A year of impact: mdeducational foundation Wellbeing Support Initiative in an Irish School

For the last few years, mdeducational foundation has been piloting and establishing an impactful wellbeing initiative in schools across the UK. Over the last year, it was time to take another significant leap forward by extending our reach and support even further – into Ireland.

October 2023 marked an important milestone in our charity’s journey towards a world in which every student has access to the wellbeing support they need, without delay. We proudly funded our first Wellbeing Lead placement in an Irish school at Mount St Michael Secondary School in County Mayo. If you haven’t yet read about our exciting launch event, head over to our blog to find out all about it.

A lot has happened at Ber’s Warmth Wellbeing Hub with the lead of their incredible Wellbeing Lead, Grace McGee. Below, we are excited to share firsthand experiences from Mount St Michael Secondary School’s Principal, the Wellbeing Lead, a student and a teacher. All of them have witnessed the amazing impact that our wellbeing initiative is having on the school’s students already. This blog reflects on the journey of the past year, highlighting the transformative power of dedicated wellbeing support and the collaborative efforts that have made it all possible – keep reading to learn more.

The power of collaboration between Mount St Michael Secondary School and mdeducational foundation

Our charity’s collaboration with Mount St Michael Secondary School has been strong from the very beginning. This partnership has enabled the school to kickstart their long-term wellbeing strategy and take pioneering steps towards improving student wellbeing as our pilot school in the Republic of Ireland. Here, Ciarán Ryan, the school Principal, shares his insights on the transformative effects this initiative has had on their school community:

“The appointment of a Wellbeing Lead has had a huge positive impact on our school community here at Mount St Michael Secondary School. The wellbeing of our students has always been our number one priority here at our school, however as with many schools’ resources can be limited. This is why the funding by mdeducational foundation to employ our Wellbeing Lead, Grace, has been transformational to our school community. 

As the Principal here at Mount St Michael Secondary School, I’ve witnessed first-hand the profound influence the Wellbeing Hub has had on our senior cycle students. This Wellbeing Hub serves as a dedicated safe space where students can openly express their emotions and seek support when needed.

We’ve found that this environment not only fosters emotional intelligence but also helps our students to identify and manage their feelings, equipping them with the skills to navigate the complexities that life might present to them in the future. 

Our Director of Schools & Partnerships, Deirdre Doherty, also highlighted the importance of a collaborative approach with schools to improve student wellbeing:

“On behalf of mdeducational foundation, I would like to thank all at Mount St Michael Secondary School for helping us spearhead our charity in Ireland. From our data reporting and student testimonials, we can already see the significant impact the work in Ber’s Warmth is having on the students and indeed the whole school community. The breadth of initiatives and interventions is providing students with a wealth of opportunities to help manage their worries, stresses or anxiety. They also provide students with the tools they need to enhance their own wellbeing, or simply the opportunity just to pop in for a cuppa can make a huge difference!

The collaboration has been key with Mount St Michael Secondary School which described this as a ‘life-changing student initiative’. The value of collaborating together cannot be overstated. By pooling our resources, expertise and networks, it’s allowed us to, together, address key challenges more effectively allowing us to make a significant positive difference to student wellbeing.”

Building strong relationships with Wellbeing Lead, Grace McGee

Grace McGee, our dedicated Wellbeing Lead at Mount St Michael Secondary School, has played a pivotal role in fostering a supportive and inclusive environment for senior cycle students at her school. Her role as a Wellbeing Lead is to promote positive wellbeing through the delivery of a wellbeing curriculum by normalising student psychological fitness and resilience. After just one year in the position, her commitment to building strong relationships and providing accessible, inclusive support has already made a significant impact on the school community. Here, Grace shares her experiences and the positive changes she has witnessed over the past year:

“I feel incredibly fortunate to have landed my dream job. When I first saw the position advertised, I could hardly believe it – it was everything I had ever hoped for. The excitement of beginning this new chapter has been incredible, and since starting in the Wellbeing Lead position, the students and staff at Mount St Michael have been so welcoming and encouraging that I truly feel like I belong here.

