Connect with us
employability limerick employability limerick

Event News

EmployAbility Limerick partner with the Green Ribbon Campaign to host Time to Talk Day

Pictured at the EmployAbility Limerick Office for the launch of the upcoming Green Ribbon campaign and ‘Time to talk’ day taking place on Tuesday May 7th are Kevin Downes, Limerick Senior hurler, Meghann Scully, Mental Health Advocate, Ursula Mackenzie, EmployAbility Limerick, Amanda Clifford, A.B.C for Mental Health, and Patrick McLoughney, Social Media Influencer. Picture: Conor Owens/ilovelimerick.

EmployAbility Limerick partner with the Green Ribbon Campaign to host Time to Talk Day

By I Love Limerick Correspondent Sinead Fitzgibbon 


 

EmployAbility Limerick assists and supports people who have an injury, illness or disability in returning to work and maintaining employment. They currently have a specific project that solely focuses on people with a mental health illness. For the month of May, EmployAbility Limerick is joining forces with See Change, whose aim is to reduce the stigma associated with mental health problems and challenge discrimination, by partnering with the Green Ribbon Campaign.

employability limerick

A.B.C For Mental Health are holding Green Ribbon Talks at the Hunt Museum throughout the month of May.

The annual Green Ribbon Campaign takes place every May, as part of Mental Health Awareness Month, and aims to get people talking openly about common mental health problems. This campaign, now in its 7th year running, promotes open conversation about mental health and it challenges the associated stigma that sometimes comes with it. Ursula Mackenzie from EmployAbility Limerick, explained why they got involved, “Stigma is very often one of the barriers to hiring someone who has a disability, particularly mental health illness, and we just like a lot of other organisations and businesses have been supporting this campaign for a while now, however, we took it upon ourselves this year to go a little further”.

A.B.C. for Mental Health is an organisation set up to promote a healthy and open attitude towards Mental Health. A.B.C. stands for, Awareness, Belonging and Creating. Since 2014 A.B.C. for Mental Health has been organising talks and events in Limerick to promote Green Ribbon month. Amanda Clifford, from A.B.C for Mental Health said, “We would like to get people together, who want to make a difference, to feel they belong, to come to our events as it is so important to promote open conversations on mental health and to challenge the stigma attached to mental health problems. Alone we can do little; together we can do so much!”

EmployAbility Limerick and A.B.C for Mental Health launched the Green Ribbon Campaign with the help of Meghann Scully, Mental Health advocate, Kevin Downes, Limerick Senior Hurler, Patrick McLoughney, Social Media Influencer and Richard Lynch from ilovelimerick.com who all came out to support a worthy campaign.

More than 500,000 free green ribbons are distributed every year to spark a national conversation about mental health in boardrooms, canteens, clubhouses, arts venues, college campuses and around kitchen tables throughout Ireland. Wearing a green ribbon during May, could encourage others to reach out, feel less alone and seek support.

This May, EmployAbility Limerick is asking local businesses to ‘Light up Green’ with exterior lighting to help “Say ‘No’ to Mental Health Stigma.” Alternatively, you can host an event on May 7 as part of the National ‘Time to Talk’ Day- this can be anything from in house mental health promotions, coffee morning, etc. On this day people are encouraged to use their social media presence to encourage positive conversation about mental health online. Time to Talk Day takes place annually and encourages everyone to talk about mental health.

On Tuesday, May 7 Employability Limerick will host a ‘Time to Talk Day’ event which will take place in Ruby Sundays Café at 2.15 pm with guest speaker Patrick Mercie. Later that day at 6 pm in the Peoples Park, a Tree of Hope will be planted with guest of honour Eddie Murphy, a psychologist from the hit RTÉ Show Operation Transformation, and all are welcome. 

Ursula said, “We are hoping to have a stream of green balloons down the city centre on May 7. So if you have not spoken to us please get in contact!” For more information on how to get involved email [email protected] or phone 061 493095.

For more information about SeeChange visit

For more information about EmployAbility Limerick visit

For more stories on the Green Ribbon Campaign go here

Pictured at the Ruby Sundays cafe for the EmployAbility Limerick's 'Time to Talk' day are employees of EmployAbility Aine Shanahan, Ellen McQuillan, Michelle Barrett and Anne Buckley. Picture: Conor Owens/ilovelimerick.
Pictured at the Ruby Sundays cafe for the EmployAbility Limerick's 'Time to Talk' day are (back row) Dermot OGorman, EmployAbility Limerick, Ursula Mackenzie, EmployAbility Limerick, Patrick Mercie, life coach, (front row) Aine Shanahan, EmployAbility Clare, Ellen McQuillan, EmployAbility Clare, Michelle Barrett, EmployAbility Limerick, and Anne Buckley, EmployAbility Limerick. Picture: Conor Owens/ilovelimerick.
Pictured at the Ruby Sundays cafe for the EmployAbility Limerick's 'Time to Talk' day are Mary McNamee, Limerick Chamber, Caoimhe Moloney, Limerick Chamber, and Sinead Clinton, Metis Ireland. Picture: Conor Owens/ilovelimerick.
Pictured at the Ruby Sundays cafe for the EmployAbility Limerick's 'Time to Talk' day are Julian Stark, Marcel Coetzee and Amanda Clifford, A.B.C for Mental Health. Picture: Conor Owens/ilovelimerick.
Speaking at the Ruby Sundays cafe for the EmployAbility Limerick's 'Time to Talk' day is life coach Patrick Merice. Picture: Conor Owens/ilovelimerick.
Speaking at the Ruby Sundays cafe for the EmployAbility Limerick's 'Time to Talk' day is Ursula Mackenzie, EmployAbility Limerick. Picture: Conor Owens/ilovelimerick.
Pictured at the Ruby Sundays cafe for the EmployAbility Limerick's 'Time to Talk' day are life coach Patrick Merice, Ursula Mackenzie, EmployAbility Limerick, Mary McNamee, Limerick Chamber, and Sinead Clinton, Metis Ireland. Picture: Conor Owens/ilovelimerick.
Pictured at the Ruby Sundays cafe for the EmployAbility Limerick's 'Time to Talk' day are life coach Patrick Merice, and Ursula Mackenzie, EmployAbility Limerick. Picture: Conor Owens/ilovelimerick.
Pictured at the Ruby Sundays cafe for the EmployAbility Limerick's 'Time to Talk' day are Aine Shanahan, EmployAbility Clare, life coach Patrick Mercie, Ursula Mackenzie, EmployAbility Limerick, and Anne Buckley, EmployAbility Limerick. Picture: Conor Owens/ilovelimerick.
Pictured at the Ruby Sundays cafe for the EmployAbility Limerick's 'Time to Talk' day. Picture: Conor Owens/ilovelimerick.
Pictured at the Ruby Sundays cafe for the EmployAbility Limerick's 'Time to Talk' day. Picture: Conor Owens/ilovelimerick.

Pictures: Conor Owens/ilovelimerick.

Related Topics:

Richard is a presenter, producer, songwriter and actor. He was named the Limerick Person of the Year (2011) and won an online award at the Metro Éireann Media and Multicultural Awards (2011) for promoting multi-culturalism online. Richard says that the ilovelimerick.com concept is very much a community driven project that aims to document life in Limerick. So, that in 20 years time people can look back and remember the events that were making the headlines.