Posted on 10 September 2012 by Mícheál Gallagher
Today was the first day of term and World suicide awareness day.
And what a day it was. To be quite frank, I think it was very irresponsible of the university to not provide students with a venue in which they can drink safely. As I settle down for the evening I'm getting unsettling reports of large groups of students binge drinking cheap alcohol in their own homes. It's sad that UCD has taken away this traditional day of reunion for continuing students, where the bar was the community focal point and everyone met old friends and new in a safe, monitored public space that was the student bar.
No two days in the office are ever the same and this one was very much focused around emotional support for students. World Suicide Awareness day brings up a lot of emotions for people, but it's good to see that as a community we're becoming more open to talking about problems like suicide.
I'm planning a fundraiser for Pieta house this Wednesday morning, would be great if you could come along. More details can be found here.
I hosted welfare crew training in the Garret FitzGerald chamber last saturday, and had a guest speaker from SeeChange, Scott, who left us all with a profound message : "where there is silence, there is stigma." I'm running another welfare crew training session on Friday 21st Sept. and you can sign up for it by checking out my newsletter here.
As I sign off I encourage you to light a candle in your window for suicide awareness day. I'm lighting a candle for my own uncle, a mechanic in the army who took his life in rural Donegal, back in a time when people were encouraged not to talk about their problems. RIP Patrick, gone but not forgotten. Always remember: talking is a sign of strength. PleaseTalk.ie
Posted in: Uncategorised