Building strong relationships has been essential part of my first year as Wellbeing Lead. Connecting with students, staff, mdeducational foundation, local community groups and national organisations has made the journey both exciting and fulfilling. Collaborating with students brings diversity to the role, ensuring that no two days are the same. What I love most about being a Wellbeing Lead is developing these relationships to ensure that the support we offer is accessible, inclusive and a safe space to approach.

A typical day begins with our drop-in service before and after school where senior cycle students can enjoy informal chats over a cuppa, while discussing and exploring their health and wellbeing in a welcoming safe space. One-to-one support is available to students who may sometimes experience challenges; this may be a listening ear or providing tips and strategies to help. Students also have the opportunity to participate in workshops, student-led projects and enjoy lunchtime activities.

For example, on Tuesdays, we host a “Connect Café” (Mental Health Ireland initiative), where we discuss a wellbeing question. On “Wellbeing Wednesdays”, we embrace creativity with activities such as bracelet making, wellbeing Scrabble, and visualisations. As the week progresses, Thursdays focus on mindfulness practices and to end the week we finish with ‘Feel Good Friday’, where we celebrate positivity and happiness through music.

At the beginning of the academic year, we conducted a survey with senior cycle students to ensure their voices were central in shaping our workshops and projects. This allowed us to design workshops that addressed key areas such as anxiety, exam stress, self-care, sleep and healthy relationships. We also brought in external experts to enrich the students’ experience.

One expert was Seamus Ruane from iThrive, who guided students in exploring factors that enhance happiness, reduce stress, and develop skills for thriving in school and beyond. Gillian Bane from Well Work 360, and Nuala Gilligan from Claremorris Family Resource Centre, supported students in building wellbeing strategies to help manage their worries, stress or anxiety. We partnered with LIFT Ireland to also help students cultivate their leadership skills.

Additionally, we also participated in the Mental Health Ireland’s national “HELLO, How R U?” campaign, which meant we created a safe space for students, staff, community members and organisations to engage in meaningful conversations about wellbeing. Our collaborative creative project, ‘How to Support a Friend’, transformed workshop content into a visual representation through a partnership with Claremorris Family Resource Centre and a local artist, resulting in an impactful poster.

Partnership is a vital aspect of this role, and the support I’ve received from mdeducational foundation has been phenomenal. The clinical supervision from Catherine has been invaluable, while the group resources have greatly enhanced my work with the senior cycle students. Networking with all other Wellbeing Leads has also been fantastic in providing a great sense of community. It’s incredibly reassuring to know that, no matter the query, the team at mdeducational foundation; Catherine, Deirdre, Coleen, Leah, and Susanna are always there with support and guidance. For that, I am truly grateful.

One of the most rewarding aspects of this role is receiving feedback from students and seeing the positive impact that the Wellbeing Hub has had on them. Whether it’s a single word, a sentence, or a heartfelt message, each piece of feedback is a reminder of the Wellbeing Hub’s impact and the support it provides. ‘Ber’s Warmth’ Wellbeing Hub offers senior cycle students a non-judgmental space, where they can engage in open conversation about their wellbeing – allowing students to ‘just be’. It continues to inspire me every day.

As we enter year two of the Wellbeing Hub, I look forward to working with students, staff and mdeducational foundation to continue enhancing the wellbeing of senior cycle students at Mount St Michael.”

Finding comfort and connection with Wellbeing Lead in the Wellbeing Hub

Together with the schools and our Wellbeing Leads, we are creating a brighter future for our young people. mdeducational foundation has seen an improvement in young people’s wellbeing from the Wellbeing Lead placements we’ve made so far, but don’t just take our word for it – hear from students at Mount St Michael Secondary School themselves. Below Natasha shares her heartfelt experiences of using the Wellbeing Hub and the incredible support provided by their Wellbeing Lead. She highlights how the Wellbeing Hub has become a safe haven for senior students, offering a place to relax, connect, and build resilience:

“Hi, my name is Natasha and I go to school at Mount St Michael Secondary School. We’re so lucky that the school’s recently opened Wellbeing Hub, which is now in its second year. It’s available for all senior students to have access at lunch or during breaks and classes when we feel stressed or in need of talking to someone. We’re also so lucky to have the most caring and the nicest Wellbeing Lead, Grace McGee.

