The German supermarket has teamed up with Jigsaw, the National Centre for Youth Mental Health in Ireland.
Lidl Ireland has announced a new, three-year charity partnership with Jigsaw, a service which provides free confidential, professional support to young people aged 12-25, in 13 centres across Ireland.
Jigsaw’s data shows that mental health remains a key issue among Ireland’s young people and while Jigsaw have supported over 23,350 young people to date, demand for their services continues to grow.
As part of Jigsaw’s My World Survey research completed in 2012, it was found that eight students in every classroom in Ireland are experiencing significant emotional distress and may be in need of additional support.
We are delighted to announce a new, 3 year charity partnership with @JigsawYMH, the National Centre for Youth Mental Health in Ireland, who provide free confidential, professional support to young people aged 12-25, in 13 centres across Ireland. pic.twitter.com/KGphUnftou
— Lidl Ireland (@lidl_ireland) April 9, 2018
A staggering 20% of young adults indicated that they had engaged in self-harm and over 7% have reported a suicide attempt.
Jigsaw focus on prevention and early intervention, aimed at addressing mental health issues in the early stages and assisting young people in developing coping skills and resilience that will equip them to deal with future challenges to their mental health.
Lidl has pledged to fundraise €1 million for Jigsaw over the next three years with over 4,200 employees aiming to raise funds through a variety of exciting activities.
Alongside these fundraising initiatives, Lidl also aims to raise awareness of youth mental health nationwide and encourages all customers and colleagues to be ‘One Good Adult’ – a campaign for all adults to support a young person in their lives by being there to listen, support and advise when times are tough.
Managing Director of Lidl Ireland, J.P. Scally spoke about the partnership, stating how Lidl is keen to help create a positive experience in young people’s lives.
“We are delighted to partner with Jigsaw to help inspire and make a positive difference for youth mental health in Ireland. Up to 60% of young people in Ireland with mental health problems do not seek professional help,” he said.
“Our aim through this partnership is to raise the profile of the fantastic work Jigsaw do and in turn reduce this number, by empowering our staff and customers to be ‘One Good Adult’ in a young person’s life. We want to empower all Irish adults to better support the young people in their lives and encourage young people themselves to seek help when and where they need to most.”
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