{"id":302905,"date":"2026-02-26T09:03:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T09:03:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/302905\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T09:03:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T09:03:10","slug":"battlefords-born-better-together-mental-health-initiative-now-worn-by-over-100000-across-canada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/302905\/","title":{"rendered":"Battlefords-born \u2018Better Together\u2019 mental health initiative now worn by over 100,000 across Canada"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cWe had eight citizens pass in seven weeks\u200a by suicide. Five were under the age of 22, and three were over the age of 55.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"\/<\/p>\n

In the months that followed, McNabb and a group of community members began searching for ways to bridge isolation and bring people together across generations. What started as a small effort to connect youth and seniors quickly grew into something much larger.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cA year later, in January of 2019, we launched the Better Together T-shirt initiative,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

READ MORE: \u2018Connected communities are better communities\u2019: North Stars at the forefront of mental health<\/a><\/p>\n

The concept was simple: matching themed shirts \u2013 milk and cookies, bacon and eggs, salt and pepper \u2013 designed to spark conversation and build relationships. Participants wear them, often on Tuesdays, and seek out their \u201cmatch,\u201d creating new connections in schools, workplaces and public spaces.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe believed that if we could connect the generations, maybe we could bring wellness to our community,\u201d McNabb said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The initiative began with 300 participants, 150 youth and 150 seniors, in what was intended to be a three-month pilot project. Instead, it expanded rapidly.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSo our 300 shirts grew within the three months to 6,000 local citizens wearing and sharing our message,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd today, I\u2019m proud to say that over 100,000 people across Canada are wearing and sharing our important message.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

What began as a local effort has since reached communities across the country, with McNabb travelling to help launch the initiative in new regions and encourage municipal leaders to take part.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe usually begin by addressing the mayor, challenging the mayor to do a proclamation, then challenging the mayor to dress their council,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Proceeds from shirt sales support mental wellness and community programs, particularly for young people. The shirts themselves are produced in Saskatchewan, with some made by youth in Saskatoon.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Despite its national reach, McNabb said the Battlefords remain at the heart of the movement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Battlefords are the home of Better Together, and I\u2019m really proud that I\u2019m from here,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mayor Kelli Hawtin praised the initiative, calling McNabb \u201can ambassador of the Battlefords across the country\u201d and commending the project\u2019s role in promoting mental health and connection.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need more ambassadors for our community, \u2019cause I think it\u2019s a wonderful place to live. There\u2019s so much good going on here, and there are so many good people like you,\u201d Hawtin stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re a gift to the community, and I hope you know that.\u201d<\/p>\n

For McNabb, the message remains rooted in the same idea that first inspired the effort years ago \u2013 that meaningful change often begins with small acts of connection.<\/p>\n

\u201cConnect with one another, build a stronger community,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe are better together.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cWe had eight citizens pass in seven weeks\u200a by suicide. Five were under the age of 22, and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":302906,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[134,554,555,111,139,69],"class_list":{"0":"post-302905","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-mental-health","10":"tag-mentalhealth","11":"tag-new-zealand","12":"tag-newzealand","13":"tag-nz"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302905","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=302905"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302905\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/302906"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=302905"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=302905"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=302905"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}