Behind the scenes of mdeducational foundation: Meet our Senior Administrative Officer, Coleen McLaughlin

mdeducational foundation is a charity prioritising student wellbeing by providing fully funded wellbeing support in schools. We enable educational settings to kickstart their long-term wellbeing strategies by providing a three-year salary-funded commitment to placing dedicated wellbeing professionals within post-16 educational settings across the UK and Ireland.

As with all charities and organisations, there’s a lot of background work involved in creating the right processes and strategies to achieve a mission and vision. For mdeducational foundation, the same stands as our charity is aiming for a world in which every student has access to the wellbeing support they need – without delay. And to help us achieve this, every member of our team fosters an environment in which post-16 students can thrive, throughout education and beyond.

The talented and committed professionals at mdeducational foundation work collaboratively to ensure we’re on a strong path together. Inspired by our passionate Co-Founders, Miriam Dervan and Tarquin Scadding-Hunt, and their focus on giving back to the local community and changing the script for today’s young people. Together, we’re committed to our mission of making sure all post-16 students feel supported in every aspect of their wellbeing, helping them on their journey to a brighter future.

Below, we share a charity snapshot and introduce you to Coleen McLaughlin, Senior Administrative Officer at mdeducational foundation. Coleen not only supports the team, she has the vital role of ensuring processes work smoothly and seamlessly and is an irreplaceable part of the charity’s work when it comes to supporting schools and Wellbeing Leads with their launch events. Join us in getting to know Coleen and learn more about what happens behind the scenes at mdeducational foundation.

What inspired you to pursue the Senior Administrative Officer role at mdeducational foundation, and how do you envision your expertise enhancing the charity’s mission?

“As a mother to three children (aged 2, 6 and 8), making sure their wellbeing is supported as they grow is so important to me. It’s essential to teach our young people that their feelings and emotions are valid as well as how to navigate through them when they feel overwhelmed.

While my role as Senior Administrative Officer is very much supporting all team members and aspects of essential administration, a huge part of my role is also the facilitation of various events. From representing the foundation at Mental Health & Wellbeing events and conferences to co-ordinating school Wellbeing Hub launches. As part of this, I also provide support to the Wellbeing Lead and Principal to make sure their Wellbeing Hub launch runs smoothly.

With more than 20 years of administrative experience in my career, I have gained a wealth of knowledge and understanding of what works best and most effectively within a team environment and what will help move our foundation forward and get our mission out there as much as possible.”

What does your day-to-day look like as the Senior Administrative Officer?

“No two days are ever the same! I see myself as an ambassador for the foundation and a welcome first point of contact. My role typically involves all the administration tasks not only for the full school Application Process from start to finish, e.g. I liaise with schools from Expression of Interest right through to onboarding of new schools right to anything from replying to emails, updating reports, logs and connecting with the team, ensuring seamless communication and keeping on top of projects and tasks.

As well as the day-to-day, my role involves coordinating areas of responsibility, managing resources, and tracking project progress to make sure they are always completed to high standards. A recent internal project I worked on was the logistics and facilitation of all upcoming events. It involved creating a collaborative workspace where our team could efficiently coordinate and stay on top of schedules.

On top of the general administrative responsibilities, I regularly engage with the schools and Wellbeing Leads we collaborate with. Whether it’s in relation to receiving termly reports or in preparation for upcoming events, it’s really important to me to stay connected and build a relationship with all members of staff within the school, making sure they feel comfortable to reach out to us should they need anything at all. It reassures schools to know that we’re always available as a team to offer support.

Another reason I interact with schools and Wellbeing Leads is to collect termly data. This is a vital part of what we do to ensure we have evidence-based data to demonstrate the impact of the work within each school and across all regions and to objectively inform our Senior Management and Trustees. We capture information such as the number of post-16 students who’ve been provided with access to wellbeing support, how many participated in workshops or other sessions, and learn how young people have found their experience of interacting with the Wellbeing Lead and Wellbeing Hub. In our day-to-day, we’ve already seen a real improvement in young people’s wellbeing from the placements we’ve made so far.

As a part of our Application Process, I I’ve had the pleasure of assisting senior management on School Visits and it’s been amazing to get to meet the wonderful students and hear what they’ve had to say! Our young people often don’t get the chance to vocalise their feelings, so it’s really refreshing to hear their personal ideas, opinions and what wellbeing means to them, as well as how we can help make their journey brighter.

Another fantastic opportunity which I thoroughly enjoyed, was to attend the International Digital Mental Health & Wellbeing Conference at Ulster University in Northern Ireland in June this year. My role at the event was to represent our charity and exhibit with a professional stand. I was networking with relevant individuals, sharing our mission and promoting our foundation – helping to get the name of our foundation out there.”

