MHI & Ladies Gaelic Football Association Joint Project

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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