Around 80 young people, youth leaders and representatives from national youth organisations attended a conference to promote positive mental health amongst 16 to 25 year olds in the Royal Marine Hotel, Dun Laoghaire today.
Young Mental Health Ireland is a new initiative which aims to open dialogue with young people on mental health issues.
Deputy Chief Executive of Mental Health Ireland, Ted Tierney, said that young people will themselves be “key partners” in the initiative
Attendees were invited to take part in an open forum in order to exchange views and ideas, which will help inform Mental Health Ireland on what direction it should take in the future.
Speakers included Caroline Casey of Kanchi, a dynamic social enterprise, committed to enhancing the relationship between people with disabilities and society and Pippa Woolnough from Amnesty International Ireland who gave a talk on stigma and discrimination in mental health.
The conference also featured a short play by the Wexford Youth Drama Group touching on mental health issues experienced by teenagers in post-Celtic tiger Ireland.