Jigsaw at 20
Jigsaw at 20
20 years ago, Jigsaw began with an ambitious idea: that every young person in Ireland should have somewhere to turn to, and someone to talk to, when things got tough. Our Jigsaw at 20 exhibition affords us the opportunity to reflect on the past and acknowledge those who played, and still play, a key role in the story of Jigsaw over the last two decades.
Amina
Representing the role of youth voice and engagement in Jigsaw, Amina Abdallgany flies the flag for the over 500 young people who have volunteered for Jigsaw since 2006. Currently completing a Social Science Degree, Amina served a youth volunteer for service in Meath from 2018-2021.
“I think a lot of young people don’t know where to go when they have a problem and I think Jigsaw provides them with a safe space to be open.“
Ann Marie
Representing the hugely important role our local communities have played within Jigsaw over the last two decades, Ann Marie Fox is Chair of Simonstown Gaels GAA in Co. Meath, a club with close ties to the nearby Jigsaw service in Navan.
“Jigsaw provides all the tools for all the young members we have here in Simonstown.”
Anne
Representing the role of the HSE, our key funding and implementation partners, Anne O’Connor has been the CEO of the HSE since March 2026, bringing extensive experience in Ireland’s public health system, including her previous role as National Director for Mental Health Services.
“Jigsaw has grown from strength to strength and I think one of the challenges for young people is knowing where to go when they need mental health supports and Jigsaw is there in people’s local communities.“
Barbara
Representing the role academia and research has played over the years in Jigsaw, Barbara Dooley, currently Emeritus Full Professor of Psychology in UCD and President of the International Association for Youth Mental Health, has been actively involved in supporting Jigsaw since day one.
“Particularly for young people that may not have access to their own resources, having somewhere where they could go, that’s actually free, creates a safety net that might not be there for them if they had to either go to their GP or to other services.“
Brian
Representing the importance of governance within Jigsaw, Brian Geoghegan, the former Chairman of FAS and ex-IBEC Economic Affairs Director, acted as non-executive director on the board of Jigsaw from 2016 to 2025.
“Serving on the board was a privilege; I learnt a lot and I feel that I was privileged to be in a position to help support young people in need of mental health support.“
Deirdre
Representing the work of our local leadership teams, Deirdre Little has been with Jigsaw since 2022, is the Service Manager for our service in Tullamore, serving counties Offaly and Laois.
“Mental health is something that we all have and I think it’s important to have a service like that for young people and their families, communities, really important communities.”
Denise
Representing the role of philanthropy in Jigsaw, Denise Charlton is the Chief Executive of Community Foundation Ireland – the nation’s leading philanthropic hub, and an active partner of Jigsaw since 2017.
“So they’re a really important organization because young people are our future and they need to be able to navigate this difficult world and Jigsaw allow us to really think about how we can protect their positive mental health and their well-being.“
Elizabeth
Representing the role of evaluation, monitoring and research, Elizabeth Doyle (‘Lizzy’) is part of our in-house Research and Evaluation team that leads out on optimising our use of data, research and lived experience thereby ensuring our decision-making is informed, our impact is measured and our services and supports are continuously improving.
“There’s lots of extra pressure on young people now and it’s really important that they have a safe, non judgmental space where they can go to if they need it, where they can work through problems and they can be given skills to to kind of look after their mental health and that will kind of stick with them throughout their lives as well.“
Joseph
Joseph Duffy is our CEO, and has, since 2016, led the transformation of Jigsaw in both scale and reach, and established himself as a hugely respected and authoritative voice on youth mental health in Ireland and a recognised leader internationally.
“I’d spent years working in the Prison Service, working mainly with men who had long histories of mental health difficulties and resulting in criminality, and this was a real opportunity to do something different, to work with communities, to start at the beginning, essentially, both with starting an organisation and also with working with young people.“
Jude
Representing the role of youth voice at board level, Jude Pierse, a previous youth advocate for our service in Tralee, currently sits with our board and has been actively involved with Jigsaw since 2019.
“Jigsaw provides a safe space to young people like myself who are trying to navigate growing up in this world, and giving us a space to talk about how we are feeling and giving us strategies to help us overcome any obstacles we find on the way.”
Karen
Representing the work we undertake across the community, Karen Duggan is a Youth and Community Engagement Worker, supporting community groups, schools, clubs and more across Co. Donegal.
“Jigsaw provides that kind of safe space for young people and to get the support that they need for their mental health.“
Louise
Presenting the welcome face that greets every young person that reaches out for help, Louise Corry is a Service Administrator for our North Fingal service, supporting young people from hubs in Balbriggan and Swords for over 7 years.
“I’m raging that Jigsaw wasn’t around when I was younger and being a mom with two grown up kids, I’ve seen the needs for like support for teenagers and young people.“
Mark
Representing the often-unseen work of those behind the scenes, Mark O’Riordan is Jigsaw’s IT Manager since 2020, joining from overseas NGO, Goal.”
“I suppose it’s important to me because we all have family members and friends who would have been affected by mental health.“
Mary
Representing the role of the State in supporting the growth and development of Jigsaw, Minster Mary Butler TD has, since 2020 (when she took government responsibility for mental health), been a champion for Jigsaw and has supported the delivery of substantial growth in reach and impact.
Maureen
Representing the role of educators in the evolution of Jigsaw, Maureen Murray is a vastly experienced educator and school principal and has a long association with Jigsaw. She led out on the One Good School™ programme from 2018-2023, before joining our Education Sub-Committee in 2025.
“I have seen so many young people tortured by anxiety and upset and paralysed by these things and fears, and Jigsaw is offering young people a way of managing themselves, their feelings, their emotions, their mental health and their mental ill health in a really, really practical way that works.“
Rachel
Representing the young people who seek support from Jigsaw, Rachel White’s ongoing journey through Jigsaw started as a user of our service in Donegal, then a local volunteer, then a national intern and now acts as Jigsaw’s Campaign Officer.
“I knew about it before I’d use the service and then getting to use the service and get that support at such a vital point in my life and then going on to be involved with Jigsaw for years and then now it being my full time job.“
Sadbh
Representing the thousands of people who, every day, go above and beyond to raise funds to support our work, Sadbh McGrathhas undertaken loads of fundraising over the years and remains an active and hugely important advocate for our work.
“I feel extremely passionate about it because not only does Jigsaw help me in terms of my professional development, but it also helps young people get that little spark back and when they’re going through difficult things.“
Sarah
Representing the parents who connect with Jigsaw, Sarah Scott Minto first reached out to Jigsaw in Balbriggan seeking support for her son, and has since advocated and supported Jigsaw.
“Jigsaw has given my son the tools to manage his anxiety going forward in life, so he knows that there will be ups and downs, but he can deal with it. I am so grateful to Jigsaw for all the help they’ve provided for our whole family.“
Tony
Representing our founding members, Dr. Tony Bates, a clinical psychologist and highly respected commentator on mental health, was the driving force in establishing Headstrong in 2006.
“Jigsaw is important because it’s reaching out to those young people and saying, you know, we’re here for you if you get lost and we understand.“
Vinny
Representing our clinical staff who day in, day out step up to meet with, and support children and young people in need of our support, Vinny who works as Clinical Manager, has been with Jigsaw in counties Roscommon and Galway for over 17 years.