What a week it has been! We thought we would capture just some of the activities our staff, clients, partners and supporters got up to! Despite the restrictions, enthusiasm to mark World Mental Health Day on 10 October was as high as ever –

Action Mental Health’s Projects & Services

Our team from the Our Generation project got together on Friday to celebrate with a coffee over zoom. The team are spread throughout Northern Ireland and have been out and about in schools with AMH’s Healthy Me programme.

Staff & clients from AMH New Horizons Belfast also got together for a ‘Cup of Kindness’ to celebrate via Zoom. Whilst enjoying a morning cuppa they reflected on the acts of kindness that have had a positive impact on their mental health during these challenging times

On the run up to World Mental Health Day Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Councillor Kevin Savage and Deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor Kyle Savage visited the AMH Garden Nursery at Tannaghmore Gardens and received some gardening tips from, John Sim, Skills Coach, Colin Loughran, Service Manager and John Walsh, Skills Coach!

The Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Councillor Jim Montgomery launched ‘The Art of Recovery’ exhibition at the Conservatory Gallery at Antrim Castle Gardens as part of the World Mental Health Day celebrations
 
This exhibition is a showcase of works by artists from AMH New Horizons, Antrim and will run daily until Thursday 29 October.

AMH Works took part in The Law Society’s Well-being Day, and AMH trainer Connor Grogan, along with LawCare, gave a talk entitiled – “Managing Stress and Building Resilience through Uncertain Times”. There was very positive feedback including moe solicitor who said “I found the talks helpful given the current climate.  I also found the colour code/traffic light system details informative and a useful check on how work pressures have affected mental wellbeing in more recent months”.

AMH MensSana were out and about in schools and colleges delivering Healthy Me, Provoking Thought and also offering on-line sessions of the PHA funded Mindset, Healthy Me for school staff and Mindful Manager.

Patricia Kelly Service Manager – Workable and Shelly Wilson AMH Works manager took part in the Northern Regional College’s Webinar ‘Mental Health Wellbeing in the Workplace During C-19 Pandemic’

We were delighted to have over 75 people join our AMH Works Mental Health First Aid seminar. Thanks to all for attending. Special thanks to our speakers from PHA, Queen’s University, Belfast City Council, Caterpillar NI & Collins Aerospace.

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AMH on the campaign trail and sharing expertise

Our Chief Executive was also kept busy this week! David Babington, got together via zoom with some of our local MLAs – Sinn Féin’s Órlaithí Flynn, Robbie Butler of the Ulster Unionist Party, Paula Bradshaw of the Alliance Party and the SDLP’s Cara Hunter, to talk about mental health services, recent developments and their hopes for sector. You can watch all the videos here.

David also joined Prof Deirdre Heenan, Paula Bradley MLA, Colm Gildernew MLA, Prof Gerry Lynch, Dr Alan Stout and others to discuss health and social cares services in NI

David then delivered a presentation on Innovation and the Third Sector at the Menhir International Doctoral School! AMH is one of the partners in this exciting project. Read more about it here.

David, Amanda Jones and Jonny Smyth also got together with the Minister for Education Peter Weir MLA to update him our resilience programmes in schools and our plans for their development within Education sector. Following the meeting the minister tweeted “I am committed to do all I can to support emotional well-being & resilience across our sector”.

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Fundraising & raising awareness

AMH Lisburn’s Sinead McCarry completed the Virtual London Marathon in the rain, cheered on by her family – well done Sinead!

Unfortunately our annual Granite Challenge had to be cancelled this year but we challenged all our GC cyclists of all ages and skill levels to clock up as many kilometres as they could in the week of World Mental Health Day, our DIY Granite Challenge was an exciting opportunity for our friends in the cycling world (and beyond) to get on their bikes, enjoy the great outdoors and raise vital funds for Action Mental Health.

Many answered the call including Mark Kinkaid from AMH New Horizons Lisburn.

A team from the Datactics Runners and Riders club took part in the DIY Granite Challenge, racking up a total of 338 miles in support of @amhNI! The team included Matthew Flenley, Kieran Buchanan, Marcus Lamb, and David Brown.

Thanks to all the cyclists who joined in the DIY Granite Challenge – we hope to see you at the top of Spelga next year!

At the start of the week 15 fearless fundraisers descended the iconic Belfast Castle in some typically Northern Irish conditions! The weather did not dampen the spirits of those taking part and we thank all our wonderful participants and Bryson LaganSports for holding a safe and highly enjoyable event.

