Something to take the edge off getting exam results.
St. Patrick’s College in Drumcondra, Dublin, have come up with a novel approach to get people talking about their mental health.
Ronan Kelleher and Órna Ní Dhochartaigh, Clubs & Societies Officer and Women’s Officer in the Students’ Union respectively, have undertaken a year-round welfare campaign in the college and came up with a novel way to publicise it last week.
On the morning that students were receiving results from their Christmas exams, Ronan and Órna posted roughly 1,000 Post-it notes around the college with unique message on each one.
“Some were as simple as ‘Smile’, ‘You look lovely today’, or ‘Breathe’,” Ronan told JOE.
“Some were funny (‘We love you more than bacon’, ‘Why are you so sexy?’). Some were quite thoughtful (‘Smile – makes people wonder what you’re up to’).
“We came in to college last Thursday morning before the students and stuck them all around the college – the lockers, the stairways, lecture theatres, windows, everywhere.
“That morning was the day students were getting their Christmas exam results, so our aim was to just offer a bit of light relief at a stressful time.”
Ronan is keen to get other third-level institutions involved and stressed the importance of a year-round mental health awareness campaign.
“The campaign found good traction, and we received positive feedback from staff and students (though maybe not the cleaning staff) alike. It is now being looked at by other colleges around the country as a positive way to spread the issue of mental health,” he added.
“We just wanted to get the message out that mental health is an issue all year round, and not just for one week in the year. Simple, but effective.”
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