CORK City Hall will light up green this week to mark the beginning of the Green Ribbon campaign in Cork.
The Green Ribbon Campaign aims to get people talking openly about common mental health problems, encouraging everyone to talk, listen and end mental health stigma.
Deputy Lord Mayor Cllr Fergal Dennehy is among tens of thousands of Cork people who will wear the Green Ribbon this month, and in support of the campaign Cork’s iconic City Hall will be lit up green on Thursday May 3rd.
Representatives of Cork Kerry Community Healthcare/the HSE joined the Lord Mayor at City Hall earlier this week to thank him for his support, and to encourage all Cork people to get involved. Partners from voluntary organisations Childline, the Samaritans and Pieta House were there, as were representatives of Jigsaw.
They came together to ask people not just to wear the Green Ribbon in May, but also to use the opportunity to start conversations about mental health, with the aim of promoting open conversation and challenging the stigma of mental health problems.
The Green Ribbon campaign is managed by See Change and receives funding from the HSE National Office for Suicide Prevention as part of activity taking place within the suicide and self-harm reduction plan Connecting for Life Cork (www.Connectingforlifecork.ie)
Head of Mental Health Services Sinead Glennon thanked the Lord Mayor, Cork City Council and the many other local organisations promoting the Green Ribbon campaign for their support.
She said that staff across Cork Kerry Community Healthcare are being encouraged not just to wear the Green Ribbon in May, but to use the ribbon as a reason to start conversations about mental health.
Resource Officer for Suicide Prevention Martin Ryan said that he’s grateful for cross-community support from services and agencies for the campaign in Cork.
“We’re encouraging people to have conversations around mental health. Maybe they could consider a simple coffee morning at home or at work, where people have the chance to chat. It’s important to remember that you don’t need to be an expert to start talking about mental health or have all the answers. Sometimes the most helpful thing you can do is to let someone know you are there for them and simply listen,” he said.
The Green Ribbon campaign will be promoted at events across the city and county this month, including at a Cork City FC match against Limerick this week, where Martin Ryan and the Samaritans will distribute Green Ribbons and wristbands to an expected crowd of 5,000. Martin thanked the board and staff of Cork city Football Club for their continued support in promoting of mental wellbeing .
- The websitewww.seechange.ie/green-ribbon/ has details on how to order free Green Ribbon, and how to place a virtual green ribbon on your social media profile. It also has ideas on how to organise an event or bring the Green Ribbon into an event you’ve planned already.
- You can follow the campaign on-line using the hash tag#GreenRibbonIRL and on
- www.facebook.com/SeeChangeIreland/; www.instagram.com/seechangeirl/ and at @SeeChangeIRL.
