€140K funding for Healthy Louth positive mental health initiative

Louth County Council’s Healthy Louth programme has been awarded €140,000 funding for the innovative positive mental health initiative, "Dear Future Me".

This significant financial support, granted over a two-year funding period from 2024 to 2025, is courtesy of the Creative Health and Wellbeing in the Community, Shared Island Funding.

With the investment, Healthy Louth in collaboration with various partners including Dundalk Youth Centre and the Magnet Centre in Newry, will implement a series of transformative programmes targeting young people aged 10-18 in Louth and Newry, Mourne, and Down.

The "Dear Future Me" programme is designed to tackle prevalent issues of loneliness, isolation, and poor mental health among youth by offering a diverse range of activities and workshops. These include connecting through crafts with "Picnic in the Park" events, physical activity, and cultural exploration through "Top of the World Hiking," art therapy and meditation sessions under "Shared Serenity," and creative workshops in videography, performing arts, and cooking for wellness.

The project will close with a ‘Dear Future Me’ festival in which young people will be able to showcase their achievements and give back to their community via a series of community events. 

The €140K funding allocation signifies a major milestone for Healthy Louth and its partners as they embark on a mission to bolster the mental well-being of young people in the region. Over the two-year period, the initiative aims to empower young people to embrace their shared heritage, cultivate self-awareness, and develop skills that transcend borders.

"We are delighted to receive this substantial funding and extend our gratitude to Creative Ireland, and all partners involved for their support," said Paula Keenan, Healthy County Coordinator at Louth County Council. "This funding allocation will enable us to deliver an impactful programme and make a tangible difference in the lives of young people across our shared island."

"Dundalk Youth Centre is delighted to partner with Healthy Louth and the Magnet Centre Newry for the exciting ‘Dear Future Me’ cross border project", said Kevin Moran, manager of Dundalk Youth Centre.

"This project will focus on supporting young people’s mental health as they engage with the local environment and develop their creative skills in 2024 and 2025. This is an exciting project bringing two key centres together in a strategic partnership to develop new initiatives for young people in Dundalk and Newry. We are very grateful for Creative Ireland Shared Island for their support for the project." 

Teresa Kearney, Manager of the Magnet Youth Centre, Newry, added, "We in Magnet Young Adult Centre are delighted to be working in partnership with Healthy Louth and Dundalk Youth Centre on this very exciting new cross border project ‘Dear Future Me’. We are a Youth led organisation and our members are always looking ways to share our ethos and to learn from others and thanks to Creative Ireland Shared Island this will be possible over the next 2 years.”

Mark Garvey, Health Promotion & Improvement Officer, from the HSE said: “The funding from Creative Ireland offers a great opportunity in a variety of ways to address some of the most prevalent health issues affecting young people today. We are delighted to support this project, working alongside our partners in Louth County Council and Healthy Louth.”

Healthy Louth says it looks forward to leveraging the allocated funding to implement "Dear Future Me" and advance their commitment to promoting positive mental health in the community. For further information about Healthy Louth and the programme of work, please check out the Healthy Louth page on the Louth County Council website here.