Board Member Roisin Kelly got the whole family involved! The Kelly’s were busy all week having fun, raising awareness and vital funds. Roisin completed the Belfast Castle Abseil and the family also took part in the Ice Bucket Challenge bbbrrrrr!

Mash Direct will be fundraising throughout the month of October for AMH.

To support World Mental Health Day and AMH, all the employees of local paving and walling manufacturer Tobermore – production & working from home – joined together in a ‘Wear your hat to work day!’

Our corporate partner Team CTS joined in our Go Purple campaign, raising awareness & money for AMH

Corporate partners Outsource were encouraging everyone to join them on World Mental Health Day to wear purple to raise awareness that mental health is as important as physical health

We were so grateful that to the council’s and organisations who answered our call to #GOPURPLE

Ulster University’s Magee Campus got behind this year’s #GOPURPLE campaign and supported the global call – ‘Mental Health For All – Greater Investment, Greater Access’.

Thanks to Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council who turned the Lagan Valley Island Centre purple

Thanks to Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough Council who turned the Antrim Civic centre purple

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Thanks to everyone who supported us this year!

#MentalHealthForALL #GreaterAccess #GreaterInvestment – David Babington in Conversation with local MLAs – a WorldMentalHealthDay special!

The need for greater investment in Northern Ireland’s mental health services is the key driver to a healthier and more resilient society, local MLAs have told Action Mental Health’s Chief Executive, David Babington, in specially filmed discussions ahead of World Mental Health Day (10th October 2020). Sinn Féin’s Órlaithí Flynn, Robbie Butler of the Ulster Unionist Party, Paula Bradshaw of the Alliance Party and the SDLP’s Cara Hunter, praised developments in Northern Ireland’s mental health services, including the appointment of an interim Mental Health Champion, plans for a Ten Year Mental Health Strategy and the year old Protect Life 2 strategy on suicide prevention, but all agreed more needs to be done to ensure comprehensive funding is secured and allocated properly.

The cross party speakers also talked about the issues closest to their hearts, stressing the need for greater addiction services for those with a dual diagnosis and the need to support the carers of those with mental health issues. Focus was also placed on the need for agile thinking in the face of the pandemic’s effects on Northern Ireland’s collective mental well-being.

Órlaithí Flynn, MLA of Sinn Féin addressed the great strides achieved in mental health in Northern Ireland within the last year, stating those developments need comprehensive guaranteed investment to keep the momentum going, but pointed to greater efforts required to plug the gap in addiction services for those also experiencing mental ill health. She also issued a message of hope for those most affected by the Covid-19 crisis.

Paula Bradshaw MLA, Alliance Party, raised the struggle of carers looking after people with mental health issues and said they must not be left ‘voiceless’ in the new mental health strategy. She also pointed to her chairpersonship of the All-Party group on cancer and suggested the Cancer Strategy and its varied work streams could perhaps be used as a model to replicate within the development of the mental health strategy.

Cara Hunter, MLA of the SDLP said she was heartened by the Assembly’s commitment to mental health and reiterated the urgent need for addiction and substance abuse services, particularly for those with mental health issues. She noted that things are starting to change, in part to cross party support and collaboration.

Robbie Butler, MLA UUP, said the past year’s developments in mental health had brought the issue to everyone’s lips, and echoed calls for greater investments in prevention and intervention in education, commerce and all strands of society to create a better ‘meshed and melded’ approach to mental health promotion. He further urged caution among those, particularly the most vulnerable, to prevent them from being overwhelmed by the ‘bombardment’ of news coverage and information on the ever-changing Covid-19 guidelines.

Many thanks to everyone who took part in this World Mental Health Day special – Action Mental Health joins with the global call for Greater Investment, Greater Access and Mental Health for All.

We will continue to lobby and work with the political and statutory sectors to ensure that our clients, service users and the wider community can look forward to a future of appropriate, accessible and fully funded services that will make a positive difference to mental well-being in NI.

We’re calling on schools, businesses, community groups, sports clubs and individuals to get involved and Go Purple this October to help mark World Mental Health Day and to help raise vital Funds to support our work.

You can find out more about how to get involved by speaking to our Fundraising Team on 028 9182 8494 or by emailing [email protected]

You can click here to set up a fundraising page right now!

Could your school organise a sponsored Purple Mile Walk to help get everyone active, whilst raising funds? Or maybe you could organise a socially distanced Purple Coffee Morning in your workplace. What about a Purple themed Zoom quiz with friends?

Action Mental Health continues to provide vital services across Northern Ireland and whilst demand for our services continues to grow, our fundraising income has been greatly reduced.

