Wexford Mental Health Association (WMHA) was once again blown away by the standard of the entries of this year’s Expressions Competition. This competition is in its 7th year and focuses on the theme “Positive Mental Health is….”The idea is that young people aged 15 to 18 years old were invited to express their opinions and views on what they think positive mental health is, by creative writing, artwork, drama, poetry, etc. The format of the competition has had to be adapted due to Covid-19. This year, students submitted their videos to WMHA, and they were then judged by a team of judges and feedback was given to each team.
The judging panel consisted of Cllr George Lawlor – Wexford County Councillor, who is also very well known in music scene in Wexford, Gina Delaney – Area Development Officer Mental Health Ireland, and Ciaradh Walsh – Director of Wexford Mental Health Association. There were 9 entries in total with each of them to an exceptionally high standard but unfortunately not all could be winners but each a winner in their own right. The winners were as follows:
- Best Overall/ Best Original Video/ Special Adjudicators award: Colaiste Abbain. Students: Conor Joyce, Gregor Tyrer, Owen Payne, Caitlyn Cawthorne, Ethan Corcan, Luke Gardner, Jessica Murphy, Ben Casey, Aaron Rishoki, Molly Lacey, Peter Wall, T.J. Crane and Zoe Cardiff. Teacher: Ms. Fiona Quirke.
- Best video in terms of creativity: Bunclody Vocational College. Students: Cian Murphy, Eimear Raleigh, Zoe Irwin, Billy Phayres and Nadia Ahmed. Teacher: Mr. Sean Porter.
- Evidence of Teamwork: Ramsgrange Community School Team 2. Students: Ellie Byrne, Maddie Cadogan, Emily Cadogan, Caitlin Murphy and Aoife O’Connor. Teacher: Ms. Karen Hartigan.
- Knowledge and understanding of topic of positive mental health: Presentation Secondary School, Wexford. Students: Sarah Kavanagh, Caitlin Godden, Eve Doyle and Abbi Warburton. Teacher: Ms. Lydia Murphy
- Best video with positive message that can help other young people: Ramsgrange Community School Team 1. Students: Aoibhínn McDonald, Lauren Murphy, Rachel Kelly and Rachel Moran. Teacher: Ms. Karen Hartigan.
WMHA would like sincerely to thank the schools, the students, and their teachers for taking such a great interest in the competition. They would also like to thank the sponsors, Wexford Credit Union, for their continued support. They also wish to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the project team which consisted of Annette Wall, Theresa Goff, Ciaradh Walsh, and Conor Ryan who all worked so hard to behind the scenes to bring this project to fruition in these challenging times.
The winning entries will be posted on Wexford Mental Health Associations social media outlets in the coming weeks for all to enjoy!