Youth Projects
The Elevate Foundation reaches out and connects with young people in Clare, utilising independent organisations and professionals specialising in youth mental health and youth wellness. While Elevate is actively connecting with young people in participating secondary schools and Youthreach centres, the foundation is also exploring other avenues to reach out to young people in Clare.
A brief description of our Youth Projects to date are detailed below.
Elevate has hosted three Youthfest events in association with Clare Youth Service and the Soar Foundation to date. These days see up to 250 young people come together for a fun, welcoming and interactive day out that inform, inspire and uplift the young people in attendance to help understand and improve their mental health and wellbeing and to realise their unique and collective potential to lead fulfilling lives.
Read more about a typical Youthfest event HERE.
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Elevate is currently offering its mindfulness workshop to the Tulla Camogie and GAA Club focusing on their 15-18 year old players.
At the beginning of the season, a groupwork session was done with the players which focused on identifying their goals and aspirations for the year aswell as reflecting on the benefits and drawbacks to playing team sports. A theme that emerged very strongly from the group was the positive effect training had on their moods and mental health. The group was able to identify that physical exercise improved their mood, ability to study and concentrate on homework and general happiness.
In order to explore this further with the group Elevate is delighted to offer a six-week mindfulness workshop to the players based on the .b mindfulness programme. This workshop provides a brief introduction to mindfulness and offers activities that focus on developing both formal and informal practices, such as short meditations and experiences of objects in the environment. The course intends to equip participants with skills to enable mindful practice at any given time in the future. These skills can help young people perceive situations positively and to respond wisely to stressful events instead of reacting to them.
For more information on the .b mindfulness programme go to http://mindfulnessinschools.org
Elevate is delighted to be supporting the National Learning Network, Ennis.
National Learning Network (NLN) provides a range of flexible training courses and support services for people who need specialist support (job seekers, unemployed, people with an illness or disability) in 50 centres around the country.
At NLN in Ennis courses are made available to people to help them to build their confidence while getting practical job-seeking skills to help them get a job or go on to further training. Elevate is offering a six-week mindfulness course to the NLN in Ennis. This workshop provides a brief introduction to mindfulness and offers activities that focus on developing both formal and informal practices, such as short meditations and experiences of objects in the environment. The course intends to equip participants with skills to enable mindful practice at any given time in the future. These skills can help people perceive situations positively and to respond wisely to stressful events instead of reacting to them.
The Elevate foundation is delighted to announce its support of a two year Pilot programme for 3-4 young people in Co. Clare at risk of early school leaving in collaboration with the Ennis School Completion Programme (SCP).
This two year Pilot programme is supported by iScoil Ireland and aims to provide an alternative informal education for student’s not currently engaging in the school system. These students are typically students presenting with severe school phobias, high anxiety, mental health or behavioural difficulties. At present there is no viable alternative for students available in Ennis. Ennis SCP are working with LCETB and Clare Youth Service to provide the service.
For this much needed Pilot programme to be possible Elevate will fund the rental costs of €2,000 per year.
The iScoil mission is to provide an inclusive solution to address educational disadvantage and ensure these young people have access to the opportunity to learn, achieve and progress in their lives. Elevate is delighted to be able to contribute to this very worthy initiative.
The digital landscape has put increased pressure on young people today. The pressure to be perfect and always ‘on’ is overwhelming many of us. To look perfect, act perfect, have the perfect body, have the perfect groups of friends, the perfect amount of likes and so on. Failure to meet these ridiculously high standards can lead to insecurities, isolation, self-loathing and bullying. Young people require engaging, accessible and age-appropriate information about mental health on the sites and apps that they use, so they can help themselves and each other if they are struggling. Inaction on these issues is harming the physical and emotional wellbeing of our young people. It is not the intention of Elevate to protect young people from the Internet but rather put forward proactive measures centred on resilience building – an approach that is vital to helping them to lead safe digital lives.
Elevate will employ the appropriately qualified professionals to advise and deliver this element of the programme. This is hoped to be rolled out before June 2018.
