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Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Projects & Activities

MHI & Ladies Gaelic Football Association Joint Project

PRESS RELEASE

Mental Health Ireland and Ladies Gaelic Football Association

Working Together to Build Resilience

Mental Health Ireland (MHI) and the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) are delighted to announce the launch of a new partnership between the two Associations with the aim of promoting Mental Health Awareness in Ireland.

The LGFA and MHI will be increasing awareness of mental health issues and preventative steps through Gaelic4Mothers & Others, an LGFA development initiative, and Building Resilience Together, a MHI awareness initiative.

In 2010, Mental Health Ireland launched an initiative entitled Building Resilience Together as a means of informing all age groups of society of the importance of developing individual and community strengths that will help people to cope with and bounce back from the challenges and setbacks that life presents. Gaelic4Mothers & Others began in 2008, with the aim of providing a pathway for all women in Ireland to get involved in Ladies Gaelic and to facilitate a development of community spirit and interaction.

Three of the cornerstones of Building Resilience Together are signing up for and getting involved in activities in your local area; staying connected with family, friends and community; and doing things that make you laugh and feel good. All of these actions will improve an individual’s well-being and their sense of connectedness to those around them.

The ethos of Gaelic4Mothers & Others mirrors the ethos of the Building Resilience Together initiative. Gaelic4Mothers & Others is a recreational form of Ladies Gaelic Football that focuses on getting women who are usually on the sidelines more involved in their local club and community. However it is not only about getting women physically active but more importantly getting them to engage with other women in their area. The social aspect of Gaelic4Mothers & Others and the support network it creates for women is just as important as the physical exercise.

At the launch of this joint initiative, Brian Howard, CEO, Mental Health Ireland stated that “I can think of no better way of providing a good example of Building Resilience than through participation in the Gaelic4Mothers & Others initiative. The Building Resilience programme provides ten tips to build resilience. The majority, if not all of these tips are activated through participation in the Gaelic4Mothers project.”

Helen O’Rourke, CEO Ladies Gaelic Football Association stated that “The LGFA are delighted to join in partnership with Mental Health Ireland. From the feedback we get from participants, one of the biggest positives reported is just how much they enjoy Gaelic4Mothers & Others and how it actually changes their lives. Through Gaelic4Mothers & Others, Irish women are much more physically active, much more involved in their local community and have a much better support network of women in their locality.”

Further Information:

www.mentalhealthireland.ie

www.ladiesgaelic.ie

Brian Howard,

CEO, Mental Health Ireland

Tel: 01 284 1166

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Paula Prunty,

National Games Development Officer,

Ladies Gaelic Football Association

Tel: 01 8363156

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Positivity in Portmarnock as over 900 women take part in the feel good Gaelic4Mothers & Others National Blitz Day

The 15th of October saw hundreds of Irish women coming out in force for the Gaelic4Mothers & Others National Blitz Day in Portmarnock Co. Dublin. Gaelic4Mothers & Others is a national development initiative of the Ladies Gaelic Football Association which has taken Ireland by storm in the last few years. The central aim of the initiative is to provide all Irish women with a pathway to play Ladies Gaelic regardless of their age or ability.

Gaelic4Mothers is a recreational and non-competitive form of Ladies Football. Anyone woman over 18 who is not currently playing Adult competitive football with a club is eligible to play. Despite the name, women do not have to be a mother to participate.

On the first day of National Mental Health week, the Ladies Gaelic Football Association was delighted to announce a new partnership with Mental Health Ireland. The partnership will be based around the common aim of Gaelic4Mothers & Others and the Mental Health Ireland awareness campaign Building Resilience Together.

The Building Resilience Together campaign was launched by Mental Health Ireland in 2010. The aim of the this initiative is to highlight that there are a number of simple steps that can be taken in order to better prepare ourselves to cope with the setbacks that life may throw at us. The ten steps that Building Resilience suggests can all be achieved through participation in Gaelic4Mothers & Others.

