Two Belfast primary schools have celebrated the launch of an animation about children’s mental health and wellbeing.
The animation, called ‘Our wee thoughts and feelings’, was created by pupils from Elmgrove PS and Christ the Redeemer PS, who took part in a shared learning and cross-community exchange through the OUR Generation project. The children came together to watch their completed animation on Friday 14th October, and were visited by CEO of Action Mental Health, David Babington.
At the launch, they were also joined by members of the Urban Villages Initiative, local co-ordinator for Colin, Philip Magee, and Kathy Anjorin from Eastside, both attended for the premiere of the animation.
Throughout the last school year, pupils completed ‘Better Together’ – a programme where P.6 and P.7’s learn about friendship, empathy and breathing techniques for dealing with feelings and emotions.
During the project, the children visited each other’s schools which are located in separate Urban Village areas of Belfast. Elmgrove PS is in East Side (East Belfast), and Christ the Redeemer PS is in Colin in the west of the city.
They explored creative ways to show case their learning alongside professional animator Joel Simon from Hola Lola Animations – whose animated films and programs have been shown internationally, for clients such as Channel 4, Comic Relief UK, Discovery Channel and the BBC.
Speaking at the launch event at Christ the Redeemer Primary School, David Babington thanked both schools for taking part in the “shared learning exchange.”
He congratulated pupils, and told them it would be something they could “look back on proudly in years to come.”
He said: “OUR Generation and Action Mental Health will continue to use this animation when delivering our programmes to other children and young people – helping them grow up better together.”
You can watch ‘OUR wee thoughts and feelings’ below:
David Babington, Chief Executive of Action Mental HealthDavid speaking to pupils at the animation premiereOUR Generation Project Worker, Geraldine MorrisonCaiti Mulholland, OG Project worker, guest Olga Sheveleva, MENHIR Digital Project and Laura Euler, OG Service Delivery Manager
We at Action Mental Health are creating a youth-led mental health panel. A panel that will be run by individuals (aged 13-24) for young people with the focus on helping improve the wellbeing and resilience of future generations.
The AMH youth led panel will give children and young people the opportunity to contribute their views, opinions and ideas to help with:
The development of AMH projects and programmes for children and young people
and to inform policy and decision making in relation to mental and emotional wellbeing of children and young people in NI
Join our Zoom information sessions to find out more
If you would like your say in young peoples mental health join one of our zoom information sessions with AMH project workers Caiti and Laura – Parents are welcome!
Young people make up a third of the population in Northern Ireland and every single young person is an expert in youth mental health as they have their own lived experience to contribute.
Action Mental Health see an amazing opportunity to improve our own services and the wider mental health service provision for children and young people in NI.
By listening to and championing these expertise and life experience we can help make a difference for youth mental health in NI
We advocate for youth engagement and empowerment, we know how important peer support is and have recently developed our peer and mental health ambassador programmes to help children and young people promote positive mental health and help each other to get support when it is needed.
At Action Mental Health we’re ready to go to the next level for youth engagement and empowerment in Mental Health.
How to get involved
There a number of ways you can get involved on our Youth Mental Health Panel.
The document below describes the different roles that make up the panel.
Action Mental Health has launched this year’s Festive Sea Splash event and invites willing dippers to don their festive hats and make a splash for mental health. Taking place from 10am Sunday 11 December at Crawfordsburn beach, County Down, the pre-booked event is a fantastic way to get active, bring a group of friends together and enjoy outdoor headspace, while raising vital funds to support mental health services.
Since the pandemic people have realised the many benefits of using Northern Ireland’s beautiful stretches of open water and the connection this brings with others and with their own positive wellbeing.
There is also growing evidence to suggest that cold water immersion and sea swimming can have a positive impact on people’s mental health and wellbeing.
Open to adults 18 and over, the event carries a pre-registration fee of £10 and a minimum sponsorship of £50 per person. All splashers receive an AMH T-shirt, a Festive Sea Splash medal, hazard blanket and hot refreshment.
For further essential information and to book your opportunity to splash for AMH please visit https://www.amh.org.uk/events/amh-festive-sea-splash-2022/
Action Mental Health has made the final shortlist for UK Employer of the Year (50-249 employees): Platinum at The Investors in People Awards 2022. In a record-breaking year for entries, with over three hundred organisations involved, this is an outstanding achievement.
The shortlisting comes after Action Mental Health, who aim to enhance the quality of life and the employability of people with mental health needs or a learning disability in Northern Ireland were awarded Platinum accreditation earlier this year in the latest Investors in People Accreditations.
Following a rigorous assessment across over 240 members of staff, this accreditation is an elevation on previous Gold standard that Action Mental health had been receiving since 2013.
David Babbington, CEO Action Mental Health said: “It is a privilege to be shortlisted for this award; a clear indication of the dedication and hard work the team has invested in the business. I am proud that the organisation continues to commit itself to its staff so that we can all help create a society that actively values and supports people on their journey to positive mental health.”
