In September 2015 the staff and students of St. Patrick’s Secondary School, Castleisland took on the task of promoting positive mental health in the school by becoming involved in the Amber Flag Initiative.
The Amber Flag Initiative aims to encourage schools, societies and clubs to promote and actively bring about a cultural change in the promotion of positive mental health within the educational system and other organisations.
The initiative will enhance the already good work that is being done where mental health is concerned by making positive mental health a daily topic of conversation.
Cultural Shift
This is creating a cultural shift where mental becomes the norm and leading to the breakdown of the stigma that is associated with mental health resulting in individuals seeking help sooner when mental issues arise.
Over the course of the school year, St. Patrick’s Secondary School endorsed its commitment to supporting the positive mental health of its students with the launch of this initiative.
This initiative was developed by Suicide Aware with the support of The Institute of Guidance Counsellors, Cork GAA and Red FM.
Clear Framework
The idea behind the initiative is to present clubs, societies and schools all over the country with a clear framework from which to channel and co-ordinate their efforts at improving and encouraging the positive mental health of their members or students.
St. patrick’s began this process in the school by establishing an Amber Flag Project Team which includes both teachers and students. The co-ordinator of the project is Mrs. Oonagh Collins (CSPE & SPHE Teacher) who has the support of the Principal, Mr. O’Donovan, Deputy Principal Mr. O’Connor and Guidance Councillor Ms. Rosenberg Polack. The students involved include 17 boys from third year.
Three Tasks to be Completed
The Project Team then came up with three tasks, to be completed during the academic year. They decided that their first task would be to design a Notice Board which would be located in a central area in the school.
The students came up with the idea of a tree for the mural which would contain positive words as the leaves and also came up with a St. Patrick’s Positive Mental Health Mascot, Ollie the Owl, which is unique to the school.
Positive Messages
The notice board has displayed notices, positive messages, news and general information on issues relating to positive mental health and wellbeing along with details of student supports available.
The second activity was to establish a Mentoring System, whereby a senior student will mentor a first year student and make that transition from primary to secondary school smoother. The senior students act as a great support and confidant for the younger pupil.
System Working Well
At the moment the students are meeting on a weekly basis and the system is working very well. The third event was a Mental Health Awareness Week, which took place in the school from the 14th December to the 18th December.
Other activities included a Pedal for Pieta, penalty shoot-outs, a smoothie sale and a positive mental health quiz for first and second years.
During the Mental Health Awareness Week five of the students were on Radio Kerry’s Just a Thought each morning at 7.30am to convey a positive thought for the day. The final event of the year was the Pieta House Darkness into Light 5k which took place on May 7th.
Hugely Successful
“This initiative has been hugely successful and we now hope that our students and future students will become more educated and aware of the strategies that they can develop to improve their own wellbeing,’ said Principal Denis O’Donovan.
“We hope that they may perhaps begin to talk more freely about their own mental and emotional health and that they may become more aware of the supports that are available to them.
“The overall aim is to reduce the taboo or stigma attached to mental health issues which can affect all of us at some time or another.
Openness and Support
“Suicide Aware hopes that in developing an environment of openness and support, students are encouraged to ‘talk, connect and share’ thus making discussion about mental health part of our everyday conversation.
“The Amber Flag which will now fly prominently outside our school as a symbol of our support for the positive mental health for all of our students. We are aware that small steps can have long term positive effects and we are very excited to ‘fly the flag’ for our school community’s happiness, health and wellbeing.
Reduce Stigma
“Our aim going forward is that Positive Mental Health Awareness will grow and develop in the coming years and we hope that the Amber Flag will help to connect and reconnect people in a making a real effort to reduce stigma and improve support and help seeking behaviour among young people and adults.
“We would encourage other sectors of the community to come on board with us in this initiative and take control of mental health,” Mr. O’Donovan concluded.
