Kerry’s youth council highlights mental health at annual conference
The KerrymanMental health was at the forefront of Kerry’s annual youth council conference last week as the county’s Comhairle na nÓg gathered under the gleaming lights of Tralee’s Rose Hotel, with over 140 pupils from 30 schools.
The youth council had been laser focused on mental health this year, exploring its prevalence in Kerry and taking action in the county’s schools. Through a grand survey of the county’s youth, they had found only six per cent thought mental health wasn’t an issue, with an overwhelming 55 per cent agreeing it was.
“We got hundreds of responses and lots of interesting results…it certainly shows how significant the issue is and that mental health is widely held by young people that it’s a problem,” said Christian Gleasure, a member of the youth council’s committee.
Comhairle na nÓg are local councils for children and young people aged between 12 and 17, giving them a voice on the development of local policy and services. They are recognised as a key national structure for the participation by children and young people in local decision making in all 31 local authorities.
Kerry’s youth council survey found that 52 per cent of respondents thought school and exam stress was the biggest factor affecting young people’s mental health today. Peer pressure and bullying also had a significant response, as well as social media.
While by some metrics, Kerry’s youth had healthy habits, with 85 per cent reporting to be frequently active, over half reported getting less than eight hours sleep a night. A significant quarter of those surveyed said they slept under six hours a night.
With their findings, Kerry’s Comhairle na nÓg created infographic flyers relaying advice and awareness about mental health. Over 5000 were routed to school pupils around the county, spreading powerful messaging on screen time, sleep, journaling and managing schoolwork.
Figures released this year show the number of children in Kerry awaiting psychological treatment has risen by over two and half times since 2022, with nearly 1000 children on the HSE’s treatment list.
Sinn Féin TD Pa Daly described the data as absolutely staggering, while the HSE said it was due to both an increase in demand and a lack of resources.
At last week’s conference, youth development officer at Kerry’s education and Training board, Seamus Whitty, put mental health as one of the biggest issues young people face.
Having worked with a children and young person’s committee group, he said salient challenges included access to spaces for the county’s youth, public transport and the need for quality mental health services.
“Mental health came up a lot, particularly the importance of having access to mental health services and understanding what they can provide,” said Mr Whitty.
“Young people want services delivered in a youth friendly way, that don’t make young people feel like they’re being talked down to or talked at, but that they feel engaged with.”
“Young people’s voices matter and they’re important. It’s really critical that we’re organised about youth issues and that we can advocate for them. When young people are gathered together and strategic about them, it really helps”
“If we go to decision makers and say we’ve consulted with young people - ‘this is what they’ve told us, this is where we need to see movement’ – they will engage with that and will listen to that. But it’s important to have that evidence.”
In a panel later that day, youth council members took to the stage to discuss their positive experiences as part of the organisation. For some, what started as an opportunity to eat free pizza or get more time off school, turned into a passion and a potential future career.
The panel raised the excitement of travelling, often to Dublin as part of national meetups, and even future afield. Members of the Comhairle na nÓg can enjoy visits to Europe and exposure to youth group representatives from all over the continent. Others lauded the experience of public speaking and the confidence boost that comes with it.
“It gives you confidence, the nerves are gone because you’re proactive with public speaking,” said member David O’Shea, while Leah William, who sits on the European youth council said, “I’ve gone to five different countries and it’s a great opportunity.”
Following a vote, Kerry’s Comhairle na nÓg pledged to tackle the issue of school stress next year, the challenge being number one for the day’s participants.
The conference had an atmosphere of empowerment throughout the day, with ice breakers, workshops and awards for the youth council’s upstanding members.
The message was positive and engaging, and as one member eloquently put it: “In a world where the youth are more important than ever, we want to make sure that their voices are heard and to help fix the issues they face every day and are often not discussed enough.”
“Our mission is simple. We want to get the youth heard and involved. To do so, we first need to get people to see us and decision makers to hear us. Through engagement we plan to enact positive objectives for the youth of Kerry.”