Pictured left to right are: Kevin Mills – H & WB Committee member, Sharon Ferguson – Student support services – Mental Health & well-being project officer, Rory McMorrow – Student Services Manager ATU, Mary Coughlan – Chairperson Donegal GAA, Cora Harvey – Chairperson Donegal GAA Health & Wellbeing Committee & Assistant Director of Nursing in HSE, Kathy Kelly – LGFA & H&WB Committee member, Donna McGee – Northwest Regional Alcohol & Drug Task Force Co-ordinator, Damien Coyle – Jigsaw Manager.
By John Harrington
The Donegal GAA Health & Wellbeing Committee in association with ATU, Jigsaw, and the Northwest Alcohol & Drug Task Force will host the Donegal GAA Youth Conference in ATU Letterkenny this Saturday.
The event will give young people in Donegal important information and resources based on feedback from a survey that was circulated to all clubs in the county.
Four main topics of awareness will be covered at the conference – Mental Health, Drugs and Alcohol, Gambling, and Optimising Performance through good nutrition and living a balanced lifestyle.
Each club in Donegal has been invited to send four young people from the ages of 15 to 18 along with a club volunteer to attend the conference.
The conference will take place from 9am to 2pm and will begin with a morning session led by well-known comedian and mental health advocated, Rory O’Connor (Rory’s Stories).
“The aim of it all is to help clubs be a wee bit more proactive around issues instead of being reactive whenever an adverse event occurs or something happens and you then have to reach out and look for information or workshops,” says Donegal GAA Health & Wellbeing Committee Chairperson, Cora Harvey.
“It's just really to bring them all together and give out the information in a conference type event and really to celebrate too what the GAA is about around that connection and community piece and just help people feel a wee bit empowered to make good choices and to know where to reach out for help.”
The day will also see the launch of a new initiative with Northwest Alcohol & Drug Task Force around gambling awareness.
“We're hoping that clubs will apply to the Task Force for a small bursary to help them roll out a gambling awareness initiative within their club and community,” says Harvey.
“We'll be providing the actual workshop through our own partnership with the charity Gambling with Lives. We'll do a train a trainer course with them and get volunteers trained up.
“I always find that when you do events like this you need to take a takeaway from it. You need other doors to open after it so there's a legacy and an aftermath to the event.
“That's why I'm delighted that the Task Force is using the platform of the GAA to reach into communities. The GAA is the fabric of every small rural community and if you want to get information into a community the GAA is the perfect platform to do it.
“The Task Force recognises that and are happy let us in Donegal to lead the way and after this I know the coordinator will be linking in with Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan, and Monaghan because that's their area alongside Donegal.”
Harvey hopes the other great legacy from the day will be to put all of Donegal’s GAA clubs at the centre of their community in an even more meaningful way by letting young people know their clubs are safe and supportive spaces to be.
“Sport is important, winning is important, but so is developing connections with people and having a safe place to be,” says Harvey.
“It's not just all about the games. They're important, but it's also about developing that safe space through coaches or club committee members so the young people feel a part of something.
“I know there are certain places in the county or country where young people are showing up and it's a big deal for them to get there.
“You don't know what they're coming from but once they go in through that door of the club they should feel valued and important. It's having that safe base for people really.”
Further information on the Donegal GAA Youth Conference can be viewed and downloaded below.