NI depression charity AWARE has announced the return of its Express Yourself poetry competition in a bid to shine a light on children’s mental health.
The unique initiative aims to inspire primary school pupils in P6 and P7 to speak openly about their feelings, reduce stigma, and take control of their mental well-being.
This year, the initiative will be supported by Isla McManus, an 11-year-old singer who has become renowned for her impressive vocals garnering more than 65,000 followers and 1.1million likes on TikTok.
“Being part of the Express Yourself campaign is really important to me,” said Isla.
“I want to encourage kids to understand that it’s okay to talk about their feelings, and that expressing ourselves is a powerful way to feel better. I’m so proud to support a project that helps children do that.”
Isla is in good company as in the past AWARE NI have also teamed up with local magician and Blue Peter presenter Joel M, whose support helped bring the conversation to a wider audience.
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The campaign has seen incredible success in previous years, with over 200 schools participating and helping to normalise mental health conversations among a huge number of children.
“As an organisation that believes in the early intervention model, the Express Yourself competition is one of our favourite campaigns to run here at AWARE NI,” said CEO of the charity, Karen Collins.
“Seeing the impact it has had in previous years with schools, empowering young children to talk about their worries and their fears and to open up to people they trust, has been truly inspiring.
“Their poems have been beautiful and have inspired us as adults over the past few years. We cannot wait to read the poems from the students this year, and we would encourage all schools to sign up to this powerful and impactful campaign.”
The Express Yourself competition provides participating schools with a free downloadable poetry pack, filled with interactive activities that focus on mental health, self-expression, and understanding our feelings, worries and fears.
These resources encourage children to connect with others, be active, notice the world around them, learn, reflect and focus on the things in life that brings them joy.
The top ten poems will be published in an illustrated book, written for children by children, which will be distributed to schools and libraries across Northern Ireland, aiming to help spark further conversations around mental health and give the campaign a legacy.
The winning school will also receive a 6-week mindfulness programme to help students build on their emotional resilience.
Isla will also visit the winning school to perform and engage with students, bringing her inspiring presence to the children who have shown outstanding creativity and mental health awareness.
To learn more or donate to the work of AWARE NI visit www.aware-ni.org.