A partnership between Choice Housing, Ark Housing and mental health and well-being organisation ALPS brought together local schools in the Lisburn area to launch their ‘Listen Up Campaign’.
St Patrick's Academy, Lisnagarvey High, Malone College and St Colm's High Schools came together to raise awareness of the importance for young people to talk about their mental health, with a particular focus on understanding the impact of suicide among young people.
The initiative includes a powerful video, view below, developed by the students who discuss the impact of suicide and the need for meaningful dialogue between young people and adults, fostering understanding, empathy, and support. The initiative was launched at the Civic Centre, Lisburn.
The Listen Up campaign was supported by the Department for Communities and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive’s ‘Housing for All’ Shared Housing Programme. The Programme has its origins in the NI Executive Together: Building a United Community Strategy which reflects the Executive’s commitment to improving community relations and continuing the journey towards a more united and shared society.
Director of Tenant & Client Services, Carol Ervine said,
“Choice’s Good Relations programme allows us to partner with grass roots organisations across Northern Ireland working to support local communities.
“Through engagement with schools in Lisburn it was clear young people need a platform to talk openly about their mental health. Alongside Ark Housing, we partnered with ALPS (All Lives are Precious) who provided the expertise to support our young people in what is a sensitive and sometimes difficult topic to talk about.”
As part of the partnership, a series of training sessions were delivered to students of all four schools and their family networks on a range of areas, including suicide, online safety and personal development.
Carol added,
“It’s great to see so many young people wiling to take the lead and start the conversation around mental health and wellbeing. At Choice we are pleased that we can play a role in facilitating these support networks.”
Ronan Gilchrist from ALPS added,
“This campaign aims to shed light on the experiences, struggles, and aspirations of teenagers facing mental health challenges today and serves as a call to action for adults to actively engage in creating a safe and supportive environment for young people.
ENDS
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