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Neart Programme Announcement

Minister for Education Norma Foley is delighted to announce Jigsaw as the successful bidder to provide services to further support wellbeing and mental health in post-primary schools. The new programme will be called Neart – the Irish word for strength.

 

The tender, published in April of this year, invited suitable providers to work closely with the Department of Education over a three-year period to develop and deliver additional supports to enhance Student Support Team capacity to work with students, parents and school staff.

 

The new Neart programme, provided by Jigsaw, will provide learning opportunities for students that promote mental health and wellbeing as well as mental health webinars and e-Learning courses for parents and school staff.

 

The Department of Education believe that Jigsaw’s existing experience delivering initiatives supporting the mental health of young people across post-primary schools made them an exemplary partner in this new initiative. Their work will complement the supports already available in schools that include: the provision of guidance counselling, the work of the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS), as well as the existing wellbeing programmes and initiatives including the Student Support Team structure.

 

Youth Advocates Invite TDs To Discuss Mental Health

On Tuesday 25th of June 2024, 9 Jigsaw Youth Advocates invited their local elected representative to come and meet with them in Leinster House to discuss their concerns about the lack of resources and funding for early intervention and prevention in their local communities.

Aoibhe, a Youth Advocate for Jigsaw Dublin City, spoke to invited representatives about the need for more resources to support young people in schools, through early intervention and prevention and engagement at a local level with schools.

Minding Your TikTok Feed

Is Your TikTok For You Page Showing You Bad Content?

 

We have all experienced it. You open up TikTok to relax after a hard day at school just to be met with a video that makes you feel down, you scroll away to try and find a video that makes you laugh or teaches you something new, but again you’re met with another piece of upsetting content.

Last week RTÉ primetime investigates covered a story about how your TikTok for you page works.

In the news story, RTÉ explained that people as young as 13 years old, were being shown damaging content online.

With the rise in harmful content online, it’s time that we learn how to protect ourselves from seeing harmful and damaging content online.

Here is what to do if you keep seeing content on your TikTok For You page that you don’t want to see.

 

 

 

Mental Health Promotion in Higher Education Report

In April, young people and professionals came together to highlight what we need to do to achieve better mental health and a sense of belonging for students in third-level education. Today the report on the findings of this event is being launched.

 

DOWNLOAD THE FULL REPORT HERE

Jigsaw, the youth mental health charity, and HSE Mental Health and Wellbeing, co-hosted a roundtable event which gathered together university staff, national stakeholders and, most importantly, higher education students from across Ireland to talk through what is needed to support the mental health of higher education students.

Jigsaw and UCD School of Psychology’s My World Survey 1 and 2 found that 58% of higher education students were outside the normal range for depression and anxiety. The top three stressors students identified were college, finances and the future.

The discussion was an opportunity to share current good practice across colleges and universities, but also focused on gaps – what needs to be done to help? The discussions highlighted that students must be key partners and are central to any initiatives on student mental health. “As students we know what works best…Our message to you is to take on these findings, whilst being aware that plenty of students are keen to support and advise your projects” says Aisling Dillon, a Jigsaw Youth Advocate and university student, speaking at the launch of the report.

Participants emphasised that the success of student mental health promotion initiatives depends on a whole college approach, with all staff having a role to play alongside significant buy in from senior leadership.

Evidence shows that mental health needs to be addressed both inside and outside the lecture rooms, but for anything to have an impact, more resources are needed. National collaboration is key, and results should be shared across universities.

The Higher Education Authority will consider the recommendations of this report while keeping in mind the work being undertaken across the sector to support student and staff health and wellbeing. The report can be read in full at jigsaw.ie/roundtable