Mental health is a priority for Youthreach
YOUTHREACH Enniscorthy has made leaps and bounds in the area of mental health awareness over the last year.
The organisation has 11 staff members and 40 students, between the ages of 16-20, and through their programme of education and activities they strive to prepare their learners for their future education, careers, employment and all and any opportunities to help them succeed. Their large involvement in mental health has been spearheaded by Kathleen Keane and Hugh Sheridan, the Social Education Team of Teachers at the centre.
In November 2023, the students planned, organised and ran a Mental Health Awareness Week in the centre, with the promotion of good mental health strategies always at the “forefront” of the work they do in the Enniscorthy branch. The week involved the organisation of a tea party, a nature walk that emphasised the importance of fresh air, and a mass in St Aidan’s Cathedral that showed how spirituality is also important for mental health.
They also completed the ‘School Mile Challenge’ where all learners walked, ran, jogged, skipped, hopped a mile together around the local track, highlighting the importance of physical activity, team work, friendship and comradery to promote peace of mind.
In 2024 they became the only school in Wexford to receive the FET Mental Health and Well Being 2024 Accreditation in conjunction with Jigsaw.
“This is a wonderful recognition of the positive work being done here in the Centre” said Elaine Doran, the Clerical Officer.
Following on from this success, they entered the Wexford Mental Health Association Expressions Competition and gave a presentation on the importance of looking after each other. They were delighted to receive the Silver Award - after missing out on the Gold Award by a mere half-point difference.
In February of this year, the Centre Co-ordinator Hugh Dunne and the students were invited to write, story board, film, edit, and produce a short film for the “Walk in My Shoes” Short Film Competition. Their submitted project, called ‘HUH – Heads Up High,’ centres around the anxiety, loneliness and struggles of a teenager who has been bullied in school which has impacted his mental health.
Through a series of positive mental health encounters and building up friendships and entering his local Youthreach Centre, this young person slowly begins to build friendships and by the end of the film he has improved his outlook and his mental health.
They attended the awards ceremony in the Irish Film Institute in Temple Bar and were thrilled to take the Silver Award home.
Mr Dunne says that although the recognition is great, its impact on the “youngsters is first and foremost.”
Furthermore, the staff and students were excited to have been recently shortlisted for a Garda Community Award. Not only did they win the award on 13 May, but Enniscorthy Youthreach has also been put forward for National Judging in the Competition with the National Finals taking place later this year.
Due to all their effort, they were then invited as guest speakers to the FET Forum in Waterford on Friday May 31st and where they received a standing ovation from a crowd of 200 people and officials. This was a change to their usual activity of welcoming guest speakers to the centre. Previous visitors to the school came from Barnardos, Enniscorthy Fire Station, CBDI, and the ISPCA.
They were also joined by Michelle O’Neill, the first International female Referee and John Lonergan, the former Mountjoy Prison Governor.
They most recently participated in the ‘Suitcase challenge’ in collaboration with Youthreach centres in Dublin, Dungarvan, and Kilkenny. A suitcase was passed between the different centres where students filled the case with their own resources on topics relevant to young people.
Ms Doran says that the “team” will continue to strive for the promotion of more mental heath awareness across Wexford and they are all “incredibly proud” of the change their students are making in other peoples lives for the better.