How do you coordinate with schools to ensure the smooth and seamless execution of Wellbeing Hub launch events?

“Ask anyone in the team and they’ll tell you how much I LOVE a Wellbeing Hub Launch! My favourite part is the buzz and excitement of the Wellbeing Lead, Principal, staff and students all coming together to launch the role of the Wellbeing Lead within that school and showcasing their Wellbeing Hub, it’s something I’ll never tire of.

One of my role responsibilities is event management, ensuring the planning, coordinating and organising are smooth and seamless. Having good organisational skills is crucial to a successful launch, and I have to say, I love having a checklist to make sure nothing gets missed. Communication between ourselves and the Wellbeing Lead and Principal is also vital, we provide as much or as little support as they need to guarantee a successful launch each and every time.

It’s a great opportunity to connect directly with the Wellbeing Leads and offer them support and guidance, during events such as launches. If it’s their first time and they’re feeling daunted I often say ‘It’s OK, it’s your first time, but it’s not mine!’”

Coleen is not only irreplaceable within the mdeducational foundation team, but she is also the key person when it comes to ensuring seamless coordination of wellbeing initiative launch events across the UK and Ireland at the schools we collaborate with. Here’s what Philip McCullagh, Principal at St Patrick’s and St Brigid’s College wanted to say about Coleen’s remarkable support:

Coleen was exceptional in helping us prepare for our official opening and launch event. She is diligent, hard working and was a real pleasure to work with. Coleen was able to establish a rapport quickly with both our staff and students. She is positive, well organised and has a great infectious enthusiasm. Our launch event was a highlight last year and thanks to Coleen it was a real success. I am very grateful for all of the help and support Coleen provided.

Can you share details of any Wellbeing Hub launches you’ve been part of?

“I’ve attended quite a few launches since starting my role, the furthest from home being in Mount Saint Michael, in County Mayo where we held the official opening of our first Wellbeing Hub in Ireland, back in October 2023. Read more on how the launch event went here. I’ve also supported St. Patrick’s & St. Brigid’s College Claudy, Northern Ireland in May this year, followed by St. Mary’s College, Derry in June.

Every launch is unique and bespoke to their school, but the sense of pride (and a little bit of relief) when it has all gone smoothly, never changes. Handling the coordination and organising of the launches includes lots of small tasks that end up being crucial for creating the big picture – from coordinating event speakers and VIP guests, to making sure we’re always presented professionally, to networking with like-minded individuals to share our mission. We are currently preparing for two upcoming launches in Northern Ireland and one in England. It’s a busy time, but very exciting!”

How do you maintain a positive and productive atmosphere in your role, despite the hectic nature of your responsibilities?

“No two days are the same, so while my role can indeed be very hectic, having excellent organisational skills definitely helps. I prioritise my schedule to make sure that the more urgent jobs are dealt with first and recognise that things can change multiple times a week – I also accept that this is perfectly ok! Spreadsheets are also my best friend – I love them almost as much as a Wellbeing Hub launch!

I try to keep a positive attitude across all areas of my life, starting my day with gratitude, positivity and a happy heart. As I mentioned I have three small children at home, so I like to set the tone at home before we start our day. I truly believe that they pick up on our vibes and take this out of the door with them, so it’s important that I try to send them out in the right mindset to make the best of every day. (I can’t deny morning coffee also helps me with the tone-setting, ha!).

What are some of the most rewarding parts of being a Senior Administrative Officer for our charity?

“When I collate the data from the schools and students we work with, I see first-hand the positive impact that we are having within the school. It’s so rewarding to know that I’m part of something that is literally life-changing for some students. Having already seen first-hand the positive changes we are making within our schools; it makes me feel incredibly proud to be part of the change that will undoubtedly impact my own children when they reach their post-16 education journey in many years to come.

Having attended the Suicide Prevention Conference hosted by Mental Health Champion for Northern Ireland, Professor Siobhan O’Neill in January of this year, I saw the importance of early intervention. Our young people need someone there in their day-to-day lives that they can speak to and reach out to when they feel they are struggling.

As a team, we are very passionate and driven. As we like to say and believe ‘young people need more than just an education at school’. I feel extremely proud that we are stepping up for them and making a change!”

To finish up, can you share your favourite wellbeing tips with us?

“As a fully qualified reflexologist, it’ll be no surprise that I’m a fan of holistic treatments. I find they really help to calm my mind and let me recharge.

I also sing in a choir which is just the best medicine for the soul!

Last, but by no means least, I love getting together with my friends and having a good catch-up. Life is extremely busy for us all but sometimes you don’t realise how much a bit of ‘friend therapy’ is needed and welcomed until you make the effort to get together.”

Descriptive photos with quotes – click the photo for the original source.

Thank you, Coleen, for sharing what goes on behind the scenes of your role!