Category: School

Porn and mental health

Posted on by eve

As technology advances, the accessibility of porn has increased. We know that many young people in Ireland are consuming porn.

The recent My World Survey, a study of young people in Ireland, had relevant results on this. It found that almost two-thirds of young adults had watched pornography on the internet.

Struggling with schoolwork at home

Posted on by eve

Without being able to go to class because of Covid-19, you may have been forced to do all your school work from home.

Up until recently, school more than likely involved direct teacher support, and a structured learning environment. Self-guided study is not something that comes naturally to many of us.

Whether school was something you loved or hated, having to do school work from home can bring a whole new set of challenges. These can differ depending on your circumstances but can include:

  • Feeling overwhelmed with the volume of work
  • Not understanding what’s required, or feeling lost
  • Not having a decent computer/device or enough phone data to access online work
  • A lack of a quiet workspace to concentrate
  • Having to care for others in the household
  • Feeling there is no point in keeping up with schoolwork, particularly with uncertainty around exams.

If you’re struggling to keep on top of schoolwork, you could also experience feelings of guilt, frustration, anger or stress. Know that you’re not on your own. It could be really helpful to reach out and let teachers know how you are managing.

Below, watch teacher Darren Byrne talks about staying connected with school.

Ask Jigsaw: Getting a teenager to do homework

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How can you try and get your 14 year old teenager to homework and just generally comply and not make life difficult for everyone else during this time.

-Dee

Hi Dee,

This is a really challenging time for all members of the family. Being cooped up in the house together, without the normal routine and our usual social supports is really tough. For parents and young people alike.

Section 1: Exploring attitudes and feelings towards change

Posted on by eve

This section of the toolkit will help young people to explore their attitude towards change and the variety of feelings they can experience when transitioning from primary to post-primary school.  

During times of uncertainty or change, young people can experience a range of feelings. For those who find this change difficult, it can have an effect on their mental health and wellbeing. Exploring some of these topics can help prepare young people for the change ahead.

How do I access Jigsaw?

Posted on by eve

Are you aged 12 to 25 and looking to get one-to-one support with your mental health? If so, your local Jigsaw service can help.

Getting in touch

Start the process by calling or emailing your local Jigsaw service yourself. Your parent or guardian, or teacher, doctor, or youth worker can also take that first step, contacting the service for you with your permission.

If you are under 18, Jigsaw requires that an adult consent for you to attend. That means we need to check with your parent or guardian and let them know you want to attend our service.

However, it does not mean we have to tell them why you want to come to Jigsaw. We will discuss what we can keep confidential with you when you come in.

Once you get in touch, a member of staff will ask you for some basic details. If you both decide Jigsaw is the right service for you, they will organise an appointment for you with a Jigsaw Clinician.

If your situation is more complicated, they might arrange for a Jigsaw Clinician to call you back. This will be to discuss things in a bit more detail before deciding on the next steps.

What is a Jigsaw service?

Jigsaw is a mental health service. But more specifically, it is an early intervention service for young people at primary care level.

Cyberbullying

Posted on by eve

In the last few years, cyberbullying has become an umbrella term for lots of negative behaviour online.

What is cyberbullying?

Essentially cyberbullying is bullying online, and it can take many different forms. Sometimes it is easily recognisable and others not so much.

It can be 24/7 with seemingly nowhere to get away from it. One of the drawbacks of the connectivity in our pockets is we’re always accessible.

Generally, cyberbullying doesn’t happen in isolation. It tends to be a part of traditional bullying. The bully is often someone known to the person on the receiving end of it. This is even if the activity seems to be done anonymously.

Cyberbullying can take obvious forms such as name calling, putting someone down or abusive comments on posts, images or videos. Then there are less obvious forms, only really felt and understood by the person on the receiving end of it.

What is bullying?

Posted on by tzJ3t6

Unfortunately, being bullied is a relatively common experience. ‘Bullying’ means repeated actions with the intention of causing distress.

In a recent survey of over 19,000 young people in Ireland, 39% reported they had been bullied at some point. However, despite being something many of us go through, people often try to hide that they’re being bullied. This can make it even more isolating and distressing. Bullying is never acceptable.

In this article you will find:

What bullying is

Bullying can be obvious, like physical violence, verbal abuse, or humiliation. But there are also less visible versions of it, such as emotional bullying or exclusion.

Bullying could be any combination of these:

  • Verbal put downs
  • Embarrassing you
  • Exclusion
  • Damaging or stealing belongings
  • Racial abuse.

Bullying can be a very isolating experience and has a negative impact on our self-esteem.