1 November 2007

St Patrick’s Academy pupils scoop top prize for opening their minds!

St Patrick’s Academy Dungannon has scooped first prize in the Armagh and Dungannon heat of the ‘Open Your Mind’ public speaking competition. The competition aims to promote mental health awareness among young people.

The team from St Patrick’s gave a thought provoking presentation on why people find it difficult to talk about mental and emotional problems.

Members of the winning team were, Lisa Ross, Fergal McCamey, Niamh Marley and Eithan Girvan supported by their teacher Mrs Lisa O’Neill.

Brian Watters, pupil from St Patrick’s High School, Keady won best overall speaker in the competition.

The ‘Open Your Mind’ competition is open to all post primary schools across the Southern Health and Social Care Trust area and targets year 11 pupils, aged 14 to 15 years old.

Deirdre McParland, Senior Mental Health Promotion Officer for the Southern Health and Social Care Trust highlights that: “Open Your Mind aims to foster a greater awareness and understanding of mental health issues amongst young people. We believe there is no better means of achieving this than through the voices of young people themselves.”

Sarah Small Project Worker with Action Mental Health Menssana gave a presentation on the services Menssana offers to schools and young people across the Southern area.

Four schools participated in the local heat, with St Catherine’s College, Armagh taking second place, St Patrick’s High School, Keady in third place and Royal School, Armagh in fourth Place.

The adjudicators for the event included Mrs Maureen McSorley, Senior Health Promotion Officer for Youth, Southern Health and Social Care Trust, Sarah Small, Project Worker, Action Mental Health Menssana and Lindsay Donnelly, Department of Psychiatry, Southern Health and Social Care Trust.

Maureen McSorley commented: “It was great to be part of the ‘Open Your Mind’ competition. The standard of debate was amazingly high; these young people have clearly developed an informed and compassionate understanding of mental health issues. They deserve great praise, as do their teachers and school.”

The competition was funded by the Southern Health and Social Services Board and organised by the Southern Health and Social Care Trust in partnership with Action Mental Health, MensSana.