You can help by signing up today and getting involved in our Go Purple campaign this October!

Action Mental Health will, this year, be marking World Mental Health Day amid unusual times, during a global pandemic no one could have foreseen.

This year the theme is – Mental Health for All, Greater Investment, Greater Access.

The crisis has dramatically transformed the way people live and work and has brought the issue of mental health onto centre stage like never before.

Despite the upheaval of the pandemic however, Action Mental Health staff have been working tirelessly to continue supporting its hundreds of clients across Northern Ireland, finding creative solutions to help them through the vocational and therapeutic sessions they are undertaking.

AMH New Horizons staff have introduced blended learning, incorporating face-to-face sessions with online services, even equipping many with tablets to ensure no client was left isolated or without access to the staff they have come to know and trust. Whilst the team at AMH New Life Counselling have continued to provide counselling sessions to clients in a range of innovative ways.

Action Mental Health annually kicks off its comprehensive calendar of events during the week of WMHD day with its eagerly awaited Granite Challenge. But with Covid restrictions limiting numbers this year, it is going DIY – offering participants new and old, advanced and novices alike the chance to take part in 2020. You can cycle for as far as you want in a venue of your choice while raising money to support the vital work of Action Mental Health.

You can read more here and still register by visiting: https://amh.enthuse.com/cf/diy-granite-challenge.

On the activity front, the rescheduled Belfast Castle Abseil is now taking place this week, offering thrill seekers the chance to face their fears by scaling down the iconic city landmark, taking in amazing scenery. Additional measures are in place to keep participants safe and to ensure everyone adheres to current public health guidance.

Around Northern Ireland, a number of other iconic civic buildings will be embracing WMHD day, joining Action Mental Health in Going Purple to support our awareness and fundraising raising efforts.

For our annual #GoPurple event, AMH asks schools, businesses, churches, community groups, sports clubs and individuals to get involved, throughout October, to help raise awareness of positive mental health and also raise vital funds to support our services across Northern Ireland. Demand for our services continues to increase at a time when our fundraising income has been greatly reduced. All support received will make a real difference to local people.

In the North West, the beautiful Guild Hall will join AMH New Horizons Foyle clients who are going purple by illuminating the grand building, alongside the city’s Playhouse, VOID and the Derry City and Strabane District Council offices.

At AMH New Horizons Lisburn, clients will host a Go Purple coffee morning, while at AMH New Horizons Antrim’s behest, Antrim and Newtownabbey Council will also flood its three civic buildings in purple. AMH New Horizons Antrim will also be hosting its annual Art of Recovery art exhibition, featuring the artistry of clients, with the mayor, Councillor Jim Montgomery opening the popular event. The exhibition will run from October 6 to 29 at Clotworthy House, Antrim Castle Gardens. Staff at New Horizons Downpatrick will be treating clients to an online quiz, giving them a chance to pit their wits against each other in aid of WMHD.

AMH’s MensSana’s Healthy Me sessions, which promote positive mental health and well-being through interactive sessions at Northern Ireland’s primary schools, will be hosting special zoom sessions for teachers.

Through one-hour webinar sessions teachers will be encouraged to identify issues faced since returning to school from lockdown; raise awareness about the importance of looking after your mental health and highlight self-care techniques for building resilience and confidence. The sessions will also show how, and where, to access support and further information.

And that’s not all! AMH Works is hosting a Mental Health First Aid networking event to encourage Northern Ireland businesses to adopt and implement the training, which is designed to support employees’ mental health and well-being prior to them seeking specialist medical assistance. The event will feature a fantastic line up of panel members from a range of sectors and participants will have the opportunity to learn about what Mental Health First Aid is, the benefits of implementing it and the barriers organisations may be facing.

AMH Works has also been providing the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) for their ambulance personnel to better equip the frontline staff in circumstances involving people at risk of suicide or in the aftermath.

Our AMH MensSana team will also be hosting ‘Open’ Mindset and Provoking Thought sessions, these are AMH’s positive mental health and well-being promotion programmes designed for young people.

Follow us on social media to find out what else we will be up to!

Action Mental Health’s energetic team of peripatetic skills coaches have given new meaning to ‘relay running’, traversing Northern Ireland, raising awareness and funds as part of AMH’s Virtual Fitness Fundraiser, hosted to celebrate National Fitness Day in September.

The ‘Peripatetic Pacers’ clocked up the miles, running laps between some of Action Mental Health’s services across Northern Ireland – digitally.

