The 3rd Annual Dundalk Positive Mental Health Week 2015, which ran from 3rd to 10th October, proved to be a great success with each of the events very well attended.
The events held throughout Dundalk Positive Mental Health Week sparked conversations on promoting mental health awareness and the importance of discussing our mental health in everyday conversations with family, friends and co-workers. The events held throughout the week brought together a number of groups and individuals in the community all in the spirit of promoting mental health.
A family walk promoting positive mental health was organised along the Navvy Bank led by Wee Binnions Walking Group on Saturday, 3rd October and a coffee morning on Monday, 5th October in Riva Earl Street.
Dundalk Positive Mental Health Steering Committee member and Regional Development Officer for SHINE, Derek Pepper hosted a two hour radio show on Dundalk FM on Tuesday, 6th October. The radio show included special guests with a variety of perspectives on how to promote positive mental health. We were delighted to have Dundalk FC manager Stephen Kenny, Bernardine Quinn from the Outcomers, and local educators Sinead Mc Donnell and Sandra Woods from Bush Post Primary School to discuss the promotion of positive mental health through their respective areas of sport, community and education.
I was delighted to welcome Minister Kathleen Lynch to launch the 3rd Annual Dundalk Positive Mental Health Week Art Exhibition in the Carroll Building Dundalk Institute of Technology. It was fantastic to see such a cross-section of our local community supporting the art exhibition launch and Dundalk Positive Mental Health Week. I would like to thank President Denis Cummins and DkIT staff for facilitating and assisting with the art exhibition. I would also like to sincerely thank all of the exhibitors for sharing their beautiful pieces of art with the community.
The cookery demonstration hosted by Alan McCabe was held on Thursday, 8th October in the Hospitality Suite of DkIT. Alan provided the audience with healthy recipes and discussed how healthy eating is important to our mental health. The cookery demonstration added a new perspective and was a very welcome addition to the line-up of events.
Mental health is as important as our physical health but for too many years the subject has been taboo. The Dundalk Positive Mental Health Steering Committee works to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health through conversation and by promoting awareness of the local mental health services available.
This week's events have certainly generated a local conversation and the importance of making time to talk about our mental health with those close to us.
The Annual Dundalk Positive Mental Health Week has grown from strength to strength since we began three years ago and I look forward to continuing this work in preparation for the 4th Annual Dundalk Positive Mental Health Week along with steering committee members, Bernardine Quinn (Outcomers), Derek Pepper (SHINE), Liz McGuckin (Dundalk Counselling Centre) and Garda John Brady (Juvenile Liaison Officer).
No comments:
Post a Comment