Kindness event to be held in Steinbach to promote mental health

It is Kindness Week next week and Southern Health is hosting an event in Steinbach aimed at promoting positive mental health through acts of kindness.

“We hope that from this, there might have a ripple effect on individuals in the community to kind of reflect on their own actions that they take day to day. And then considering what’s an intentional step they could take to show kindness to others,” said Lindsay Hainsworth, community mental health worker for Southern Health.

Hainsworth is part of a working group for the health agency’s Roots of Hope initiative, a program through the Mental Health Commission of Canada, which in 2024 was set as one of the province’s priorities.

“One of the objectives of Roots of Hope is reducing stigma around mental health and suicide and increasing help-seeking,” she said. “And so how do we practice more interpersonal conversation, practice being more compassionate and empathetic for others.”

The working group was established last spring and will evaluate the needs of the community for suicide prevention through engagement in order to create programing and resources. One of those initiatives was Changing the World Through Kindness, which will take place at the Southeast Events Centre on Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. and is free to the public.

Southeast Men’s Group co-founder Jeremy Wiens and We See You Proactive Peer Support (mental health support for first responders) founder Russ Reimer, who both sit on the working group, will be giving presentations and answering questions.

“Russ and Jeremy are just like those natural helpers. They’re genuinely kind, and they have done some remarkable things,” said Hainsworth. “And so we’re hoping that them sharing their stories about what they’ve been doing can help just inspire people to reflect on themselves…And just even thinking about what something small that I can do in just my everyday life that shows kindness to others.”

Wiens and Reimer proposed the idea for Changing the World Through Kindness after Roots of Hope was looking to do something for Kindness Week.

“Russ and I talked about why don’t we put on something talking about kindness, give a floor where people can have a conversation and talk about it and see what that looks like in our community, and what we could do to make those steps, because often people think it’s going to be a big thing to do and yet it’s not – it’s those little steps,” said Wiens.

Both Wiens and Hainsworth believe acts of kindness can be as simple as giving support to someone or listening to them or even just greeting them.

“They help people feel like they’re not alone. That in life, where we have hardships, we have struggles, but we feel isolated in a lot of ways, and those small acts just help people feel encouraged and loved and actually heard, which is huge. Because when people are heard and seen, they feel like they matter,” said Wiens.

Canadian Mental Health Association Manitoba (CMHA) CEO Teresa Dukes agrees with Wiens and Hainsworth in that simple acts of kindness can have beneficial mental health outcomes. She applauds the working group for hosting the Changing the World Through Kindness event. “Because those things that connect us, that really build the culture of caring towards each other is probably like one of the most important things that you could do in rural Manitoba,’ she said.

Dukes said mental health challenges are always highest in rural areas, especially regarding men. Although the data is difficult to get as the stigma against getting mental health support is high, she did say 27 percent of Manitobans are reporting poor to fair mental health and in Southern Manitoba 27.3 percent of the farmers are identifying high stress due to a number of factors like finances, weather, operational pressures, and 50 percent meet the criteria for anxiety, but 40 percent are reluctant to seek help.

“Suicide rates are also higher. So, in Southern Manitoba, it’s 13.9 per 100,000 (people), which is above the national average (of) 10.9 percent.

“And then men die by suicide three times more often than women, especially those that live in rural and remote (areas).”

She added that older adults, especially older men, have the highest rate of suicide in rural areas partly because they have access to firearms, there is limited access to mental health services and resources, isolation, and an independent and self-reliant mentality that they should just “push through.”

“One of the most important pieces in rural areas is that you meet people where they’re at and that the supports are practical and local,” she said applauding Wiens’ support group as a grassroots movement that builds a sense of community.

“The peer-related pieces, both in terms of building that sense of community and being locally relevant, are incredible strategies for what would help in terms of rural mental health,” she said, noting peer support groups are on the rise in Manitoba.

Weins created his men’s support group more than a year ago and since that time he has seen more than 100 men come for support. The men come from all over the Southeast to the Town of Ste Anne where the meetings are held. The group has grown since last year, leading Wiens to open a chapter in Steinbach come March.

“(The men who come to the group) are feeling isolated, alone. They’re feeling disconnected and this gives a sense of community….there’s a million different reasons why guys come through the door, but we just try to be there for everybody and however we can show up for them,” he said.

The men who come to the support group report overcoming addictions, bettering their marriages and family relationships, and basically being motivated to “be better.”

Reimer, who was not available for an interview, created his non-for-profit in 2025 and has been traveling the country presenting his mental health model to first responders.

Hainsworth said she will be present at the Steinbach event and encourages people to share their thoughts on what they would like to see Roots of Hope initiate in the community as it is working on its action plan for next year.

For those who would like to attend the Southeast Men’s Group, they will meet the first Tuesday of the month at the Southeast Events Centre in Steinbach and already meet the third Tuesday of the month in St Anne at Club Jovial. Both meetings start at 7 p.m. Visit southeastmensgroup.ca for more information.

For information on We See You Proactive Peer Support visit weseeyoupeersupport.org.

To access mental health resources through CMHA visit cmhaacrossmb.ca.