Pure Mental NI

Pure Mental NI is the first student-led mental health charity with a passion for improving mental health education, services and awareness in Northern Ireland’s schools to ensure young people are equipped with the understanding, knowledge and confidence to identify how they feel, be able to ask for help if they need it, and support others. We do this through pupil-led committees in post-primary schools, providing primary schools with free resource ToolKits, through the Young People’s Well-being Council and by researching, advocating and campaigning to pressure the Executive into bringing real change when it comes to mental health education.

The Pure Mental NI team are all under 24, and most of the team is currently studying as undergrads or postgrads at Queen's University. We seek young volunteers to ensure we are always youth-led and young people have a say and opportunity to help us bring about change. When we’re growing our team, we reach out to students first, and offer them the chance to use their skills, get some experience, and take on roles throughout the organisation. We have engaged with societies across QUB including iLive Leadership, the Literific Society, and political societies. By tackling stigma and promoting well-being in schools, we reduce the number of young people going into university with poor mental health.

If Pure Mental NI becomes a RAG partner, the potential funding will go a long way in helping us reach more schools and young people with our projects. We’ll also be able to use this opportunity to get more students involved as volunteers, and at fundraising events on campus and beyond – so we can ensure young people are at the forefront of everything we do.

With the funds raised we’ll be able to fund more Committees across Northern Ireland, ensure more primary schools get their hands on our free resource Toolkits, and grow our research and policy capabilities to bring about long term, meaningful change.