Paul Devoy, CEO of Investors in People, commented: “In what has been the biggest and most competitive year so far, it always makes me feel immensely proud to see so many fantastic organisations and individuals staking their claim to be the best. And every year, the entries do get more and more competitive and the judging even tighter. Reaching the final shortlist is a testament to the amazing commitment these organisations are making to make work better for their people, and they truly deserve this recognition.”
The Investors in People Awards celebrate the very best organisations and individuals from around the world across various organisational, people, wellbeing and leadership categories. Each year hundreds of organisations from the UK and abroad battle it out to take home one of the sought after trophies to show their award-winning commitment to ‘Make Work Better.’
The Winners will be announced at a black tie gala ceremony on the 15thNovember at Old Billingsgate in London.
The impact report is packed with information and key stats from across our range of recovery, resilience and counselling services, as well as our business support team.
In what was a very different and challenging year, this report shows how Action Mental Health continued to deliver key services and have a positive impact in our local communities, despite the challenges we all faced.
During 2021/22 Action Mental Health continued to live up to our mission – to make a positive difference to people’s mental health and wellbeing!
You can also watch these short videos, to see some of the highlights from this year’s Impact Report.
As part of Action Mental Health’s Go Purple campaign, a number of Northern Ireland’s most recognisable buildings were illuminated purple on the 10 October to recognise World Mental Health Day.
The iconic landmarks went purple after dark in order to raise awareness and help support the campaign to make mental health and wellbeing a priority for all. Buildings included Titanic Belfast, SS Nomadic and Ulster University Magee Campus (pictured).
For too long, the mental health of people in Northern Ireland has been underfunded and undervalued.
Given the impact of the COVID pandemic and the cost of living crisis, it has never been more important to prioritise the mental health of our population. Urgent action is required to address the shortfall in the mental health investment in Northern Ireland and to ensure the vision outlined in the Mental Health Strategy becomes a reality.
Issues for core mental health services are being compounded by the loss of future European funding and funding that is still required for both the Northern Ireland Mental Health Strategy and the Protect Life Suicide Prevention Strategy. In the case of European funding, the current European Social Fund (ESF) programme ends in March 2023. The situation has now reached a “critical cliff edge” as there is no clear idea how the ESF money will be replaced and it is becoming apparent that the proposed UK Shared Prosperity Fund will not sufficiently fill the funding gap.
As well as the gap in European Funding, new financial pressures due to the Cost of Living Crisis are now also placing pressures on people’s mental health.
David Babington, Chief Executive of Action Mental health said, “We truly are at a critical juncture in the mental health sector in Northern Ireland and that is why urgent support and action is required now.
“We understand there are many conflicting funding challenges in Northern Ireland at present. We now more than ever need clear leadership and action. Our organisation is calling for a replacement of European Social funds, a fully funded mental health strategy, and The Executive to form to tackle the cost of living crisis. It’s not too late, but time is running out.”
AMH Services celebrate World Mental Health Day
Antrim Service
Antrim New Horizons opened a client art exhibition on Monday 10 October. The exhibition was officially open by Councillor Leah Smyth, the Deputy Mayor of Antrim in Clotworthy House, Antrim. The art exhibition will run to the end of October 2022.
Downpatrick Service
We were delighted to meet Patrick Brown MLA Alliance Party Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly to the Downpatrick service.
This was a great opportunity to promote the work that we do in the local area.
The New Horizons invited everyone in to sample a range of activities, including swimming at Down leisure centre, walking, creative writing, IT session and planting hanging baskets in the garden centre.
Down Leisure centre turned purple – Big thanks to Newry, Mourne and Down council for sorting this.
North Down & Ards
Clients and Staff from AMH New Horizons North Down & Ards were welcomed to Ards Blair Mayne Wellbeing & Leisure Complex to celebrate World Mental Health Day for a tour of the fabulous facilities and an overview by Ards & North Down Council staff on the benefits of exercise, how to become a member of the leisure complex and the opportunities to enjoy the outdoor spaces & coastline managed by the Council. Everyone enjoyed a Chi Me session at the end of the tour which was extremely relaxing and the first time that many of the clients had visited the leisure complex. Our thanks to the staff from Ards & North Down Borough Council for supporting AMH on World Mental Health Day.
Later on in the day, Cllr Karen Douglas, Mayor of Ards & North Down joined clients at for a session of Archery, promoting the Five Ways To Wellbeing, keeping active, learning a new skill and connecting with others.
Lisburn Service
Lisburn New Horizons had the pleasure of welcoming Clare, Mark and Joel to the service on Wednesday morning. It was inspirational listening to their stories, they were open and honest, bad days do still exist but they are now better equipped to deal with these through coping strategies developed during their time at New Horizons.
Belfast Service
Our Belfast Service held a coffee morning for staff.
Fundraising
A huge thank you to all who joined us to take part in Go Purple. Pictured below:
Hendersons Foodservice; St Matthews Primary School, Drumsurn; Kilwaughter Lime and Ardmore Advertising.
For World Mental Health Day 2022, help us to make mental health and wellbeing a priority for all.
For too long, the mental health of people in Northern Ireland has been underfunded and undervalued.
