Join us at the Working Together for Rural Well-Being” seminar, taking place on Wednesday, April 24, 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM at the Bastrop Convention & Exhibit Center in Bastrop, Texas!

Who Should Attend

Open to all who are interested in resilience, mental health and well-being in rural communities, attendees will have the chance to learn about and share ideas on topics related to community collaboration, social determinants of mental health, engaging historically excluded groups, systems change, and dialogue and learning.

What to Expect

One of the Hogg Foundation’s core values is collaboration. To truly transform mental health in the places where people live, learn, work, play and pray, a variety of collaborative approaches are needed. At this seminar, attendees will learn about the power of effective, inclusive collaboration to transform mental health at the personal, community and systems levels.

Speakers will address a variety of topics related to rural well-being. Five featured topics will give attendees from across Texas a common language in what it means to work together to improve well-being, regardless of where you’re from:

  • Community Collaboration: How can we create community-led solutions?Learn about the power and pitfalls of working together to address mental health and well-being while gaining an understanding of the key building blocks of a successful collaborative, such as structures and processes that support inclusivity, authentic listening, and mutual trust.
  • Engaging Historically Excluded Groups: How can we approach collaboration with cultural humility? Learn how past and present inequities undermine communities’ efforts to foster well-being, and how to ensure historically excluded groups are included in community- and systems-level change efforts.
  • Social Determinants of Mental Health: What gets in the way of our ability to thrive? Learn how factors like education, transportation, economic stability, social connection, neighborhood infrastructure, and access to healthcare and healthy food impact resilience, mental health and well-being.
  • Change: What does it take to make lasting social change in rural communities? Learn how to inspire action where barriers seem hard to overcome, and consider strategies that impact systems, groups and individuals that have the power to influence well-being.
  • Dialogue and Learning: What are the best methods for productive dialogue and group learning? Learn how to set the tone for inclusive and safe conversations in which all members of a community—no matter their life experience or circumstance—are encouraged to voice their perspectives and ideas.

About the Seminar Series

The Robert Lee Sutherland Seminar is a biennial event that carries forward the legacy of the foundation’s first executive director, Dr. Robert Lee Sutherland. Beginning in 1978, the foundation convened Texans through a series of seminars to reflect on the state of mental health and promote innovation and collaboration among consumers, providers and advocates. Each seminar features a different theme based on the present landscape of mental health in Texas.