step model. 

For more information and to apply online, visit www.domore.ag/community-fund