USI Launch Re:Charge Mental Health Roadshow With HSE
On Monday, 14th October the Union of Students in Ireland will launch the Re:Charge Roadshow in TU Dublin, Blanchardstown Campus, a campaign partnered with and funded by the HSE.
The Union of Students in Ireland are running the Re:Charge national student mental health campaign for the second consecutive year in a row alongside campaign partners, the HSE. This campaign aims to inform students in third level education on ways to ensure that their mental health is a top priority whilst maintaining the busy student lifestyle of juggling studies, work and social lives.
The three pillars of this campaign focus on:
- Healthy eating
- Physical activity
- Talking to someone when feeling overwhelmed
Students who responded to the USI National Report on Student Mental Health in Third Level Education [2019], reported feeling experiencing extremely severe levels of anxiety (38.4%), depression (29.9%) and stress (17.3%). Mental health in third level education has historically been an issue that USI have been lobbying and campaigning on, the national student movement is working to ensure students are provided with free and accessible on campus mental health services across the board.
USI President, Lorna Fitzpatrick said:
“We are delighted to launch our Re:Charge roadshow for the second year running, mental health is an issue close to every students heart and it is vitally important that students are made aware of the services available to them when they are not feeling their best.
We want to take the stigma out of mental health, which is why for the next week we will be across the country talking about it, providing student support cards and informational flyers for every USI affiliated Students’ Union across the country to provide for the students we represent.
Last week, we welcomed the €2 million funding for Student Counselling Services that the department of education and skills have secured in the Budget 2020. This additional funding will allow Higher Education Institutions to provide additional support to students through the Student Counselling Services. We look forward to working with the Minister and the Department in the coming weeks to ensure students receive the support they need while in college.”
From left to right, USI President Lorna Fitzpatrick, General Manager for HSE Mental Health Anne Marie Donohue, USI Vice President for Welfare Róisín O’Donovan, USI Mental Health Project Manager Sarah Hughes.
Speaking about the campaign, Ms Anne Marie Donohue, General Manager for Mental Health with the HSE said:
“HSE Mental Health is delighted to continue to fund the Re:Charge Campaign. Initiatives like this offer practical sign posting for students that are hugely important, however, it also vital that we remind students of the everyday things they can do themselves to maintain their own mental health. Things like talking to a friend, eating a healthy diet and getting outside for some activity can make a huge difference. There is a wealth of information on YourMentaHealth.ie. We encourage anyone who is concerned about their own mental health or the mental health of someone they care about to visit the website to learn more. Young people are a priority group that are identified within our Connecting for Life, Irelands National Strategy to Reduce Suicide 2015-2020, so we are delighted to support the Re:Charge campaign that has been developed specifically for students.”
