Of caring crusade
projects that positively impact young people’s mental health.
Dionne is among those from all backgrounds and of all ages whose common goal is to transform the mental health of young people in Scotland through sharing positive stories, having honest conversations and exploring creative solutions.
Regardless of her own experiences and those of the young people who share with her distressing accounts of how bullying is dragging them down, Dionne has the good grace to encourage the perpetrators to seek help if their own emotional and mental struggles are what’s causing them to lash out.
And she doesn’t endorse the view that may have been prevalent in the past that the best course of action is to retaliate.
“With that mentality, it’s c re a t i n g a v i c i o u s c i rc l e,” maintains Dionne, who works as a cleaner at University Hospital Hairmyers, volunteers for Amnesty and sits on the health panel of YoungScot.
“If you reply back to a negative with a negative, no positive is ever going to come from that.”
Dionne, who joined the SNP around the time of the Scottish independence referendum of 2014, believes that her involvement in politics also empowers her to champion the rights of young people.
After a year of studying Politics and International Relations at Strathclyde University, Dionne changed direction and is now on a healthcare practice course at South Lanarkshire College, which she hopes will lead to a career as a nurse or paramedic.
Having worked as a constituency officer f or Christina McKelvie MSP since 2019, Dionne is an enthusiastic participant of Young Women Lead – a leadership programme designed to inspire women aged under 30 to become role models and leaders in their own community.
Created to address the underrepresentation of young women in politics, The Young Women’s Movement (YWCA Scotland) designed the programme for participants from a range of diverse communities.
It brings people together in the Scottish Parliament to run their own committee inquiry and connect their voices with MSPs and the Scottish Government Equality Unit.
Only weeks ago, Dionne’s name was added to YWCA’s 30 Under 30 list – an annual platform that showcases the experiences of Scotland’s most inspirational young women and the visions they have for society.
The prestigious list applauds Dionne for her keen interest in politics, human rights and equality, and for her work as volunteer with St Andrews
Ambulance Service, which she hopes will give her the opportunity to train as a mental health first aider.
“The reason I went into politics and the reason I’m involved in all these other organisations was to help people,” said Dionne, who was among 10 pupils from St John Ogivlie and Holy Cross High Schools who visited schools and orphanages in Uganda as part of a missionary experience.
“There’s a massive mental health crisis going on, especially after Covid. And without people really knowing about them, it’s organisations like the Trust Jack Foundation that are making a huge difference.”
* Scotland’s national children’s charity, Children First, believes that every child has the right to be safe in school. It helps lots of parents have the confidence to address bullying. If you need support, call free on 08000 28 22 33.