Promoting positive mental health and wellbeing in Irish schools

WALK in My Shoes is a mental health awareness and education campaign run by St. Patrick’s Mental Health Services. The campaign focuses on promoting mental health awareness in schools across Ireland.

Develop a Positive Mental Health Culture We can all experience high level of stress as part of modern living, and this can lead to feelings of anger and anxiety, lowered self-esteem and self-confidence and depression. And as young people spend up to a fifth of their week in school, if the school environment develops a culture of positive emotional health, then young people learn that they can talk about and express emotions in a culture of respect.

With this type of foundation in mental and emotional health, there is a strong chance that these young people will carry that learning throughout their lives. And learning about mental health from a young age will help

If the school environment develops a culture of positive emotional health, then young people learn that they can talk about and express emotions in a culture of respect reduce the stigma associated with mental health which can be a needless barrier to accessing treatment.

Walk in My Shoes Initiatives Walk in My Shoes runs a number of initiatives throughout the school year that are designed to promote positive mental health in schools. These initiatives include: • Mission Possible; School Achievement Awards recognises schools from all over Ireland for their effort and contribution to tackling the stigma surrounding mental health both in the classroom and in the wider community. • Frame of Mind short film competition is open to secondary school students. To enter Students, create a 2-3-minute-long video that tells a story they feel portrays a positive mental health message. • Transition Year Programme – we run five-one week long programmes every year that focus on various aspects of mental health as well as the career options available in this sector. • #MindYourSelfie Day aims to promote awareness of our free MindYourSelfie resource packs. We ask everyone to take a ‘selfie’ and post it on social media using the hashtag #MindYourSelfie.

Walk in My Shoes Resources MindYourSelfie activity packs are free to use resources that have all been developed to promote a positive mental health. These packs include the following resources: • Our range of short mindfulness audio and video

pieces are an effective way to introduce mindfulness and meditation into your classroom. These exercises not only help to improve students’ mindfulness but function to relax the tension and tightness that has built up within the body and mind. • Mindful colouring asks students to focus on how they choose and apply colour in a design to bring their awareness to the present moment. The classroom mindfulness colouring activity can help students feel more relaxed by paying attention to the present moment. • Our mental health and wellbeing calendar comprises daily actions that students can complete to promote positive mental health and mindfulness. • With our Selfie ‘Steem activity students share positive messages about one another. • Wellness Journals provide young people with a

template to record their feelings and thoughts as a once off assignment or as a daily activity.

Tourism – a world in an exciting and

LYIT School of Tourism, formerly the Tourism College Killybegs, is the oldest campus outside Dublin dedicated to education and training in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Operations and Management, and Tourism. Established in 1969, and celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2019, the campus has produced graduates who are renowned all over the world, ensuring that today’s graduates will be recognised as having received the education and training required to reach the top levels of the industry.

Our education offering is expanded through a range of academic partners throughout Europe, where students can choose to study or complete an internship for a semester, supported through Erasmus+. We have partners in Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Malta, Romania and Turkey, and we are constantly enlarging our network to benefit our students. Our US industry partners visit Killybegs every year to recruit for Summer placements, Internships and Graduate Programmes.

To facilitate our expansion plans we have completed a renovation project to include a new state-of-the-art training bar, collaborative learning room for group work and a new library/research facility. Minister for Education, Joe McHugh TD announced in August 2019 an additional fund of €1.8M for additional work in Summer 2020 in preparation for our expanded programme offering.

On completion of a programme of study at the School of Tourism, you will be perfectly placed to take

the first step on your career, which will inevitably be exciting and fulfilling.

Tourism – a world of opportunities in an exciting and global industry

Tourism is Ireland’s largest indigenous industry employing 230,000 people nationally, one in every ten of the labour-force. The industry is twice the size of agriculture and far bigger in employment than the construction industry, the IT industry, or the financial services sector.

It crucially cannot be outsourced or off-shored and its economic benefits are felt both in our cities but also throughout rural Ireland. 10 per cent of the workforce in Ireland is employed in the tourism industry, and this rises to 14 per cent in rural locations.

On a global scale, growth in tourism is most significant outside of our normal markets of Europe and the USA, with significant business growth in Asia and Africa. Tourist profiles are changing and those working in tourism now require a set of skills that reflect the global nature of the industry.

Why study a programme in Hospitality, Tourism or Culinary Arts?

Career opportunities, both here in Ireland and abroad, are almost limitless in the sector. The structure of all our programmes allows students to undertake work placements and internships at home and over

Graduate case study - taking opportunities available

GIRTS Mihalkins graduated in 2016 with a BA in Hotel, Restaurant and Resort Management. As a student he stood out as a consummate professional, displaying a flair for perfection in practical settings. He gladly took the opportunities available to compete in a range of national and international competitions, winning gold medals and acclaim from industry mentors.

This extra-curricular activity allowed Girts to work with the Capella group, at home, but also for his third year internship, at their Washington DC property in the USA, managing their rooftop bar operation.

He returned to Donegal to take up the position of Assistant Conference and Banqueting Manager at Co Donegal’s only

5* property, Solis Lough Eske Castle.

In September 2018, he enrolled in the BA (Hons) in Hotel Management, and on completion of this one-year, add-on, programme he is ready to take on a senior role in a luxury hotel anywhere in the world.

He is now ready for his next challenge and is happy to seek the assistance and support of the School of Tourism and our global industry recruitment partner HOSCO.

He has recently been offered two management roles in the Seychelles and Dubai, and has taken the role of Assistant Outlet Manager at the Kempinski Emerald Palace in Dubai.

We wish him well in this next stage of his exciting career.

of opportunities global industry

seas, so that they are best placed to enter the world of work on graduation. The School of Tourism continues to develop its professional network to facilitate and support students in selecting their career paths.

When choosing a career in the tourism industry, you are setting yourself apart from the many thousands of individuals who work in the industry on a casual basis, either while studying for other careers or while between jobs.

Graduates of specialist programmes are destined for senior career roles, many of which are new to the industry. Non-traditional roles such as Digital Media Managers are now as common as traditional roles such as Food and Beverage Director, Revenue and Reservations Managers or Destination Travel Executives, and programmes are designed to open up opportunities in a range of industries with links to tourism, from Finance, IT, Media and Marketing and Outdoor / Extreme Travel Experiences.

Dr Ciarán Ó hAnnracháin, School of Tourism, LYIT

A WORLD OF OPPORTUNITIES AWAITS YOU!

LYIT School of Tourism, Killybegs, Donegal has been providing world-class education and training for the tourism industry since 1969. Today it is a thriving specialist campus offering a range of full and part-time programmes in hospitality, tourism and culinary arts.

Full-time Programmes • Higher Certificate in Arts in Bar and Restaurant Supervision • Higher Certificate in Arts in Culinary Arts • BA / BA (Hons) in Hospitality and Tourism • BA / BA (Hons) in Culinary Arts • BSc / BSc (Hons) in Culinary Science • BA in Hospitality Management (Industry-based)

Part-time and CPD Programmes • Diploma in Restaurant Operations Management • Hotel Revenue and Digital Media Management • Food and Beverage Operations • Apprentice Chef De Partie and Sous Chef • Primary Food Hygiene and Management of Food Hygiene

For further details contact: Dr. Ciarán Ó hAnnracháin Head of School of Tourism t: 07491 86603, e: ciaran.ohannrachain@lyit.ie

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