Wexford Mental Health Association in conjunction with Creative Ireland, Sports Active Wexford- Wexford County Council, CYPSC, Healthy Ireland- Community Mental Health Fund and the HSE Health and Wellbeing Division are in the process of launching an exciting new Mental Health and Wellbeing related initiative for primary school children.
The aim of the project titled “Great Spaces, Great Places- A wellbeing guide for Kids” is to engage children across the county in the production of a creative and child orientated guide to signpost families to cost neutral spaces and places within County Wexford that from a child’s perspective benefit their feelings of wellbeing.
The project will be artistically directed by Visual Artist Laura Ní Fhlaibhín through local primary schools and organisations supporting children where children will be invited to submit visual depictions of their favourite place for play, adventure and wellbeing. Wexford Mental Health Association are grateful to the students and teachers of Ballyoughter National School and Bunscoil Loreto Gorey who kindly facilitated a pilot of the project in their schools.
It is hoped that by engaging with children we will discover a whole new world of hidden gems here in County Wexford where children love to spend time, not only including well known favourites like Curracloe, Kilmore Playground, Tintern Abbey, Mount Leinster trails…But we also hope that in these Covid times where movement has been greatly restricted, families will have discovered little wellbeing spots closer to home….where their children were free to explore and play and find time for themselves.
Following on from the initial engagement with primary school aged children the aim is to produce a publication that will act as a source of information and support to individuals with responsibility for children’s wellbeing and to signpost them to a more strategic and effective use of the many great places and Spaces that we have here on our door step in County Wexford.
The project is coordinated by Paula Lowney, Theresa Goff and Niall Ó Muirí from Wexford Mental Health Association alongside Laura Ní Fhlaibhín and Pure Design.
For further information on the project, please click here
If your school is interested in participating in this project, please contact Theresa Goff, Wexford Mental Health Association at wexfordmha@mentalhealthireland.ie or call 087 1808703 ( 9:30am -2:30pm Mon-Fri)