The support from Grace has been really beneficial since the Wellbeing Hub opened last year. I feel comfortable and safe talking to Grace about lots of different things like family passing away and school in general in such a caring and safe environment.

The support from the Wellbeing Hub has been helpful at lunch and break time, providing a place to chill and relax with friends. Grace always makes it feel, as we like to say ‘home away from home’, which is the only easy way to describe the Wellbeing Hub. Going to the Wellbeing Hub helps develop my social and emotional learning skills, learn to self-regulate and build overall resilience and a sense of wellbeing.

The most beneficial factor to our wellbeing from the Wellbeing Hub is that it’s a way to connect and build strong relationships and friendships with other students. It’s not just a judgement-free zone but also a place to learn new skills. Grace says that what we share in the Wellbeing Hub stays in the hub. I think this is really nice as the students can share things with Grace and it will not be told outside of the Wellbeing Hub which gives students a sense of confidentiality.

My favourite activities are the Connect Cafe and Mindfulness sessions.

The Connect Cafe is where we all sit in a circle and at half one on a Tuesday and Grace makes up a question. We go around the room and we all give our answer. It’s really nice because we all get to listen to each other’s answers. For example, one of the questions was ‘What scent reminds you of your childhood and why?’.

The Mindfulness Session is where students can choose to do mindfulness with Grace or you can do mindfulness colouring with music playing on the tv.

My best memory from the past year is that Grace and my year group started in Mount St Michael together. I think it is really nice that we have the opportunity to journey through the entire senior cycle together. Another memory is that I was glad that I got to be in the school when they opened the Wellbeing Hub and all the memories that I created with Grace. I really feel like I have connected with Grace and made a friend for life with Grace. She is absolutely amazing. We all love her so much, she is an inspiration to all the senior students at Mount St Michael.”

The powerful impact of dedicated and professional wellbeing support for students

A teacher at Mount St Michael Secondary School shared their experience of how the presence of a dedicated Wellbeing Lead has not only supported the students but also empowered the entire school staff to better address student wellbeing:

“There is now a systematic approach to dealing with our student wellbeing on a daily basis. It has created consistent security for our students but also for teachers who may not be qualified to deal with student anxieties and who also may not be able to give the students adequate time as they are often busy with their teaching jobs and other duties.

Students now have a fabulous, peaceful and dedicated space to go to, and a caring and knowledgeable staff member when they feel the need to. They know that they can go to our Wellbeing Lead when they need to and teachers. There is a space dedicated to their care and in a private setting too, as the Wellbeing Hub is in a nice secluded section of our school.”

On a journey towards a brighter future together

It’s been a wonderful year to work collaboratively with Mount St Michael Secondary School and see the initiative be brought to life by their incredible Wellbeing Lead, Grace McGee. We are incredibly proud to have them as our pilot school in the Republic of Ireland and to take the pioneering steps towards prioritising student wellbeing. We’re also delighted to see how loved the Ber’s Warmth Wellbeing Hub is by the senior cycle students. This safe and welcoming space is named in memory of our Co-Founder, Miriam Dervan’s beloved mother, Ber.

We hope this one-year reflection of our initiative being in place at Mount St Michael Secondary School showcases the real impact it’s having on the senior cycle students and the school community as a whole. Our charity doesn’t just provide funding for schools and walk away – we stick around to support their journey as they kickstart their long-term wellbeing strategy.

From our charity’s Co-Founders, Miriam Dervan (Founder of mdgroup and Executive Chair) and Tarquin Scadding-Hunt’s (CEO of mdgroup) inspiring passion for giving back to the local community, we are delighted that our collaboration is helping to change the script for today’s young people.

“If we can help even one young person, it will be worth every single penny.”