The fast-paced gang weren’t content to let the restrictions of the ongoing pandemic stop them, so instead of physically passing the baton to each other, they used some clever artistic licence and a new short film to do so.

The team passed the virtual baton to each other from Downpatrick to Newtownards, Newtownards to Antrim, Derriaghy to Antrim, Antrim to Belfast, Belfast to Craigavon, and back from Craigavon to Derriaghy

The pacers did their laps on roads near AMH services and on treadmills at home, where they have been helping deliver blended services to clients both in the service and via online methods.   

In just a week, the team ran 170 miles, raising £1075 but money is still being counted so if you would like to add to the total please go to their fundraising page:

https://amh.enthuse.com/pf/peripatetic-pavement-pacers

A Glengormley woman who had to shield through the lockdown has revealed how she entertained herself by capturing amazing photos of squirrels, which are helping her to raise money for Action Mental Health!

So popular were Marion Murphy’s pictures of squirrels – posed at miniature props that she set out for them – that she has compiled them into a calendar in aid of the charity.

Marion revealed that at the very start of the pandemic she was in hospital with a bout of pneumonia, so when she returned home, she had to stay at home to stay safe as the coronavirus began to spread around the country.

It was after spotting the squirrels that had been visiting her garden for many years, that she had an idea.

“While I was recovering at home and shielding, I posted photos of the squirrels on Facebook. My cousin sent me a picture of a little picnic bench and said I should get one for them. They were quite expensive, so I found a novelty condiment set for barbecues and used that,” she said.

She added: “The squirrels became very popular with my family and friends on Facebook and many started sharing photos with their friends too. I’ve ended up with hundreds of photos from more than 30 scenarios.

“As quite a few of the scenes were seasonal, I had the idea of creating a calendar and selling copies for charity. I decided on a mental health charity as I believe that no matter what illness anyone has, it can have an adverse impact on the mental health of not only them, but also their families. I’ve chosen Action Mental Health as they do a lot of good work.”

Action Mental Health’s Fundraising and Communications Manager Jonathan Smyth praised Marion’s skill at executing such a novel fundraising idea.

“We have had many interesting fundraising ideas over the years from people keen to support the work of Action Mental Health but I can safely say none of them have involved squirrels.

“We are delighted however that Marion kept herself safe and well throughout the lockdown – and her friends entertained at the same time. We are also very impressed with her efforts in creating the calendar, in aid of AMH, and would also like to the thank her cute little subjects for co-operating!”

Copies of the calendar, priced at £7.99 (including postage), can be ordered by emailing Marion at [email protected]

Payment can be made via PayPal or bank transfer. All profits will go to the charity.

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A trailblazing new peacebuilding project aiming to tackle mental health and well-being in children and young people on both sides of the border has been launched.

The EU PEACE IV-funded project, called ‘OUR Generation,’ marked its official launch on 24th September 2020 through a unique virtual event when its objective – Growing Up Better, Together – was unveiled.

Speakers for the launch included Junior Minister Gordon Lyons and Junior Minister Declan Kearney, Gina McIntyre (C.E.O SEUPB), David Babington (C.E.O Action Mental Health), Rosaline Keenan (Senior Manager Service Reform)  and Siobhan O’Neil (Interim Mental Health Champion for NI).

Audience members were able to watch a live online event streamed from Youth Action’s Rainbow Factory Studio hosted by Cool FM’s Curtis McCosh, which featured a special video of children and young people performing The Who’s ‘My Generation’.

OUR Generation is a partnership led by Action Mental Health, funded through the European Union’s PEACE IV Programme, which is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). Match-funding for the project has been provided by The Executive Office in Northern Ireland and the Department of Rural and Community Development in Ireland.

The cross-border project will be delivered through education, youth and community settings across the Five Urban Village Areas of Northern Ireland, the Border Region of Ireland and Northern Ireland, with the aim of building positive relations and emotional resilience in communities impacted by four decades of the Troubles and the legacy of the conflict across the island of Ireland.

The partnership of seven organisations will utilise €6.1M (£5.1M) of EU PEACE IV funding to support communities to tackle post-conflict peace building and mental health over three years.

Joining Action Mental Health are partners Donegal Youth Service, Co-Operation Ireland, Youth Action NI, YouthWork Ireland, PlayBoard NI and Ulster University.

OUR Generation will reach 36,000 children and young people who will engage in programme design and delivery, including provision of peer support, developing skills and confidence to improve well-being within their communities. They will also act as agents of change, building peace for future generations.

