Taking ACTION!
Innovating for Mental Health
Mental health continues to be highlighted as a recurring issue of concern among Irish teenagers. Here are just some examples of young people taking ACTION on this issue through Young Social Innovators' programmes.
How do these stories inspire you?
It’s not OK to say “That’s Gay”
St. Joseph’s Secondary School, Rochfortbridge, Co. Westmeath (2014)
The Idea:
To help support the LGBT community by tackling the issue of LGBT bullying.
The Issue:
Bullying is an issue that can cause a lot of anxiety for those impacted by it. People are affected by bullying behaviour in different ways and to different extents. This team’s aim was to tackle LGBT bullying among young people and the inappropriate use of the word 'gay'. They made a short film and rewrote the lyrics to a popular song to raise awareness. Using the colours from the gay pride flag the group made a music video which they shared online to show their support the LGBT Community. They removed offensive graffiti from tables and chairs in their school and made it clear to everyone that bullying was simply not acceptable.
The Impact:
This team tackled the issue of LGBT bullying in their school community and also addressed the inappropriate use of the word 'gay' by physically removing it from school property. Their film raised awareness about homophobic bullying and the effects it has on victims. The film was screened at the CAST Film Festival in Dublin 2013, where it was nominated for Best Film award.