Sport your mind seminar set for mullingar

Ireland head coach and Mullingar Rugby Club alumnus Joe Schmidt has given his encouragement to a series of youth mental health seminars scheduled for rugby clubs across the midlands, including Mullingar.

The 'Sport Your Mind' seminar comes to Mullingar RFC on Tuesday September 30 (7pm), introducing basic, foundational information on Youth Mental Health, suitable for community-active sports settings, highlighting early warning signs of mental health difficulties among young people and the range of support services available to young people in need of additional support.

It also includes the provision of Youth Support Cards, a Multi-Media Video Clip for young people highlighting key messages underpinning positive mental health and an ‘Improve Your Mood With Food’ Diet Sheet Created by HSE Senior Community Dietitian for Dublin Mid-Leinster.

‘Sport your Mind’ also incorporates the delivery of SafeTALK (Suicide Alertness for Everyone), an internationally recognised workshop for communities to help prepare participants to identify people with thoughts of suicide and connect them to suicide first aid resources.

“Players train two or three times a week in an effort to improve their physical ability but the ‘Sport your Mind’ events encourage youngsters to understand that their mental health needs a work out from time to time as well," said Schmidt.

"It’s great that Midlands Rugby clubs are hosting the delivery of these events by HSE Midlands Health Promotion and Improvement.

“I commend the clubs and officials participating in the programme. Collectively, they are helping to build an awareness that we can all play a part in supporting the positive mental health of young people."