Students show their worth with mental health booklet
A NEW mental health booklet and website for teenagers was launched recently in Colaiste Bride, Enniscorthy.
The booklet which was launched by Minister for Mental Health and Older People, Helen McEntee, was produced by the pupils of Coláiste Bríde and is entitled ‘I am WORTH it.’
The Student Council at the school realised some time ago the need for such a booklet aimed specifically at teenagers in Wexford. It gives practical information and advice about mental health care, and the various services and supports for this available throughout the county.
The initiative arose following the provision of a mental health booklet distributed during a school visit by a Mental Health Ireland Development Officer. Students noted that the booklet, although highly informative, was specifically created for a different county and the details of local services and helpline numbers were irrelevant to County Wexford.
The Student Council also became aware that local mental health support information was not readily available for, or specifically aimed at, teenagers. The Council vowed to take action to address the absence of such and to promote a greater awareness of mental health services available to their peers. They set about adapting the booklet to make it relevant to Wexford.
A school competition was organised to select a title for the booklet with the winning entry, ‘I am WORTH it’, stands for Wexford Offers Reliable Teenage Help.
This initiative aims to reduce the stigma of mental health, cultivate a sense of positive mental health amongst teenagers and to encourage and support teenagers to seek advice and help if they need it.
The booklet will be distributed to around 13,000 second level pupils across Wexford. The pupils of Coláiste Bríde raised around €900 towards the venture and also got welcome financial support from Enniscorthy Credit Union towards publication costs. Mental Health Ireland in Wexford assisted with the development of an associated website.
Launching the booklet Minister McEntee said: ‘I am delighted to launch this important new booklet, which will be a real help towards promoting positive mental health for young people in Wexford.
‘It is very impressive how the girls brought this project together and delivered such a high-quality and useful publication. The competition held among the 700 pupils really came up with a title – ‘I am WORTH it’ – that sums up the core message of how we should all regard mental health and mental health issues.
‘ The teachers and the girls should be rightly proud of their achievement. The booklet gels also with my objective as Minister to improve all aspects of mental health policies and services, including the work of the National Task Force on Youth Mental Health that I recently established.’