Bringing Awareness Right Now (BARN) to Mental Health and Wellbeing
Bringing Awareness Right Now (BARN) to Mental Health and Wellbeing
UK Cooperative Extension, in partnership with UK College of Nursing, developed the BARN program to increase awareness of rural mental health and wellbeing. It also offers tools and resources to reduce mental health challenges, farm stress, and suicide among farmers. This community intervention uses youth-led theatre productions to normalize talking about mental health challenges and suicide in the community.
BARN implementation begins with a two-day camp that teaches youth (ages 11-18) the knowledge and skills they need to address mental health challenges in themselves and their community. Youth translate the knowledge and skills learned from the camp into a dinner theater production that aims to improve community members’ ability to recognize mental health and wellbeing, examine stigmas related to mental health in the community, and identify resources to support mental health and wellbeing in the community.
BARN was piloted in Kentucky counties with elevated suicide mortality among farmers and farm workers. Across the implementation counties, 49 youth participated in the camp while approximately 469 community members of varying age groups attended the Farmers’ Dinner Theater productions.
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Program Outcomes Participants in youth camp reported:
Respondents to the BARN Theater evaluation survey reported:
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Contact Person: Paul Norrod
