Mental health challenges tough on rural children

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Mental health challenges tough on rural children

Fri, 05/08/2020 - 01:31
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WEST POINT, Nebraska – Julie Kreikemeier works with hundreds of 4-H students year-round in eastern Nebraska. She designs lessons and projects that draw on what students learn in school. When floods ravaged area homes last year, Kreikemeier tried to make 4-H a space of stability. “It’s … very much just trying to maintain a sense of normalcy. What do they remember as a normal fair experience? What did they remember as a normal end-of-school-year experience?” When the new normal became too glaring to ignore, creating a web of support became a group effort. Some days, parents volunteered to take home children whose homes were flooded for playdates. “Just so they could get away from it all for an afternoon,” Kreikemeier said. Older students helped replace landscaping for families left with sand-crusted front yards. She said using club time for community service gave them a sense of purpose amid the turbulence. As the community continues to recover, Kreikemeier has wondered how to ask a…

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