Jigsaw: Volunteers pushing for mental health system change
Dylan Kelly, youth mental health advocate with mental health charity Jigsaw pictured in Limerick City. Pic. Brian Arthur
Across Ireland, more than 150 youth advocate volunteers, themselves teens or young adults, are pushing for change in our youth mental health system.
Aged between 16 and 25, they are volunteers with Jigsaw, the charity that offers a free and confidential mental health support service for 12- to 25-year-olds.
The volunteers draw on their lived experience to amplify young voices in national conversations. They advocate for more accessible and youth-centred services, and they create awareness and challenge stigma.
“At a time when the youth mental health system is under immense pressure, their efforts are not only inspiring, but essential,” says David Kavanagh, Jigsaw’s youth voice and engagement manager.
Here, we talk to three of the volunteers, asking how mental health has touched them personally, why they wanted to be an advocate and what issues their peers are highlighting.
They also suggest tips for parents eager to support their children.
, 20, is in his second year of a counselling-and-psychotherapy degree at Griffith College, Limerick.
“The end of primary school, preparing to go to secondary, is a transitional time and was a bit of a struggle for me. Suddenly, primary school is ending, where you knew everybody, and now everyone is moving on, and so are you. It was a lot of unknowns. Nervousness, anxiety came up for me. I was going to get more independence and I wasn’t sure what that would be like.
It was probably three months before I talked to my parents — they noticed I was a bit down and asked, ‘What’s going on?’, and I opened up.
Empathy was the main thing they got right. A lot of parents don’t realise little things can really affect a child. From then, mental health became an open conversation in our house. Even now, we talk about whether it’s a good mental-health time for us. It’s important to start these conversations early.
I became a youth advocate volunteer with Jigsaw when I was 17. I wanted to be the person I needed when I was younger. As volunteers, we create things on social media or in person to bring people together to open up conversations about mental health; we’ve done lots of workshops, and we’ve done walks.
In Limerick, we did the Three Bridges walk and 25 people turned up. It was an open invitation, so people brought their parents, their dogs. We walked for an hour and talked a lot about what made us feel good.
A big thing for young people is the cost-of-living crisis. It’s leading them to feel everything’s so out of reach. We’ve talked to 16-, 17-year-olds who want to go away to college, but it’s too expensive. They talk themselves down, because they know they’re not going to be able to do it.
My advice for parents is: look inwards, because the way your life is running could be affecting your child. You could be having a really stressful day and then be angry with the person next to you. So what are you carrying and putting out that’s not beneficial to anyone?
And, also, look outward. If your child’s struggling, it’s crucial to connect with others who are having a similar issue with their child. Sometimes it’s about finding an outside source, even a therapist, someone you and your child are comfortable with.
Give your children a break. Kids are definitely moody people, which a parent will realise if they look back on their own youth.”
, 19, is a first-year law and politics student at Dublin City University.
“I was in second year when covid hit. I was big into sport and doing things at school. In lockdown, there was a lot of pressure to complete the schoolwork — you felt you were falling behind. It was a difficult time — there could have been more supports. I felt very lonely, sad, not seeing my friends.
Texting isn’t the same. We’d made friends in first year, but in second and third year we were cut off from them. I definitely drifted and felt awkward when we went back after lockdown, and we were behind masks and couldn’t be close to anyone — you nearly forgot to socialise. It was definitely a step back for a while.
And when we went back to school, all the rules had loosened up around phones and devices, and we were just on our phones. It never went back to the way it had been.
I think it would have been good if it had; young minds are so vulnerable and can be exposed to so much on phones, with algorithms putting negative stuff on your feed. When I was younger, I saw stuff about self-harm, suicide, negative things about friends. I’ve definitely seen a lot of bullying online. And if I didn’t have my parents saying to get off my phone, I wouldn’t have.
I was 16, in fourth year, looking for work experience, when I came across this volunteer opportunity to be a youth mental-health advocate with Jigsaw.
What they stood for — prevention is better than cure — is what I feel. I realised, from how I’d experienced my mental health being affected, that it can really knock people back; if you don’t get help early on, it can prevent you getting so many opportunities.
I think body image is a big issue. I went to an all-girls’ school and a lot of people worried about how they look. And anxiety, too. Secondary school can be tough — it’s a lot of cliques, the group, who you’re going to sit with. If you’re very emotional or quiet, it can be easy to get picked on.
I’d say to parents to learn the signs that show your child is struggling, like changes in behaviour — not going out as much, or loss of appetite. And listen.
The worst thing you can do when someone comes to you is to take away from the problem or shut it down. Take your child’s concern seriously. You don’t know how something’s impacting; something ‘small’ could affect one person one way, another person a different way.”
, 18, is in sixth year at The Institute of Education, Dublin.
“Around 13, I struggled a lot with mental health. I was always sensitive as a child, but now there were hormone changes, too. Transitioning from a child to a young adult, claiming your identity; it’s definitely a confusing time. I want to do psychology. I was looking for a work-experience opportunity online and found Jigsaw; being a volunteer resonated with me.
The top concern among young people is anxiety. I hear it all the time. If they have to give a presentation, or before an exam, it’s always, ‘I’m so anxious’. There’s a lot of social anxiety around being with other people and talking to them. It’s way more common now for teens not to enjoy answering the phone, even among friends.
It’s, ‘Please, just message me’. It’s an influence of social media, where it’s easier, less pressure, to think of an answer. We’re so used to this type of socialising, but social media’s a fake connection. It’s pulling us further from real, worthwhile connections. When I connect [in real-time] with people, I see positive effects on my mental health and wellbeing, so I try to do that more often than texting.
Something that resonated with me was when I was studying non-stop, a friend said, ‘If you don’t give your mind rest, it’ll do it for you by showing physical symptoms’. I’ve seen it play out, especially in sixth year, when so many people get sick. It has really made me take my breaks.
To parents, I’d say be a safe space, a non-judgmental person, so even if your child has done something really wrong they’ll know they can come to you regardless. And it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it; you can get your message across without being mean.
Encourage your child to take space from social media and to have real-life connections. If there’s a rule or boundary — like a set time to be away from their phone — it can help them manage it better. And have your child form a routine — three meals a day, enough time for sleep.”