One of the key elements of Gaelic4Mothers & Others is the community support network that it creates for women and the positive physical and mental impact that it has on the day to day lives of participants.

The National Blitz Day is the biggest day on the Gaelic4Mothers & Others calendar. This year 74 teams participated which resulted in approximately 900 women getting their football boots on for the day. Teams came from every province in Ireland, some of them staying in Dublin overnight and making a weekend out of it.

Participants had a fantastic day of football and also enjoyed strolling around the exhibitor marquee.

For more information in Gaelic4Mothers & Others visit www.ladiesgaelic.ie. For more information in Building Resilience Together click here.

Some photos from the Gaelic4Mothers & Others National Blitz Day

in Portmarnock Co. Dublin on 15th October 2011:

boherlahan-duallatipperarygaelic4mothers national_blitz_2011

Building Resilience Together Project

“Building Resilience is developing individual strengths and abilities

to bounce back from the challenges and setbacks that life presents us with”

(Mental Health Association New South Wales Australia)

The Benefits of Resilience to a local community

According to the Mental Health Association in New South Wales Australia building resilience can buffer us from developing mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder. It does so by helping offset certain risk factors that increase the likelihood of experiencing a mental illness, such as lack of social support. Therefore building your resilience can protect and promote your mental health and wellbeing.

For people who live with mental illness, resilience can also help them to accept the setbacks and challenges of living with mental illness, developing the courage to take responsibility to manage their lives and recover, despite the limitations imposed by the condition.

The current economic down turn coupled with the cut backs in services and resources mean that the resilience of communities is being seriously challenged. Building a strong community can benefit each member of our community in times of stress, as recently witnessed during the floods in Ballinasloe. Community resilience is built by strengthening social networks, offering support to members of the community in times of need, working together on common goals, as well as ensuring safety and promoting healthy lifestyles. The sense of cohesion derived from belonging to a community can build a great sense of optimism and morale within us.

As part of Building Resilience Together Project MHI Development Officers meet with local Community Forums and authorities to organise series of local projects and public talks. Please check MHI Upcoming Events and Regional Activities sections of our website regularly to see what's happening in your area.

Click on the images below to view/download a PPT presentation prepared by MHI and Building Resilience leaflet:

Merit Awards

Mental Health Ireland introduced a Merit Award in 2009 to mark noteworthy achievements of our local Mental Health Associations.

Projects submitted were judged by an independent panel from outside the association and awards were presented at our last Annual Conference in Sheraton Hotel, Athlone in May 2009.

This project honours particular achievements but also provides an opportunity for delegates at the Conference to be made aware of new projects which could be replicated for use within their respective local MHAs.

Nenagh & District Mental Health Association won the 2010 Merit Award for the project Aras Folláin Peer Support Centre.

Peer support is a system of giving and receiving help founded on key principles of respect shared responsibility and mutual agreement of what is helpful. It offers a culture of help and ability as opposed to a culture of illness and disability. Peer support allows people to think creatively and non-judgmentally about the way they experience, and make meaning of their lives. The primary goal is to responsibly challenge the assumptions about mental health and at the same time validate the individual about who they are and where they come from.

Our Objectives are:

To provide opportunities for groups and individuals to maintain wellness through peer support, social interaction, personal development and self-care programmes.
To empower group members through information and peer advocacy and to emphasise the value and uniqueness of each person and regard their different view points, experiences and cultural perspectives as a resource.
To reduce social isolation, improve self concept and promote independence thereby reducing dependence on mental health services and increase control over our own lives.
To build capacity for wellness and promote personal responsibility through recovery and WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan), self advocacy, personal development and life skills.

Target Group: The Centre aims to reach as many of the population as possible living in the community who are experiencing mental health difficulties or who are at risk through social isolation, disability or unemployment.

First Prize was awarded to Aras Folláin Peer Support Centre. Pictured receiving a cheque for €500 and certificate is Margot O’Donnell-Roche, volunteer coordinator for Aras Folláin Peer Support Centre and Brian Howard, CEO, Mental Health Ireland.