By Crystal Reaney
No Shame Mental Health Youth Event for young people from the Traveller Community took place in Longford Arms Hotel on February 15th, 2024. The event aimed to invite young Travellers to a youth mental health event to discuss mental health and participate in various interactive mental health activities. This event was all about Traveller Mental Health. We had Traveller guest speakers like Patrick McDonagh and Latisha Mc Crudden talking proudly about being advocates for Traveller Mental health, and they shared some engaging individual experiences and stories. Patrick spoke about some supports Involve Clg has developed for Traveller Mental Health, Such as the No Shame campaign. The event also had many stands from other organisations about various supports available to young people.
Providing a Safe Space to Discuss Mental Health
On February 15th, the No Shame Mental Health Youth Event hosted its first significant event at Longford Arms Hotel. The event aimed to provide support and education around mental health for young Travellers aged between 15 and 25. The event consisted of interactive workshops covering the seven dimensions of mental health, calming strategies, and other relevant topics.
Around fifty young Travellers from various parts of Ireland participated in the event, which began with icebreaker games that set the tone for the day. Patrick McDonagh, a Youth and Community Development worker for Involve Clg, delivered the keynote speech. He strongly advocates mental health and is a Youth Advocate for Jigsaw Meath. The highly successful event aimed to provide a safe space for young people to learn, share, and engage in fun activities.
Keynote Speakers Sharing Experience and Inspiration
Opening the event with a presentation, Patrick addressed the group, sharing the history of the No Shame campaign, how it all started, and what it has now become. He also spoke about mental health and the importance of remembering that there is ” No Shame” in mental illness or mental health challenges.
The following guest speaker was Latisha Mc Crudden, a strong advocate for the Traveller community. Latisha gave an inspirational speech about her experience of overcoming mental health challenges attributed to being a domestic abuse survivor. She says, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
Latisha continued to inspire the young people present, sharing her difficulties with her mental health, her home life and what it was like growing up as a Traveller in school.
Creating Awareness of Services Available for Young People
Other guest speakers included representatives from The Traveller Counselling Service, Gaisce and Shout Out, all of whom offered valuable knowledge to the young people on the day. The “No Shame” team said, “We were thrilled to have several organisations participate in our event to showcase and inform young people about their work and services”.
The list of organisations included Seetec, Bodywhys, Shout Out, Involve Galway, Involve Meath, Involve Donegal, Involve Mayo, Traveller Counselling Service, National Traveller Mabs, Gaisce, and Traveller Mediation Service.
A spokesperson from the event said, “It was an excellent opportunity for us to have all these services attend our services fair because many young people and adults are unaware of the services available in their area or what they offer”.
The Importance of Youth-Led Events
Young people from Involve Meath, Tiffany Reaney, Leo Reaney, and Savannah Stokes, who have been involved in the No Shame campaign for many years and have participated in numerous No Shame podcast episodes, Youth Leadership training, and much more, interviewed attendees during the event.
The event organisers say, “It is important to see young people participate in youth events like this, and such events must be youth-led as much as possible. Bringing young people, especially Travellers, together to attend mental health events is essential as it is a topic that few are willing to discuss. It is also a difficult conversation to have with young people”.
Providing an Excellent Opportunity to Talk
Therefore, the No Shame Mental Health workshop provided an excellent opportunity for young people to discuss mental health issues in interactive ways. It is significant that the young people who attended now know what services are available to them should they ever need them. The attendance of young Traveller boys and girls over 15 was particularly encouraging, as those aged 15 and above are much harder to engage with in youth services and schools.
Summing up the day, the organisers said, “This was our first No Shame Traveller Youth Mental Health Event, and we’re delighted with its outcomes as an organisation. We are grateful to have so many organisations and young people attend, and we look forward to what the No Shame campaign has in store for the future.”
