Amber Flag
Introducing some of the student members of this year’s Amber Flag Committee.
These eager and energetic young men will now set about the business of promoting positive mental health and well-being among our school community.
The main goal of Amber Flag is to break down the stigma surrounding mental health issues and to create an environment where it can be discussed openly.The Amber Flag project was created by the charity Suicide Aware, in partnership with the Institute of Guidance Counsellors and the Union of Students of Ireland (USI). Suicide Aware is a Cork-based voluntary organisation founded in 2009 to offer education, support and counselling services for people dealing with depression and suicide.
In September 2015 the staff and students of St. Patrick’s Secondary School, Castleisland took on the task of promoting positive mental health in the school by becoming involved in the Amber Flag Initiative.
The Amber Flag Initiative aims to encourage schools, societies and clubs to promote and actively bring about a cultural change in the promotion of positive mental health within the educational system and other organisations. The amber flag initiative will enhance the already good work that is being done where mental health is concerned by making positive mental health a daily topic of conversation leading to a cultural shift where mental becomes the norm and leading to the breakdown of the stigma that is associated with mental health resulting in individuals seeking help sooner when mental issues arise.
Over the course of the school year St. Patrick’s Secondary School endorsed its commitment to supporting the positive mental health of its students with the launch of The Amber Flag Initiative. This initiative was developed by Suicide Aware with the support of The Institute of Guidance Counsellors, Cork GAA and Red FM. The idea behind the initiative is to present clubs, societies and schools all over the country with a clear framework from which to channel and co-ordinate their efforts at improving and encouraging the positive mental health of their members or students.