The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) is set to receive government funding to hire a mental health project manager who will lead a national research project into the mental health of students.
Announced today in a joint launch between USI, the HSE, the National Office of Suicide Prevention and the Minister for Mental Health and Older People, Helen McEntee, the hiring of the new manager will act as a foundation of a new national project to investigate and address the mental health challenges faced by students.
The project will start in July and will see the union working with various groups across Ireland to end the stigma attached to mental health, promote the support services available and to train student leaders to identify and respond to the mental health challenges faced by their fellow students.
Mental health has become one of the dominant areas campaigned on by students, as the issue becomes increasingly prevalent among young people. Trinity’s Student Counselling Service, for instance, has faced a 150 per cent increase in the number of emergency appointments since 2010.
The Irish government has in the past been criticised for its lacklustre response to what many see as a mental health crisis in Ireland. Last year, hundreds of students protested outside Leinster House in response to a proposed cut of €12 million to the 2016 mental health budget, a move that was subsequently reversed.
In a press statement, McEntee, said: “The potential of this project will allow my department identify what students need in relation to mental health.”
“We’re looking forward to seeing how Government and the department can approach students in relation to mental health, teach resilience and promoting services. We see the USI as a key stakeholder in this and I am looking forward to the research and the campaigns to come from this collaborative project”, she added.
The mental health project manager will integrate national campaigns with the ongoing work of student’ unions across the country and develop a more student-focused approach to mental health. The nine-month-long project will provide advice and support to students through campaign messaging, training for student leaders and the development of workshops for students across universities and colleges.
In a press statement, USI President, Annie Hoey, said: “Annually USI has run a major national third level mental health campaign, “Chats for Change” and we are excited to see the campaign develop further, while also gathering research on what students need and want from mental health services.”
“We’re keen to discover what is the main contributing factor to one’s mental health and how the student movement can tackle those needs to best support young people and students in Ireland”, she added.
