Press Release - Monday 9th October 2017

On Friday night, the halls of Wexford County Council Headquarters at Carricklawn echoed with a clear message from Wexford Comhairle na n’Og – Do not be afraid to access counselling services if you need help with your mental health.  

The young people’s Council presented their short play “STIGMA” to highlight their personal experiences of accessing counselling services.  In 2017/2018 they aim to raise awareness on the stigma attached to accessing and attending counselling appointments in a school setting.   The play was produced, written and directed by the Wexford Comhairle na n’Og together with Dale Kirwan who volunteered his time to lead this play to reality.

Chairman of the County Council, Councillor John Hegarty introduced the play and highlighted the importance of positivism for young people.  Councillor Frank Staples generously spoke of his own experiences of mental health, outlining how difficult an experience it can be to have poor mental health. He spoke of the range of services available to young people and stressed the importance of contacting friends and family if you need help.  

After the performance, Chairman of FDYS, Marie Diskin said that “the young people of CNN should be very proud of their work. It has a strong message concerning mental health and people are always welcome to avail of the range of FDYS services that are there to support them”.  Minister of State of State Paul Kehoe TD, who was also in the audience thanked the young people for highlighting the issue of mental health.  He went on to say that “there is an important message in the play for young people and those working with young people”.

Young people affected by challenges with Mental Health are asked to contact any member of the FDYS team for support.  A full range of contact details is available on www.fdys.ie, or people can contact Kieran Donohoe FDYS Chief Executive on 053 91 23262 who will direct them to an appropriate service.