“On Common Ground – Mental Health in Rural New Mexico” earned the top honor in the television/video communication category at the 90th session of the national convention of the National Extension Association of Family & Consumer Sciences (NEAFCS) in Tucson, Arizona in September 2024.
Each year, the NEAFCS recognizes its members for their outstanding work in various areas; one of those capacities is Communications. This includes submissions of educational publications, internet education technology, newsletters, radio or podcast pieces, television/video and written media.
On Common Ground – Mental Health in Rural New Mexico was submitted by NEAFCS member Dr. Karim Martinez, Extension Family Life & Child Development Specialist at New Mexico State University’s College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. Dr. Martinez appears in the video and had a pivotal role in its creation, providing guiding questions for the interviews and collaborating with video producers Art Ruiloba and Tomilee Turner from the Department of Innovative Media, Research and Extension (IMRE) throughout video production.
To produce the award-winning video, the video crew traveled throughout the state of New Mexico and documented the personal stories of agricultural producers and their struggles with mental health issues. The collection of interviews includes farmers, ranchers, Extension and Academic faculty as well as the Secretary of the New Mexico Department of Agriculture.
In addition to the personal stories, the video explored strategies for managing stress and building resilience and encouraged viewers to reach out to mental health professionals when in need. The video exemplified three key messages:
Your community cares about you
It’s okay not to be okay
You are not alone
Also included in the video were information and resources about mental health from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the New Mexico Crisis Access Line, and the 900 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
On Common Ground – Mental Health in Rural New Mexico is the centerpiece of the Here to Help NM Mental Health Campaign. The campaign includes other short videos, including vignettes highlighting the individuals from the 10-minute video, as well as tips for managing stress, a social media toolkit, and advice for helping others. All resources are available online at Here to Help NM. Look for the award-winning video and shorter video excerpts under the subtitle Starting the Conversation: https://heretohelpnm.com/videos.html#conversation.
Before reaching the national competition, On Common Ground – Mental Health in Rural New Mexico video received accolades at the state and regional level competition. The video is part of a complete media campaign that included web, radio, billboard, and social media distribution.
The Here to Help New Mexico campaign initiative was a collaborative effort between the New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service, New Mexico Department of Agriculture, New Mexico Southwest Border Food Protection and Emergency Preparedness Center and the New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau.
The video was produced with funding from the USDA Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) Grant. The purpose of FRSAN funding “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 times of stress can offer a conduit to improving behavioral health awareness, literacy, and outcomes for agricultural producers, workers and their families.”
For more information visit HereToHelpNM.com
Contact Tomilee Turner, toturner@nmsu.edu for more information on video production for your program.
Written by: Art Ruiloba, Video Production Specialist, Department of Innovative Media, Research and Extension