Belfast politicians get involved in karaoke fundraiser for mental health charity Pure Mental
All images provided by the literific society. Taken by Hebe Lawson and edited by Jodie Morrow.
Image taken by Hebe Lawson and edited by Jodie Morrow.
Local politicians doing karaoke? Some would say it’s the stuff of a fever dream and yet this was the turn of events on Sunday October 17 as Claire Hanna MP, Robbie Butler MLA and Councillor Taylor McGrann took to The Speakeasy to give their rendition of “Don’t Stop Believin'” – all in aid of a worthy cause!
The light-hearted fundraiser organised by the literific society and Queen’s Radio was held in aid of Pure Mental, a charity set up to further awareness for mental health and to aid its promotion within education in NI.
According to Lauren and Rebecca, volunteers at the charity, the importance of getting university students involved in mental health awareness is immeasurable. Between moving away from home, the stress of exams and making new friends, university can be a turbulent time for a young person. This is why normalising conversations surrounding mental health must start at ground level by checking in with those around us to ensure every young person’s mental health needs are met.
The event was a great success, with a grand total of £595 being raised for Pure Mental. This money inevitably aids them in providing primary school toolkits, sustaining a well-being council and lobbying the government to introduce public-minded policy. Robbie Butler MLA commented that through the charity maintaining its officers’ interaction, they can continue to create and maintain relationships with people of influence and manage budgetary responsibilities.
Events like this are important because they help to raise the profile of Pure Mental, and allow them to make connections with different groups of people, in this case facilitating interaction between local politicians and students. As a charity, Pure Mental relies on support like donations and funding to survive. Where funding has its limitations, the income provided by a fundraiser will be of particular use as there are no restrictions placed on it.
The current mental health crisis amongst young people in NI lends an urgency to driving awareness for mental health education. The first ever mental health survey by the Health and Social Care Board produced worrying results. It revealed that of young people in NI, 12.6% experience common mood disorders such as anxiety and depression with Northern Ireland having 25% higher rates of common mental health disorders than in other UK nations.
In this climate, the need for prevention and early intervention could not be more important. Recent progress made In Stormont to combat the situation includes an Executive commitment to ensure cross-department collaboration on all things related to mental health. With early years intervention to the mental health and wellbeing framework in education, coupled with the mental health strategy, the Executive should be in a good place to begin necessary and progressive inroads.
Society has not seen a more pertinent time for grassroots organizations such as Pure Mental to be pushing for Stormont to better address the issue of the mental health crisis in Northern Ireland, and what better way than getting local politicians involved in a singalong?
Claire Dickson is a Culture Reporter and Politics student at Queen’s University Belfast.