TISDALE — The Tisdale Better Together committee kicked off monthly family fun nights in Tisdale.
The all ages kick-off night had a DJ, dancing activities, snacks, colouring pages, and tables for people to sit and chat.
“We’re all coming together to bring social connectedness and mental wellness for our community,” said Pauline Favreau, Better Together committee member.
“In Tisdale we noticed that there is a large, high rate of suicide compared to the rest of the province and we want to do more to help people feel included, not alone and treasured – and also bringing them together through a connectedness project like this.”
The Better Together committee began from the Tisdale Suicide Awareness Committee last year.
“Then we decided to involve other service groups like Lion L’s, Kinsmen, Lions, Kinettes – there’s quite a few that are involved,” she said. “There’s quite a large group and we met, and we decided this would be a good intuitive.”
Favreau said the group was inspired by the Better Together campaign in the Battlefords, which was started after the community suffered eight suicides in seven weeks.
“We can do better. We need to do something to bring our community together and make people not feel so isolated and alone.”
The Tisdale Kinettes will be hosting the next Better Together event in conjunction with the Tisdale Trojans on Thursday, Feb. 20 at the Tisdale Civic Centre from 1 to 3 p.m.
“It’s going to be a fun afternoon for the kids,” Favreau said.
T-shirts are being sold at-cost that say “Better Together” on them, with images of peanut butter and jelly coming together. Community members are encouraged to wear Better Together t-shirts on Thursdays and to create connections with each other.
Favreau said when someone wears one of these t-shirts, it’s an invitation to come up and make a friendship.
“For example if I see you wearing the PB&J and we don’t know each other I can come up and say, ‘hey I’m Pauline, and who are you?’ And we start a conversation.”
Her goal is to see an event once a month.
“We’re a wonderful community to start with and there are a lot of programs and services here already, but we want to do better – that’s why the Better Together campaign.”
Favreau encourages community members to begin pitching in and starting their own community events as well.
“We just look forward to everyone joining this amazing intuitive, and we are truly better together.”
