REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT JIGSAW GALWAY MARY STREET, GALWAY TUESDAY, 11 JANUARY 2011
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT JIGSAW GALWAY MARY STREET, GALWAY TUESDAY, 11 JANUARY 2011
Dia dhíbh a chairde, thank you for the welcome and thank you to Headstrong’s founder Dr. Tony Bates, for his kind invitation to visit Jigsaw Galway.
This time last year, John Fitzmaurice from Jigsaw took part in a discussion forum in Áras an Uachtaráin. He introduced us to Jigsaw’s work and its mission and he brought home to all of us there the importance of taking very seriously the mental well-being of our young people. Here in Jigsaw there is just the kind of positive energy, warmth, openness, acceptance and friendship that is needed to help our young citizens who are experiencing problems in their lives to develop their confidence and coping skills so that the future is a place of hope that they can look forward to.
In an ideal world teenage years would be happy and carefree, a time to relish as your personality and individuality blossoms. The reality for a lot of young people is quite different. There are stresses and strains that can take a heavy toll and they can come from a lot of different directions - problems at home, relationship problems, bullying , exam pressures, alcohol and drug problems, worries about sexual orientation in a world that is only now beginning to come to sensitive terms with homosexuality and gay rights. The world can be a very complicated place for young people and it is easy to dwell in silent suffering, to pretend all is well, to overlook the need we all have to attend to our emotional, physical and psychological health. That need sometimes only becomes apparent when the pressures become too much to bear but Jigsaw is here whenever the need arises.
Tony Bates has made the work of care for the mental well-being of young people his life’s work and he and his team make sure that every young person who comes to Jigsaw knows that this place is their haven, their refuge, their rock, their guide. Here, help comes in the form of everything from a simple chat over coffee to the most sophisticated but discreet and confidential professional assistance. Every young person who accesses Jigsaw’s services not only helps him or herself but by sharing their experience they help us all as a society to understand better what is going on in young lives and what is needed to help guide them safely through the stormier times.
Jigsaw is a vital extension of the Irish tradition of mutual kindness and solidarity - the spirit of the meitheal. It tells us that we should look out for each other’s emotional
well-being and by developing a culture of easily accessed help, by breaking down the old taboos and attitudes that drove people into embarrassed silence, we are contributing to the overall welfare of our society – strong citizens make for a strong society and Jigsaw believes that no matter how weak we feel, no matter how weakened by circumstance, with the right kind of help there is always hope.
In the past mental health difficulties were rarely admitted to publicly or spoken of, even among family and friends. That closed Ireland is largely gone now thankfully and we are on a collective journey towards much greater openness and awareness about our mental health needs. There is hardly a family in the entire country which has not some experience of mental health problems at some time but what is great about this generation is how much more conscious our young people are about mental health issues and importantly how much more aware we are as a people about the vulnerability of young people and the danger that lurks when they do not articulate their experiences and difficulties.
The fact that Dáil na nÓg has selected mental health as a topic for discussion for three consecutive years sends a clear signal that this issue is high on the radar of Ireland’s thinking young people. It is a testimony to the success of advocacy organisations like Headstrong and the headway it has made in taking this issue from toxic obscurity into the light of mainstream discussion. Huge work is being done to get the message out that mental illness is just that, an illness treatable like any other, with good prospects for recovery particularly where there is early diagnosis and appropriate early intervention. Jigsaw is attempting to ensure that help is available and taken up as early as possible. Thankfully, the vast majority who come through the Jigsaw door are not in acute situations, but for those who are the message is loud and clear there is help, it is available promptly and it can make a huge difference for the better.
Headstrong plans to roll out the Jigsaw programme nationally over the next 5 years so that the services currently available since 2009 in Jigsaw Galway and the Jigsaw programme will be available to the widest number of young people nationwide. There are teams in Kerry, Meath and Roscommon working tirelessly to develop their own individual Jigsaw plans and that word individual is important, for a key strength in Jigsaw’s approach is the understanding that individuals and communities are very different – a one size fits all approach is too limited to be effective and so Jigsaw is careful to listen to the local community, especially the young people and to design a service that fits best that community’s needs.
Thank you for your work of care for the mental well-being of our young people, thank you for guiding and directing all of us to an Ireland that is proactive about mental health. Thank you for your energy, enthusiasm, expertise and for making a life-enhancing difference in the lives of so many young people. I wish all the team at Jigsaw Galway a very successful 2011. Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.