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25 May 2012 Edition

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Sinn Féin Mayor’s initiative on suicide awareness

CONFERENCE: ‘CELEBRATING LIFE – AG CEILIÚRADH AN TSAOIL’ | BELFAST CITY HALL

‘I want to make the point as clearly as I can that there is always something to live for, worth living for, and I want to reassure people that there is a place for them, that they belong somewhere’ Sinn Féin Mayor Niall Ó Donnghaile

Dr Becker asked that we ‘develop a language that recognises reality but also shows new ways of celebrating life’

WHEN HE took up office as Mayor of Belfast, Sinn Féin’s Niall Ó Donnghaile said suicide is one of the priority issues he wanted to focus on during his year in office and a conference has just been held under the Mayor’s office on the theme ‘Celebrating Life – Ag Ceiliúradh an tSaoil’.

Scores of families and individuals affected by suicide joined health professionals at the conference held in Belfast City Hall on Wednesday 25 April.

Participants included professionals working in the fields of counselling and suicide prevention as well as people from communities ravaged by the high rates of suicide, particularly among young people, and relatives of people who have died by suicide. 

The conference was structured around German psychologist Dr David Becker.

Dr Becker specialises in a psycho-social approach to issues of trauma, human rights and dealing with the past.

In his keynote address, Becker acknowledged the impact of conflict on people:

“There is a linkage between the legacy of ‘The Troubles’ and your suicide rates but it is not a direct thing.

“When you have a history of conflict and war you have to do something with this past which is not only in terms of justice and peace talks but the psychological process of change involved.”

Dr Becker asked that we “develop a language that recognises reality but also shows new ways of celebrating life”.

Speaking to An Phoblacht at the conference, Niall Ó Donnghaile outlined why he chose the theme of ‘Celebrating Life – Ag Ceiliúradh an tSaoil’ for his initiative.

“I want to make the point as clearly as I can, especially in dealing with young people contemplating suicide, that there is always something to live for, worth living for, and I want to reassure people that there is a place for them, that they belong somewhere.

“I want people to know there is more to live for than to die for.”

The Mayor was at pains to point that he is “not an expert in this” and he highlighted and praised the work of people who work day and daily around this complex issue.

“I met with groups and individuals who took time out to talk to me and inform me and it was on the back of their advice that we were able to pull the conference together,” he said.

Running in parallel with the conference is the Mayor’s initiative to have all 2,500 council employees “from the Chief Executive down” to go through suicide awareness programmes.

Niall Ó Donnghaile explained:

“One of the main reasons we wanted to bring suicide awareness programmes into the council is because quite often people take their lives in council facilities such as parks.

“It is council employees who are first on the scene and have to deal with it so we want to make sure there is a support network in place for those employees.”

Reporting on suicide is one of the most delicate issues facing news journalists and editors so one of the conference workshops dealt with the media and how it handles this.

Niall Ó Donnghaile said one of the aims of the conference was to get the media to be responsible in its reporting of the subject.

“Some coverage of suicide has been less than helpful and so we wanted to impress upon the media that it has a role and can help in preventing suicide and in promoting positive, emotional health and well-being.”

The Sinn Féin Mayor concluded by announcing that the Lord Mayor’s Awards for Young People will from now on include a new award for a young person in recognition of their efforts to promote positive mental health among their peers.

“I believe we achieved a lot through the work of this conference,” Niall Ó Donnghaile said, “and I want to thank those who attended but especially those in the Mayor’s office who made it possible.”

Life savers

TWO YOUNG PEOPLE, Rachel Boyd and Sophie McCormick, may have saved the life of a schoolfriend.

They noticed she was not eating, was irritable and tearful. They told their teacher who informed the girl’s mother who in turn sought help.

The Grosvenor Grammar schoolgirls told their story in a performance-winning recital of John Donne’s poem No Man is an Island as part of ‘Change of Mind’ schools competition.

They performed their winning entry during the Mayor’s Celebrating Life – Ag Ceiliúradh an tSaoil conference to acclamation from the audience.


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