Derry hosts successful youth mental health event in Foyle Arena

A special event aimed at supporting young people and their teachers in improving their  health  and wellbeing and increasing resilience has been hailed a success by Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Michaela Boyle.

The Building Resilience Youth event at the Foyle Arena was attended by hundreds of young people, accompanied by a number of teachers from schools across the city and district.

They learned more about dealing with stress and building resilience by taking part in a series of activities organised by the  Civic  Forum  for the Council area.

The  Forum  is led by the Mayor and brings together a range of local agencies responsible for dealing with issues relating to alcohol, drugs, mental  health, emotional wellbeing, suicide prevention and home- lessness.

Speaking after the event, Mayor Boyle said she was encouraged to see so many local young people and their teachers engaging in the sessions:

“I was delighted to see this event taking place which will hopefully be helpful to all those who participated,” she said.

“I was really encouraged by the response from our schools who are working hard to address these concerns and support young people facing the challenges of school, peer pressure, and online activity.”

Seamus Donaghy,, head of  health  and community wellbeing with Derry City and Strabane District said:“The  Civic  Forum  brings together a range of bodies including Council, Western  Health  and Social Care Trust, Public  Health  Agency, PSNI, Housing Executive, Education Authority, Derry and Strabane  Healthy  Cities, Council for the Homeless NI and the Policing and Community Safety Partnership with the shared objective of improving the  health  and wellbeing of local people. 

“This year’s event was also supported by the Peace IV Programme and Youth 19.

“Events such as this one provide a fun and engaging way of approaching some very serious issues, and encourage discussion and debate among young people, as well as providing information on where they can access advice. 

“This year’s event also provided information and workshops for teachers aimed at supporting them in their roles within our schools which is also key to improving resilience within our school communities.”

Events on the day centred round enhancing young people’s ability to manage stress and build resilience with interactive workshops relating to the Five Steps to Wellbeing.