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SpunOut.ie Blog
School's out for Christmas
Blog: Warm words from SpunOut.ie's amazing Project Worker.
Hi everyone!
Ian here, Project Worker with SpunOut.ie.
As you may already know, I am currently working on a programme to promote positive mental health and suicide prevention in the North West.
For the last month, I have been in schools throughout the North West, schools including Sligo Grammar School, Loreto Convent Letterkenny and St. Mary’s Ballysadare. All together I have been in 12 schools, presented 37 times and reached 3,500 students.
Today I have just finished my last school before the Christmas break. I stepped off the bus (which has become my second home) in Tubercurry. When I got off the bus I thought I was in a Christmas fairy tale. The lights, decorations and music throughout the town gave me a Christmas glow and finally Christmas started for me.
After I finished my talk in St. Attracta's College, I left feeling that we at SpunOut.ie have achieved many great things in the last month.
When dealing with suicide at a local level, you get to see the real effect it has on a community. You get to see the people behind the statistics and you get to see exactly how they cope with the death of a close friend or family member.
These are real people with real emotions.
On this programme there have been good days, bad days and lots of emotional days. But I sit here on this bus back to Letterkenny feeling very proud of what we are doing at SpunOut.ie.
We have changed 3,500 people's lives in the last month for the better. Those people now know of a place where they can go to get information, support and a place to be themselves. They know that in good times they can celebrate their success with us and in hard times they know they have a shoulder to cry on and get any help they might need.
So.....
As we enter the final stretch going into Christmas I would like you to do one thing, enjoy yourself!!!
Take an hour, a day or a week and do something with that time that's just for you. Christmas is not just about giving to others; it's also about being happy with ourselves. So do something that will make you feel good about yourself. You know what makes you feel happy....... so do it!!! :-)
In the New Year I have three more schools to do and then it's wrap up time on the programme.
Keep a close eye on us in January as we will be hitting the New Year with a bang.
Hug anyone??????????
Ian
