Tolland County 4-H Scene N' Heard- October 11, 2022

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Maryann's Memo

Reminder: You are invited:

Please join us for the 2023 Tolland County 4-H Fair Association, Business Meeting and Orientation on October 12 at 6pm at TAC.

As part of orientation, this year's professional development module opens an introductory discussion of mental health among teens and young adults with guidance from you, the adult educator. You will leave the workshop fully trained to deliver this module to 4-H members, FFA chapters and other groups of youth you work with as part of a positive youth development experience. This module was developed for AgriSafe by Tara Haskins, DNP, RN and will be presented after a light dinner and the Tolland County 4-H Fairboard October business meeting.

This professional development module will be offered at future dates as part of the Tolland County 4-H Trauma Informed Programming series. More information to follow in future newsletters.

Stigma exists across all age groups for those struggling with mental health. Navigation of the teen years in everyday situations can create angst and uncomfortable feelings that are difficult to express.

Adding mental illness and mental crisis to a teen or young adult's typical growth and development makes struggling with emotions, relationships, academic success, and safety more challenging. According to the CDC, rates of depression and anxiety climb significantly during the ages of 12-17. Suicide is the second leading cause of death of youths in the United States.

Focus is placed on decreasing stigma, improving mental health literacy, and positive coping skills for teens and young adults. The module showcases a high school agricultural student's understanding of the agricultural mental health crisis, helping to frame mental health distress to academic and future career success.

Tara Haskins, DNP, RN - AgriSafe Network

Dr. Haskins holds a Master’s of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing from the University of Texas at Arlington in the Nurse Practitioner track with a concentration on substance use disorders and treatment. She also completed a Nurse Educator certificate while at UTA. Her doctorate is from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center Memphis in Nursing Forensics, focusing on the intersections of injury, psychological trauma and legal issues in individual and population health.

Presented as part of the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) 4-H grant and as part of the Tolland County 4-H Trauma Informed Programming series.
The purpose of the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) Program is to establish a network that connects individuals who are engaged in farming, ranching, and other agriculture-related occupations to stress assistance programs. The establishment of a network that assists farmers and ranchers in time of stress can offer a conduit to improving behavioral health awareness, literacy, and outcomes for agricultural producers, workers and their families.

Maryann J. Fusco-Rollins
UConn Extension Tolland County 4-H
Program Administrator
24 Hyde Avenue, Vernon CT 06066
Extension Office Phone: 860.875.3331
4-H Direct Phone: 860.870.6929
maryann.fusco@uconn.edu