BREAK THE CYCLE - Breaking the Cycle of Poor Mental Health across Northern Ireland.

We are fundraising to fuel a multi region mental health & wellbeing initiative called project Rebuild that will be delivered across Northern Irelands schools, youth organisations & church youth groups.

Project Rebuild will deliver:

500 in person workshops based on mental health & wellbeing in schools & youth groups province wide, engaging with over 20,000 young people face to face by our team.

E-learning & video resources for schools / youth groups, many of whom are in rural communities, based on the same content, using digital technology to help people with their mental health needs. Our last resource was viewed by over 35,000 young people in our schools / youth groups. We anticipate a similar uptake on project Rebuilds resource.

The focus of this project is to educate & equip our young people with the knowledge they need to look after their mental health, removing the stigma of mental health, building reliance & ensuring young peoples lives are improved for a more purposeful future following the significant impact Covid 19 has had on our young peoples mental health.

WHY?

Over 25% of the young people in Northern Ireland have experienced or are currently experiencing a serious mental health problem.

A recent study commissioned by the Health and Social Care Board and published by the BBC discovered that anxiety and depression is 25% more common in children and young people in Northern Ireland compared to other parts of the UK.

The recent Children & Young Peoples EMOTIONAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING in Education Framework, published by the Minister of Education Peter Weir & the Minister of Health Robin Swan, we read that when we consider that 50% of mental health problems are established by the age of 14 the importance of promoting emotional health and wellbeing at the earliest stage is clear.

Youth Wellbeing Prevalence Study shows that one in 10 young people self harmed and 1 in 8 had suicidal thoughts.

Northern Irelands suicide rate is the highest in the UK. since the Good Friday Agreement, over 5,500 people have sadly taken their own lives. In the last year Northern Ireland has seen on average 1 suicide per day.

Self harm statistics continue to rise, with an increase of over 15% from 2012 2018. With the Department of Health ten year plan acknowledging one in ten young people are deliberately harming themselves.

A Princes Trust report that more than a quarter of young people in Northern Ireland have said they feel unable to cope with life since the Covid crisis began, a major report reveals today. Nearly half (45%) of 16 to 25-year-olds here say their mental health has got worse from the start of the pandemic. A Princes Trust report also found 55% say they always or often feel anxious.

Social media: Nearly 60% of young people in Northern Ireland feel "overwhelming pressure" from social media, while over half feel inadequate when comparing their life to their friends on social media

Will you support us as we look to reach children and young people across Northern Ireland?