Cycle Against Suicide is a national charity (CHY - 20867) deeply invested in suicide prevention efforts. Through our programmes in schools, neighbourhoods and workplaces, we weave prevention into the very fabric of communities across Ireland.
School Programmes:
The OECD reports that suicide among adolescents in Ireland age between 15 and 18 years is above the European Average. UNICEF ranks Ireland 4th highest on teen suicides out of 31 European countries. A study by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland reports that by the age of thirteen, one in three Irish children are likely to have some form of mental health difficulty.
It is against this backdrop that Cycle Against Suicide delivers its school programmes. Schools are key to addressing the issue of mental health and suicide in young people. Research shows that when young people have the knowledge, attitudes and competencies to understand mental health and wellbeing and how it impacts their lives, they are better able to help themselves and others. Research also shows that mental health issues in adults can be prevented if there is a proactive approach taken from a young age.
Our evidence-based school programmes, both primary and secondary schools, create a caring, respectful and safe learning environment that supports mental health in schools, building hope and resilience and fostering a sense of belonging amongst young people. Research indicates that 50% of all mental health problems are established by the age of 14 years. The formative years of young are some of the most vulnerable. As peer-to-peer education, our programmes impact hundreds of thousands of young people each school year.
Our Community ‘Buddy’ programme is open to all communities to participate: https://www.cycleagainstsuicide.com/register-to-become-community-buddy/ This programme is peer-to-peer support, centred around a structured and supportive conversations in a non-judgemental and safe environment. It allows both Buddy and Peer to deal with challenges in order to move forward.
Participants are educated on how stress and mental health problems can affect individuals. They are trained in the use of a structured interview schedule to ascertain whether individuals might be experiencing significant levels of distress and how to practically manage distressed individuals. Furthermore, participants will be trained to mentor individuals to take positive resilience enhancing actions such as positive coping. They will be trained on how to recognise more complex symptoms requiring professional interventions. They will develop skills based on the principal of motivational interviewing to encourage individuals to speak with a health care professional where necessary.
Workplace Buddy programme Recent research into mental health in the workplace found that nearly 80% per cent of Ireland’s corporate employees suffer from concerning levels of stress, anxiety and depression. The programme is designed to support employees navigating stressful or difficult circumstance that could impact on their productivity. The programme benefits both management and staff as it is a cost-effective approach to promoting and sustaining a culture of wellbeing as a support community in the workplace.
HELP Programme (Health Educators Leading Parents). Cycle Against Suicide is currently co-creating a programme with the Newman Fellowship, University College Dublin, to enable parents to support their children & teenagers suffering mental health difficulties. Once curated, the programme will be available free to all parents. Further information is available at:https://www.cycleagainstsuicide.com/cycle-against-suicide-help-programme-health-educators-leading-parents/
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