Shadowing the newsreader
Listen to the newsreader read out each line and then practise saying it. Record your own voice line by line and submit your voiceover.
While cowboys are a popular symbol of resilience and self-reliance, the truth is very different.
Cowboy communities have seen rates of addiction and mental health concerns surge, stemming from a deep-rooted practice of not sharing their emotions.
Suicide rates in the vast US agricultural states of Wyoming and Montana have become the highest in the country, with agricultural workers suffering more than most.
Cowboy Rand Selle's concluded that the pressures of living up to the tough guy reputation exacerbates the issue.
Rand was spurred into action having lost fellow rider Jonn Beer, who passed away from an addiction to the opioid Fentanyl, prescribed for trauma following a bronco riding accident.
Rand's loss drove him to establish 'No More Empty Saddles', based in Wyoming.
The support group's solely committed to providing ways for cowboys struggling with mental health and addiction to reach out.
The dearth of resources and mental health services in the state is lamentable, claims mental health practitioner Sheryl Foland.
'No More Empty Saddles'' outreach initiative, 'Tom Horn Days' not only provides a community gathering for competing and showcasing rodeo skills, it's also a rare chance to forge friendships and encourage cowboys to access their outreach services.
Proceeds from 'Tom Horn Days' fund efforts to grow a grass roots support network to counter the isolation and despair plaguing the community and prevent any more empty saddles.
