Youth Work Ireland Meath are currently accepting referrals from young people aged 15 to 24 who are currently not in education, employment or training. This programme is available throughout Meath.
See poster below with all the details.
Please see poster link below for details about an upcoming free workshop for parents – Supporting Children and Young People Experiencing Anxiety that’s happening in the Meath Child & Parent Hub (FRC) Commons Road, Navan, 10am to 12pm, 7th November 2024.
This free workshop supports parents to gain a greater understanding of children and young people’s anxiety, and the effects anxiety has in their everyday life along with techniques that support self-regulation and emotional resilience.
To book a space the contact numbers are on the poster. Please note places are very limited.
This workshop has been accessed by the Parenting Support Champions Louth & Meath and funded through the Parenting Communities Learning Initiatives Funding 2024.
Dear Parents,
The National Parents Council (NPC) are excited to announce a series of FREE online information sessions on “Supporting your child’s positive mental health in the early years”.
The first five years of a child’s life are crucial for their long-term positive mental health. Our programme, developed in partnership with St. Patrick’s Mental Health Services, aims to equip you with the knowledge and tools to support your young child’s mental health at home.
These sessions will be held online via Zoom, offering you flexibility to join from the comfort of your home during the week of the 21st of October 2024.
Secure your spot now for free by clicking here
Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your parenting skills and support your child’s mental well-being. We look forward to seeing you online!
Places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
This program is designed to empower parents with valuable insights on supporting their children’s mental health through everyday interactions. We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to gain valuable knowledge and skills in supporting your child’s mental health journey.
PRESS RELEASE – 14th October 2024
Zero Tolerance Meath: A Community-Led Initiative to Combat Domestic, Sexual, and Gender-Based Violence
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has launched a new pilot project, Zero Tolerance Meath on October 14th, which is setting a standard in preventing Domestic, Sexual, and Gender-Based Violence (DSGBV) in County Meath.
Over the next three years, this project will use a community-led approach to prevent and respond to DSGBV, hoping to create a safer community for all women and girls. The project is led by Meath Women’s Refuge and Support Services, with funding from CUAN, and is being evaluated by Maynooth University.
The Zero Tolerance Meath project follows the principles listed in Ireland’s Third National Strategy on DSGBV, which highlights that prevention is a shared responsibility and to prevent it everyone needs to be involved. This project focuses on social change at all levels—individual, community, and institutional—by shifting values, cultural norms, and priorities surrounding gender-based violence.
The ultimate objective and goal are to create a culture of Zero Tolerance towards DSGBV, starting in Meath, with a model that could be adopted across the country.
Speaking at the launch in the Knightsbrook Hotel, Trim, on Monday, the Minister said:
‘’I commend and thank Meath Women’s Refuge and Support Services for their tireless efforts in supporting domestic abuse survivors. I am proud to support this community pilot project which represents an innovative and collaborative approach to addressing domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV), a top priority of mine since taking office four years ago.
“By empowering local communities and equipping them with the tools, resources, and knowledge necessary to identify and prevent DSGBV, we are investing in a future where everyone can live without fear of harm or violence.
“This approach not only creates a sense of ownership among communities but also fosters collaboration and open dialogue, which are crucial in eliminating root causes and challenging the social norms which allows such violence to persist.
“This project aligns closely with our mission as set out in Zero Tolerance, our Third National Strategy to combat DSGBV, which recognises the impact that community-led initiatives can have. I look forward to seeing how this pilot will evolve and contribute to lasting change in attitudes towards DSGBV.” – Helen Mc Entee, Minister of Justice.
The project takes inspiration from the internationally successful Close to Home model, first developed in the United States in 2000. The approach follows a four-step cycle—assess, talk, build, and act—which has been proven effective in empowering communities to be confident dealing with DSGBV. Through this process, Zero Tolerance Meath hopes to challenge and change the attitudes, ideologies, and behaviours that allow violence to persist.
By engaging individuals, communities, and stakeholders, Zero Tolerance Meath aims to empower the entire community to take ownership in combatting DSGBV.
This includes enhancing peer support for survivors, creating a supportive environment for victim-survivors within the community, and providing consistent, effective responses from local stakeholders. The project envisions a community where attitudes toward DSGBV are transformed, connections between community members are strengthened, and everyone is equipped with the knowledge to challenge and prevent gender-based violence.
