ESTEVAN — The Estevan Community Wellness Committee, a group devoted to enhancing quality of life and fostering connections among residents, hosted its second community board games night on Nov. 4 at Michael's Coffee Shop and Bakery.
The free event was open to all ages, offering an array of games to encourage interaction and a break from routine. Around 15 residents gathered to enjoy games.
"It was a good turnout. It was also a good venue," said Shelly Veroba, who co-chairs the committee alongside Heidi Hesselink.
"It was a good chance to get our name out there again to show people what we're doing. We had a lot more interest in it, not only people who attended, but we also had people texting, emailing, just sending us messages saying they wish they could have come but it just wasn't the right night."
Going forward, the committee is considering making the games nights weekly and finding a permanent location to allow more people to join consistently.
"Our goal for this whole night is to get the community out meeting each other, but also interacting, not just hanging out, but actually doing something. And by playing board games you can always generate that kind of interaction with people," Veroba said.
The community board game nights are just one part of the committee's broader mission. Originally launched as a pilot project, the Community Wellness Committee has honed its focus on four key areas: mental wellness, substance abuse, victimization, and education and employment.
"Our initiative is to identify and enhance what is already available in our community. Then we'd like to increase education for all our priority areas. We want community building. And then, of course, we're looking for funding," Veroba explained.
"So [game nights] fit into our initiative of community building. We're just starting it out by getting the community to come back out and interact with each other more, especially after the last few years when people don't seem to go out as often, and also creating a low-cost event. We didn't want to create an event that had people having to feel like they had to spend money."
In its first phase, the committee conducted a survey to gather community insights, which helped define its core focus areas. Now, members are working on several initiatives. They have a partnership with Lemon Wedge Marketing to create a media plan that will raise awareness about resources and events.
One of the committee's first initiatives for 2025 is a mental health awareness dinner that they are looking into hosting on Jan. 20. The dinner is designed to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health and open a dialogue in the community.
"The focus is on mental health awareness," Veroba said, noting that similar events in other towns, like Carlyle, have been well-received. "It is also to create a base, a starting point to be able to fund a few different projects and initiatives. With hosting the dinner, we'll be able to apply for some different grants, as well."
The committee's efforts extend into ongoing collaborations with local schools to provide educational support.
"We're finding out which speakers would resonate with the youth," Veroba explained, noting that if resources or speakers don't fit the school's programming, the committee considers hosting them at other venues, such as the Estevan Public Youth Centre (EPYC).
Additional future plans include potentially reviving or creating a new version of neighbourhood safety programs like Block Parent and Neighborhood Watch, which were popular in previous decades. Veroba noted that while these programs may need to be adapted, they could be valuable for fostering safety and vigilance in the community. Other concerns brought up by survey participants are also on the committee's radar.
Other committee members are secretary Melenee Mehler, James Jones, Catherine Hiltz, Laura Melle, Rebecca Foord, Sydney Wanner, Deputy Police Chief Warren Morrical and Kevin Smith. Members liaise with a network of agencies across the city for broader collaboration.
"Different agencies that sit at our table will bring different things and ideas to our meetings, and then we figure out if there's a way that we can support that," Veroba noted. "But we also don't want to reinvent the wheel, if something is already happening.
"We're still in the early starting stages of this, but we're committed to moving forward to work collaboratively across all the sectors to create and enhance community safety and well-being in Estevan. Our vision is that our community will sustain safety and well-being for all generations," Veroba said.
For the latest updates, follow the Estevan Community Wellness Facebook page
"The more people that we have liking our Facebook page, the more information will come across their feed," Veroba said.
"And if anyone has a venue that they think would be a good fit for games night, we would love to entertain that conversation with them."