Junior Minister Gordon Lyons and Junior Minister Declan Kearney were delighted to be part of this important launch event for the OUR Generation programme, with its combined focus on mental health and peace building.

Junior Minister Gordon Lyons said: “The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on children and young people’s mental health is of increasing concern; and today, Professor Siobhan O’Neill, the Government’s Mental Health Champion, has made it quite clear why we need a programme like ‘Our Generation’.

“What is evident today, is the strength of commitment to work with young people to make a difference in their lives. To support them to help each other, building resilience in their young lives and building peace across their communities. I am proud that the Executive is supporting this PEACE IV programme, contributing £629,642 to the initiative while being delivered in Urban Village areas and across the Border Counties.”

Junior Minister Kearney commented: “Poor mental health is a barrier preventing our young people and communities from thriving in a post-conflict society. Too many families are struggling or have already lost loved ones; and we find that some of the highest statistics of this happening are sadly in Urban Village areas.

“This new project will help to support tens of thousands of children and young people in Urban Village areas and border counties, working with them and with existing community programmes in a co-design process. They will use creativity and innovation to encourage more joined-up approaches to reach those most in need and to support peace building.”

Speaking about the project Heather Humphreys, Minister for Social Protection and Minister for Community and Rural Development and the Islands, said: “I want to congratulate the seven regional organisations involved in this cross-border partnership to implement the Our Generation project.   

“It is great to see these organisations working collectively and collaborating in the area of mental health recovery.

“I am confident that this EU PEACE IV funded project will assist large numbers of children and young people as well as their families on both sides of the border.  I am delighted that my Department is an Accountable Department for this funding and we will work with all parties to ensure delivery of this important project. 

I wish all involved every success in the implementation of this project.”

Welcoming the project, Gina McIntyre, Chief Executive of the SEUPB said: “Unfortunately one of the enduring legacies of the conflict/troubles is intergenerational trauma, which is passed from one generation to the next; preventing young people from reaching their full potential and creating long- lasting mental health problems.

“The Our Generation project will help to change this by building emotional resilience and improving the mental health of tens of thousands of young people, on both sides of the border. Designed by and for them, the project will also encourage greater levels of cross-community contact and intercultural awareness, which will help to build a more peaceful and cohesive society.

“I am delighted that this important work has been supported by the PEACE IV Programme and I wish every success to all those who will become involved. I am really looking forward to seeing and hearing about its development over the coming weeks and months.”

Siobhan O’Neil, Interim Mental Health Champion for Northern Ireland added: “I’m delighted to have contributed to the design of this ground-breaking project integrating peacebuilding and emotional wellbeing. Our team at Ulster University are overseeing the delivery of a suite of trauma-informed resilience programmes, to reduce the risk of mental illness later in life. Our vision is that the next generation will be strong resilient and empathic, and in a position to deliver a better Northern Ireland”.

David Babington, CEO of Action Mental Health and Spokesperson for the project said: “We know that the legacy of the troubles has created a very specific set of circumstances, local communities have been impacted in many ways. One of the biggest impacts has been on the mental health and well-being of our population.

“We also know that with the right early intervention with children and young people, we can help to prevent many of these issues developing. That’s why we are absolutely delighted to lead the Our Generation project with our partners.

“We truly believe this ground breaking initiative can create a real and lasting legacy by giving children and young people the skills and confidence they need for positive mental health and resilience and the opportunity to learn and grow together to build peace for the future”

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You can watch the launch here – starting at the 22 minute mark.

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The innovators behind the pioneering new ChatPal app – a chatbot aimed at promoting positive mental health – are today addressing progress and potential new advances in the technology following its launch in August.

ChatPal, a Positive Psychology ChatBot is a new mental health app designed to support users’ mental health and wellbeing. It starts a dialogue with users around how to maintain positive emotions and good physical health and is available for use 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Developed by researchers from Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) and Ulster University, the app develops relationships, as well as engendering a sense of accomplishment and meaning among users.

 ChatPal is a research project funded by the EU and the Northern Periphery and Arctic Programme, of which Action Mental Health is a partner member.

The app was launched early to meet increased demand for mental health assistance, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, especially among the isolated and people living alone

Today’s developmental workshop focused on tracking users’ experience to aid their successful progress through the App’s many facets, including mood logging, gratitude diaries, goal setting, mindfulness and meditation, self-compassion, physical wellbeing, nutrition and sleep. It also discussed the possibility of adopting the World Health Organisation’s wellbeing scale on suicide prevention.

Learn more about ChatPal here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouaDc2R1FA0#action=share