Beyond Meath, the project’s framework seeks to inspire similar initiatives throughout Ireland. The hope is that by fostering these changes on a local level, the ripple effect will contribute to a broader national effort to reduce the incidence and impact of DSGBV across Ireland.
As Zero Tolerance Meath rolls out over the next three years, the project will work towards a measurable reduction in DSGBV in County Meath. Through this initiative, Meath is setting an example of what a whole-of-society response to gender-based violence can look like—one that prioritises prevention, community involvement, and long-term, sustainable change.
‘’37 years ago, a group of courageous Meath women came together and identified that families in Meath needed support around their experience with DSGBV. This group used the connections and strengths already in the community to found Meath Women’s Refuge and Support Services.
“For 37 years, we have nurtured and grown what this amazing group started and now, we have the opportunity to once again use the community’s connections and strengths to create social change.
We are privileged to be leading out on this innovative project, which is the first in Ireland of its kind.
We have received a huge level of interest and support from the people of Meath in the last number of weeks, reaffirming how many people deeply care about long term prevention of DSGBV.’’ – Claudia Hegarty, Zero Tolerance Meath Project Leader.
For more information on Zero Tolerance Meath or to get involved, please contact Claudia at [email protected]
Together, we can work towards creating a community safe from Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence.
Image Captions
Image one is Laura Bardon (Zero Tolerance Meath Project Officer), Helen Mc Entee (Minister for Justice) and Claudia Hegarty (Zero Tolerance Meath Project Leader).
Image two is Frances Haworth, CEO of Meath Womens Refuge and Support Services.
Image three is Helen Mc Entee (Minister for Justice).
CyberSafeKids are delighted to be hosting their fifth annual CyberBreak from 5pm on Friday, 18th October to 5pm Saturday, 19th October, 2024. We’re encouraging all schools, families, and companies across the country to completely ditch their smart devices (phones, tablets, laptops, computers, and gaming consoles) and take a 24-hour break from the online world.
Over 30,000 people have already signed up to take a CyberBreak this year! To access our resources, including a family fun guide with over 38 ideas, and delicious recipes from Lilly Higgins to help you plan your time offline, sign up your family, school and/or workplace today ➡️ www.cybersafekids.ie/cyberbreak
Please click on the poster link below to register:
Today the 10th of October is World Mental Health Day, and the HSE in collaboration with Louth CYPSC, Meath CYPSC and key partner agencies have launched a Youth Resource leaflet aimed at identifying mental health supports for young people aged 12-25 years living in counties Louth and Meath. For more information on supports available please click on the Youth Resource poster link below:
To coincide with World Mental Health Day on 10th October, 2024, the October Mental Health Calendar of Events for Louth Meath can be accessed by clicking on the link below:
Young people and young adults living in County Meath
Are you aged 15 to 24 years? Please take 10 minutes to fill out an anonymous survey to tell us your thoughts on the support needed by young people and young adults within the County. Your answers will be used to identify priorities for the new Meath Children and Young People’s Plan 2025-2027
To complete the survey, click on the following link https://forms.office.com/e/uxEPMBjZUx or scan the QR code below.
Survey is now extended until Friday, 11th October 2024.
The Barnardos Online Safety Programme is excited to invite you to the fourth instalment of our Plugged In Switched Off webinar series on topics of online safety. This year’s webinar, Exploring AI with Children and Young People, will take place on Tuesday, 15th October from 10.00-11.30am.
During the webinar, we will hear insights from the Barnardos Online Safety Programme as well as from young people from the Webwise Youth Advisory Panel who will give their take on their use of AI and what they feel children and young people need to be aware of.
The webinar will be hosted by Anton Savage, Broadcaster and Journalist and feature a keynote address from Dr Susan Leavy from UCD, a member of the AI Advisory Council of Ireland and an expert on trustworthy AI. We will also hear input from industry, schools, teachers and parents on how they see the future of AI and how we can support children and young people to understand the benefits and risks of AI and how to explore it safety and responsibly.
The event is free and registration is available here.
Our webinar will be recorded to watch it back at a later date. Check out more information on our website Plugged In Switched Off – Barnardos
We very much hope you can join us online and that you find it to be an informative and useful event. If you have any questions, please get in touch with us at [email protected]