Kindness counts: Jigsaw launches annual National Compliment Day 

To get the country sharing compliments, and supporting young people struggling with their mental health.

This National Compliment Day (this Thursday September 25^th), Jigsaw, the National Centre for Youth Mental Health, is again teaming up with Starbucks to help spread positivity and raise vital funds for young people’s mental health.

For 12 to 25-year-olds experiencing mental health challenges, Jigsaw provides free, confidential mental health support across Ireland. With demand for services growing, the charity is calling on the public to give more than words this September: share a compliment and make a donation to help a young person access support when they need it most.

“Something as simple as giving a compliment can have a ripple effect,” said Justin McDermott of Jigsaw. “It not only lifts the person receiving it, but it boosts the wellbeing of the giver too. By taking part in National Compliment Day, you’re helping to spread kindness while funding life-changing support for young people.”

Why giving feels good – the science behind it

Research shows that giving to others isn’t just good for the community – it directly benefits our own wellbeing. Evidence highlights that:

• Acts of kindness spark positive feelings: Neuroscience shows that cooperation and generosity activate reward centres in the brain, giving us an intrinsic sense of pleasure and satisfaction.
• Helping others builds purpose and meaning: From volunteering to small gestures like saying thank you, giving strengthens our sense of belonging and self-worth, both of which are vital for mental health.
• Kindness helps us live longer, healthier lives: Studies reveal that supporting others is linked to lower stress and even reduced mortality rates, showing that generosity is not just emotionally rewarding but physically beneficial too.

More than words

While compliments and small acts of kindness can give our wellbeing a boost, Jigsaw stresses that words alone cannot resolve mental health difficulties. For young people struggling with anxiety, low mood, or stress, professional support can make all the difference – and that is what donations to Jigsaw make possible.

How to get involved

On Thursday 25^th September, and over the following weekend, visit any Starbucks store nationwide to donate to Jigsaw or you can donate online at www.jigsaw.ie/give. Every euro raised goes directly towards providing free, early-intervention mental health services for young people across Ireland.

“By giving a compliment to someone in your life that day, and by making a donation to Jigsaw, you’re doubling the good – for yourself, for the person you compliment, and for the thousands of young people who need Jigsaw’s support,” added Justin McDermott.

For more information, visit https://jigsaw.ie/.