This short movie gives a real young persons story from Daniel who attends Carrickfergus YMCA. Watch, share and use this video to stop the stigma around Mental Health difficulties. This is powerful and a must see for all young people.
Download the video here I AM WHOLE CARRICKFERGUS YMCA – YouTube
350 young men from the Newry area were brought together this week to learn about the importance of maintaining good mental health and wellbeing, and how to become more resilient to stress.
Young men from local post primary schools aged between 12 to 14 years from 13 local schools participated in a range of workshops and sessions on masculinity and gender, cyber safety, drumming, mindfulness and yoga.
Jacinta Linden, Chair of the CYPSP Newry Locality Group stated “The Young Minds Matter” conference shone a light on the many services and agencies working to support positive health and wellbeing throughout the Newry, Mourne and Down area. Both students and teachers had the opportunity to meet with service providers and hear from leading experts on keeping safe and keeping well. It is an absolute privilege to be part of delivering this conference. As a result of this event, we hope that the boys and teachers feel better connected, and informed about support networks available but most importantly we hope that all of the participants have fun and enjoy the conference”.
Read more about the Young Minds Matter Conference by clicking here
Contact Us:
For further information about the work of CYPSP please visit www.cypsp.org or contact Darren Curtis via email Darren.curtis@hscni.net or telephone 028 9536 3216
Children in Northern Ireland ran a summer scheme to support local children in Portadown. The programme was delivered in partnership with the community and voluntary sector, statutory agencies, local schools and local government with additional support from Craigavon based Almac Group.
The scheme Portadown Gets Active was aimed at tackling the problem of holiday hunger. This new and unique initiative was aimed at offering children a fun and active holiday programme, which not only provides a free nutritious breakfast and lunch but also gives children the opportunity to gain an OCN qualification in Healthy Living.
Pauline Leeson, Chief Executive of Children in Northern Ireland, said: “It is incredibly sad that in this day and age we still have families struggling to provide enough food for their children. Not only is food poverty detrimental to children’s health, it also has serious implications for their educational future. Which is why our project is so unique in its approach and why it has been a huge success by improving many outcomes for children.”
Some of the improved outcomes from this project include:
– Improved mental health and well-being for young people
– Improved nutrition during school holidays
– Improved educational achievement and no loss of educational memory
– Increased confidence and skills
– Reduced poor health through nutrition and exercise
– Improved employment prospects and progression (OCN qualification)
– Higher levels of social interaction and participation
– Increased confidence, health and well-being.
Speaking about the scheme, Kevin Reid, VP Corporate Marketing, Almac Group, stated “Portadown Gets Active is a fantastic project which we were delighted to support. The kids who participated over the summer have developed a range of valuable skills and knowledge about nutrition, health and well-being whilst making friends and, most of all, having fun in the process. Congratulations to the team of volunteers who helped make the programme such a success.”
The Portadown Gets Active project will be running throughout the year during school holiday times summer, Halloween, Christmas and Easter.
The project in Portadown is a partnership between Children in Northern Ireland, Oasis Youth Portadown, Children & Young People’s Strategic Partnership, Pathways Activities and Presentation Primary School with additional support from the Public Health Agency, food supplier Brakes UK and the Almac Group.
To view the video of the project visit here.
Contact Us:
For further information please contact Ellen Finlay, Children in Northern Ireland at 02890 401 290 or by email at Ellen@Ci-NI.org.uk
The Health and Social Care Board and Education Authority are delighted to jointly launch the ‘Supporting Young Carers in Schools’ Booklet, an important resource for primary and secondary schools.
To better support young carers in school and to raise awareness of their needs especially among educators and teachers, the Children and Young People’s Strategic Partnership (CYPSP) Young Carers Group comprising the Health and Social Care Board in partnership with the Education Authority, Action for Children NI, Barnardo’s NI, Gingerbread NI and Carers Trust NI have produced a resource pack for primary and secondary school staff.
At least 10% of 16 year olds could be helping to care for a family member, providing up to 30 hours of care a week and 29% of these young carers have never told anyone outside their family about their caring responsibilities. These young people usually feel stressed, tired and isolated.
Speaking at the event, Education Authority Chief Executive, Gavin Boyd said; “The Education Authority is proud to be a partner in this initiative to help schools understand the needs of young carers and to enhance the support provided to children and young people who have caring responsibilities. The young carers who were involved in the development of this resource are undoubtedly helping to make things a little easier for others who find themselves in similar circumstances to theirs”.
Click here to read more about the event by downloading the press release
The Supporting Young Carers in Schools Booklet can be downloaded by clicking here
Find out more about our Young Carers
Barnardo’s NI Young Carers have produced a short video on their experiences and role as a young carer supporting a family member. Click here to watch the video
Action for Children’s Young Carers have put together a short photo stream collaboration of their time at the Regional Young Carers Service. Click here to watch this video
Contact Us:
For further information please contact CYPSP at 02895 363 261 or by email at cypsp@hscni.net
This event is open to all who have an interest in the future of supporting families within the Southern Health and Social Care Trust area. It will be held on Thursday 11th October from 12pm to 2pm (lunch included) at NIACRO, 6 Carleton Street, Portadown, BT62 3EP. For more information or to register contact kala@niacro.co.uk Download flyer here.