A recent report by London School of Economics and Political Science and the Mental Health Foundation calculated that the economic cost of poor mental health in Northern Ireland to be a staggering £3.4 billion annually. However, currently only around £150 million annually is allocated to mental health through the Department of health.
Given the impact of the COVID pandemic and the cost of living crisis, it’s never been more important to prioritise the mental health of our population. Urgent action needs to be taken to address the shortfall in the Mental Health investment in Northern Ireland, to ensure the vision outlined in the Mental Health Strategy becomes a reality.
Issues for core mental health services are being compounded by the loss of European funding. The current European Social Fund (ESF) programme ends in March 2023. The situation has now reached a “critical cliff edge” as there is no clear idea how the ESF money will be replaced. Organisations such as Action Mental Health rely on this funding to provide critical mental health services which offer referral pathways to support the statutory mental health sector.
It has become apparent that the proposed UK Shared Prosperity Fund will not sufficiently fill the funding gap that will be left for Action Mental health and 21 other disability providers, supporting some of the most vulnerable in our society.
We truly are at a critical juncture, and that’s why on World Mental Health Day, we’re calling for urgent action on these three priorities:
1. Replace ESF funding, now! Protect AMH services for local people. #TimeIsRunningOut
2. Fully fund Northern Ireland’s mental health strategy! #PlugTheGap
3. Form a new Executive and tackle the Cost of Living Crisis. #ProtectMentalHealth
Help us to make mental health and wellbeing a priority for all!
Please help us spread awareness by sharing the social media graphics below.
You can tag us on
Facebook @ActionMentalHealth
Twitter @amhni
Instagram @action_mental_health
Linkedin Action Mental Health
Thank you for your continued support.
Right Click and save the images below. Then post to your social media channels with the below copy.
Suggested Post Text:
It’s #WorldMentalHealthDay and right around the world people are acting to ‘make mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority.’
We’re calling for urgent action on these three priorities to help make Mental Health a priority in Northern Ireland.
Sector leaders urge for clarity on the future of Disability Employment Services in NI
The uncertain future of disability employment services in Northern Ireland, currently funded through the European Social Fund (ESF) has reached a critical cliff edge, sectors leaders, officials and elected representatives heard during an event in Stormont on Tuesday.
Press Eye – Photograph by Declan Roughan
The event, led by the Northern Ireland Union for Supported Employment (NIUSE) heard first hand from service users who have accessed the range of support services currently under threat across the region. The event, sponsored by Kellie Armstrong MLA and Liz Kimmins MLA also heard from key departmental officials and service providers Mencap, Action Mental Health and Elaine Leonard, Chief Executive of Appleby Trust alongside the Equality Commission NI.
The European Social Fund (ESF) provides dedicated funding for projects aimed at improving the employability and employment levels of disabled people who often find it extremely difficult to access mainstream provision and as a result find themselves disadvantaged and further removed from the labour market. In doing so, it aims to help reduce inequalities between communities and regions and providers wider wellbeing and mental health benefits. Northern Ireland currently has the largest disability employment gap in the UK. The current funding provision is due to come to an end in March 2023, with no clear plan as to who or how this gap will be filled.
Press Eye – Photograph by Declan Roughan
Norman Sterritt, Chair of NIUSE said,
“Time is running out and we have gathered a number of disability organisations, politicians, officials and other stakeholders together to find a solution to this urgent issue. Given the current challenges with the cost of living crisis, on top of the many health, social and economic inequalities that disabled people already experience, we need to ensure no one is left behind.”
The event also heard a powerful contribution from service user Conor, who received support through Mencap’s ESF Project. During the event, Conor said,
“Mencap helped me get a job in Primark and they are always on hand to provide guidance and support. I love being a part of the Primark team and the freedom and independence it gives me. When a customer leaves with a smile on their face, it makes my day.”
David Babington, CEO of Action Mental Health said,
“The current European Social Funding runs out at the end of March 2023 and there is no certainty as to how support will continue beyond that. As a cross departmental issue, it is vital that departments work together to identify a long-term sustainable alternative to ESF. It has become clear that the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will not sufficiently fill the gap that will be left for the 22 disability providers supporting some of the most vulnerable in our society.
“With no current Disability Strategy or Disability Employment Strategy in place, service providers are already working in an uncertain and difficult environment, made even more precarious by the lack of clarity around future funding for support for these vulnerable people. Over 21% of the working age population in NI has a disability, matching the average rate across the UK and with many of them have experienced challenging times during Covid-19 and now with the ongoing cost of living crisis, clarity is urgently required beyond March 2023”.
He finished; “We appreciate these are difficult times with all kinds of political, financial, cross departmental and governance hurdles but remember this will impact real people and it will be a shameful decision if in 2022 we let down those who are most in need”.
ESF has helped over 76,000 people since 2018 with over 11,000 participants moving into employment and another 11,000 into further education and training. Administered by DfE, the ESF budget is currently £177m for 69 projects of which £60.7m is for 22 disability projects which form a key pillar to the NI Executive’s response to barriers to employment for employees with a disability and mental health recovery services.
The event also heard from the Equality Commission NI’s Roisin Mallon who discussed the potential equality implications across Section 75 groups and the risk to not continuing support for these individuals.
