Kilkenny youth group wins award for mental health work
A Kilkenny youth organisation has been awarded a grant in recognition of their efforts to help them young people to manage anxiety.
Ossory Youth are one of 11 youth groups around the country announced as recipients of the inaugural VHI and Irish Youth Foundation’s (IYF) Health and Wellbeing Fund Awards this week.
The Kilkenny group has produced a Mental Health Survival Guide, created by young people for young people. The and grant will help to fund the publication.
The Health and Wellbeing Fund was established at a critical time for the youth sector. It came as research by IYF revealed three-in-four youth leaders in Ireland reported seeing an increase in the number of peers looking for their support.
Irish Youth Foundation CEO Lucy Masterson said: “Research conducted by the IYF last year not only highlighted an urgent need for this kind of support among young people, but a downturn of funding available to deliver meaningful programmes dedicated to mental health.
“The impact of Covid has only exasperated these trends with the damage yet to be fully realised, especially in disadvantaged communities.”
