Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council Cllr. John Campbell has presented Donegal Youth Council with the AER Myfer Award for the Most Youth Friendly European Region. This award was presented at today’s monthly meeting of the Youth Council in the County House, Lifford.
The 2013 SPARKS Mental Health Roadshow was selected as the winner of the AER Myfer 2014 award (Most Youth-Friendly European Region) which recognizes notable achievements within youth councils all over the world.
The Donegal Youth Council SPARKS Mental Health Road show saw them work with over 800 young people from all over the county. The road show kicked off in Letterkenny on World Mental Health Day. The idea and all aspects of the project were developed and implemented by young people for young people with the support of adults.
Shane Callaghan from Donegal Youth Council described this project as “a great example of youth participation in democratic life and the impact of the SPARKS project is still being felt throughout the county”.
He added “the SPARKS project was all about offering information and advice on how to manage stress in your life during exam times and other difficult times. It was also about raising awareness of the supports you have around you and how you can support others who may be having a difficult time”.
Cathaoirleach Cllr. John Campbell congratulated the Youth Council on this great achievement and said that “the youth council has, time and again, shown us that young people can achieve great things. They also ensure that the voices of young people are heard and listened to across a range of areas including mental health, road safety, LGBT, equality and sexual health.”
The Donegal Youth Council is a group of 36 elected young people aged 12 to 18 years and was set up to give young people a voice in local decision making and to identify issues and promote projects to improve the lives of young people in Donegal.
Representing the Youth Council, Shane Hegarty said “we are delighted to receive this award and look forward to sharing our learning at future AER events and we may even SPARK off a few new ideas for how people can approach the topic of mental health and youth participation”.
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