[Photo Above: The First Cohort of the Hawaiʻi Ag Mental Health Mentorship Program after completing their final Mental Health First Aid training].

The SOW Hawaiʻi Ag Mental Health Mentor Program was developed as a result of our needs assessment survey, which showed farmers and ranchers in Hawaiʻi are more likely to reach out to a family or friend for help, than a health professional. Our goal was to establish a team of mentors across Hawaiʻi that could serve as a liaison to mental health providers for those in need, to build a community on the foundation of care and concern, and destigmatize conversations surrounding mental health. 45 mentors across the islands that completed intensive training on stress management and coping strategies, suicide prevention, and mental health first aid, and now serve their local ag communities as a peer support. We recognize that “sense of community” is a shared value in Hawaiʻi, and this mentorship program is designed to support community leaders to support their peers when they are in need.

MEET OUR MENTORS

CONNECT WITH AN AG MENTOR IN YOUR AREA.