ECU faculty spearhead global effort to address rural mental health and education

ECU faculty spearhead global effort to address rural mental health and education

Counselor education faculty in the East Carolina University College of Education sought to improve rural education and mental health literacy through the creation of a partnership between the United States and Nigeria.

"Declining mental health is a pervasive global issue, with an exacerbated impact on residents living in under-resourced, rural areas with less access to mental health education and services," said Dr. Loni Crumb, associate professor and recipient of a 2024 Mandela Washington Fellowship Reciprocal Exchange award. "We created the International Collaborative Action for Rural Education (I-CARE) as a rural-focused, international school-university-community-collaboration model aimed to establish partnerships with leaders from rural areas across the southeastern United States and global partners."

As part of the Mandela Washington Fellowship and Marben Foundation sponsored project, Crumb and Dr. Janeé Avent Harris, assistant dean for faculty and staff development, wellness and engagement in the College of Education, traveled to Nigeria this summer to build partnerships in collaboration with Dorcas Barde, an alumna of the Nigerian fellowship.

Crumb and Avent Harris noted that there are similar cultural nuances between villages in eastern Nigeria and the eastern region of North Carolina that made this partnership feasible.

"Specifically, high poverty rates in rural areas of Nigeria and North Carolina have influenced how parents, teachers and families support and engage in their children's education," Crumb said.

The goal of I-CARE is to equip rural teachers, parents and community members with strategies to identify and respond to mental health concerns through activities such as guest lectures, community learning exchanges and psychoeducational resources. During their time in Nigeria, Crumb and Avent Harris participated in many of these activities in local communities.

"One of my most impactful experiences was our community learning exchange experience with young adult leaders of the Rotary Club," Avent Haris said. "Some of the Rotary Club members had been engaging with us throughout our trip and serving as volunteers during the workshops and training. … We engaged in great dialogue about leadership, entrepreneurship and mental health."

Residents of all ages participated in the learning exchanges, including elders who drove more than two hours for the multi-day events and children who asked questions about living in the United States.

In addition to the learning exchanges, Crumb and Avent Harris conducted a guest lecture on school-community-university partnership in rural mental health for 145 people at Taraba State University. While at the university, they also met with leaders to discuss continued reciprocal learning opportunities via international virtual educational exchanges.

The experience in Nigeria influenced Crumb's perspective on mental health and education in many ways, including the need for a holistic approach to education.

"Witnessing how mental health is addressed within the educational system in Nigeria reinforced the importance of integrating mental health support into the broader educational framework," she said.

One recurring theme throughout the trip was the need to advocate for mental health care globally, due to issues that are prevalent worldwide.

"As we were in personal conversations and professional presentations across the country in Adamawa State, Niger State and Taraba State, we continued to hear about the increase of youth depression, anxiety and suicide across the nation, which we also encounter in the United States," Crumb said. "Youth suicide is a global health concern."

The role of community involvement and multi-stakeholder approaches to mental health and education were also visible to Crumb during the trip. Through the interactions in Nigeria as well as local community learning exchanges, Crumb noted that the mental health of teachers and school leaders is as important as a focus on student mental health.

Although their trip is over, the work is far from completed. Crumb and Avent Harris are continuing to work with stakeholders, educators and mental health professionals to create a sustainable network for rural mental health and education. They have begun to share their knowledge, including in an article published with an ECU student, Victor Chimaihe Ihuka, a member of the indigenous Igbo community of Nigeria.

"We will utilize the connections and networks we built during the I-CARE project to foster collaboration and knowledge exchange on a global scale," Crumb said. "I would like to think that the distance between Greenville and Jalingo, Nigeria, is much shorter as a result of the relationships that we are building."

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