Susan Nickel and Josie FitzPatrick (second and far right) wearing EBS shirts to support mental health awareness in Nipawin. (submitted photo/Josie FitzPatrick)

By Aaron Schulze

Mental Health

Nipawin wearing EBS shirts to support mental health awareness

May 31, 2019 | 3:06 PM

Residents or visitors in the Town of Nipawin today may see a few matching T-shirts.

May 31 is the day the Empower Believe Strengthen (EBS) Mental Health Initiative Program encourages Nipawin residents who own one of their shirts to wear them in support of mental health awareness.

Josie FitzPatrick, co-founder of EBS, told northeastNOW the program officially started in the fall of 2017, but the roots started when Dwayne Eberle – a good friend of her and fellow co-founder Susan Nickel – lost his battle with mental health in May 2015.

“We held a fundraiser with some really close friends and coworkers of his and raised $25,000,” FitzPatrick said. “We wanted to do something that would honour his memory and give back to the community, maybe help some kids that may also need help with mental health.”

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FitzPatrick said they wanted raise the awareness of mental health and eliminate any stigma surrounding it. EBS met with principals of schools in Nipawin and the North East School Division Board of Education in June 2017 to see if this was something they could see working in Nipawin. FitzPatrick said they received positive feedback.

Since September 2017, EBS has been having 30-minute sessions every two months with Grade 2 students in Nipawin to provide resources and tools to address mental health.

“We’re just wanting to give kids the tools that will help them when they come across things that are going to be difficult to them or they don’t know what to do with,” FitzPatrick said. “They’ve got some tools they can then reach towards to help them, whether it’s reaching out to an adult or being mindful in your daily activities.”

FitzPatrick said the students have been a good fit for EBS to work with, although they hope to expand to high school students and other communities in the Northeast.

“Right now, we’re just working on the Nipawin school district,” she said. “We’d love to see a mental health initiative in every school. Kids of all ages… they need it, and I feel like this program would help a lot of people.”

FitzPatrick said the EBS shirts that bring funds back into their program have only been for sale in local Nipawin businesses, but the plan is to sell them with an online order form in the near future.

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aaron.schulze@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @SchulzePANow