Dáil na nÓg, the national parliament for 12- to 18-year-olds meets annually to discuss issues of education and mental health and how they affect Irish teenagers. The priorities in the mental and emotional health area were the availability of local youth cafes offering help on drugs, alcohol and other issues, as well as the need for a positive advertising campaign about the effects of suicide on family and friends.
The parliament heard from the National Office for Suicide Prevention that much more has to be done to improve services for young people. Recent efforts include the development of a campaign on the Bebo website.
The report of Dáil na nÓg 2008 has just been published and highlights the difficulties and pressures facing young people growing up today, although most cope well enough.
“Some, however, do not do so well. With the right circumstances and support, a young person can be equipped to deal with any serious difficulties they may face in their lives,” it said.
The 40 delegates nominated by youth organisations around the country voted on the type of supports they want in place, with strongest support in the suicide prevention area for compulsory anti-bullying policies designed by young people to be adopted in all schools and education facilities. They are seeking peer mentoring, counselling and greater awareness for teenagers, with the availability of confidential peer counselling supported by almost 90% of delegates.
The parliament voted almost two to one for making visits to school guidance counsellors obligatory by young people; to help remove stigma and ensure mental health services; while the vast majority favour greater funding for such services as advertising and school programmes. There was very little support for making social, personal and health education an exam subject.
In relation to drugs and alcohol, the measure that has the strongest backing of Dáil na nÓg is the setting up of youth cafes in all areas to provide a safe space to seek help on drug and alcohol issues, as well as other problems.
The parliament sent a clear message that young people want life-skills subjects such as physical education, sociology and driving to become Leaving Certificate subjects.
They also highlighted disappointment with student support services, with more than 90% of delegates seeking improvements in individual career guidance and compulsory guidance and communication training for all teachers.
Delegates were most keen to seek changes on how languages are taught, to make them more conversational and relevant to everyday life and placing more focus on the oral aspect and culture in the teaching of all languages. They also strongly supported the idea of mandatory subsidised Gaeltacht and foreign trips in pre-exam years.
* www.dailnanog.ie
* www.bebo.com/yourmentalhealth
Source: Irish Examiner, 24/07/2008
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