‘We cannot always build a future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.’
Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States
The Niamh Louise Foundation would like to share with everyone in the community the importance of being aware of our emotional well-being and positive mental health.
With our physical health we can experience sickness at any age, young or old, and some of us may develop a serious physical health condition such as cancer. The same principle applies to our emotional well-being & mental health; from a young age to an old age we can experience emotional distress which can sometimes lead to self-harm and/or thoughts of suicide. Others may be diagnosed with mental health disorders such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
If we can understand that our physical ill-health can be treated through interventions by our GP and other health professionals and we can recover, then the Foundation encourages everyone to realise that the same applies to our mental/emotional ill-health.
In light of recent media reports and Facebook discussions, the Foundation would like the community to know the importance of every individual being aware of their emotional and mental well-being. This can only be provided by education. Teachers and other professionals have a duty of care to educate our youth on their emotional well-being, how to cope, signs to look out for, what to say, and what not to say.
The Niamh Louise Foundation offers specialist training on emotional well-being and suicide awareness, and with this information at hand our youth can be better prepared and better able to deal with any stressors or triggers in their lives.