As a Transition Year Project, Mercy Mounthawk students Ruth Baker, David Lee and Michelle Williams have launched a positive mental health and depression awareness campaign within their school. The campaign, called “Don’t Hide it, Fight It” has been ongoing since September and is experiencing huge success thanks to the hard work put in by Ruth and the TY Mental Health committee. It has already made a huge impact on the school.

On Thursday 24^th April the Killorglin & District Branch of the Kerry Mental Health Association were awarded first place in the category of Community Renewal through Social Entrepreneurship in the Kerry Community Awards 2008. They overcame tough opposition from Forbairt Na Dromada Teo and Knockanure Development Assocaition. It was a fantastic night for the Killlorglin & District Branch who turned up in numbers on the night to accept the Plaque and a Cheque for €4,000.

J igsaw is a community-based system of care that supports young people, aged 12-25, to achieve better mental health. It represents a new approach to youth mental health that puts the needs and energies of young people and the wider local community at the heart of thinking and planning. North Kerry Together with input from the Kerry Community Mental Health Alliance applied to Headstrong for Kerry to become a pilot site for the Jigsaw Project, the application has been approved.

On September 1^st 2007, MFG Comhar Dhuibhne officially opened An Moncaí Ocrach youth café on Bridge St., Dingle/An Daingean. Earlier in 2006, they had commissioned Clare Barry of Sonas Consulting to conduct a piece of research which assessed the needs of young people in the Dingle peninsula region.   Since the caf é opened in 2007 the numbers attending have grown and activities have increased.   It continues to evolve.

KERRY Mental Health Association celebrates 40 years in existence.   This article gives an account of how the Association has grown from its establishment up to the present.