Chat, chill and be real at Joy in the Park

Geraldine Fitzgerald

The amazing Joy in The Park will take place on Thursday 23 July, and the clue is in the title – it’s a celebration of life, bringing communities together and finding joy.

If last year’s festivities were anything to go on, we can look forward to an electric and eclectic mix of live music, children’s entertainment, spoken word and storytelling, workshops, a fabulous food market and all manner of wellness activities nestled in the leafy welcome that is Fitzgerald’s Park.

Wellbeing and positive mental health are the core tenets of Joy in the Park, and they have the perfect partner in the Cork Mental Health Foundation, who have a history of exemplary work spanning six decades.

Cork Mental Health Foundation has advocated for those with mental health difficulties since 1962 and has grown into the vibrant and inclusive organisation it is today.

The charity has a mental health housing arm that supports people with mental health difficulties with social housing; they currently have 39 properties supporting over 100 residents in Cork city and county.

They also provide numerous educational projects; presentations to the community, voluntary and statutory groups in the area of mental health promotion, and their presence at Joy in the Park provides an environment for people to relax, chat, engage and be real about their feelings.

It’s a challenge to people who aren’t feeling great to find the kind of help that best suits them. Being able to discuss their feelings in a non-clinical environment that feels secure is a great help in finding a positive attitude to mental health, and Cork Mental Health Foundation are leading the way.

CEO of Cork Mental Health Foundation Brendan McCarthy welcomes the move away from the stigmatisation of mental health into a far broader and more open culture of acknowledgement and inclusivity.

“One in four of us are diagnosed with a mental illnesses,” he explained, “but 100% of us have mental health issues at some point in our lives. Given certain circumstances, we all break, and we all need help.”

Being able to speak about how we are feeling has never been a particularly Irish trait, but we’re getting better at it. Most people are unsure of where to start or what kind of help they need – or even if they need help at all.

There is no such thing as ‘normal’, we all have ups and downs; it’s what makes us human.

Social inclusion

The foundation realised early on that social inclusion was key for people dealing with mental health issues. They opened a charity shop in Mallow, staffed by people for whom having a purpose and social interaction played a hugely positive role.

The Mallow shop was a major success and led the foundation to create a space that focused even further on general wellbeing. This led to the opening of The Next Step, now at 22 Sullivan’s Quay in Cork city, which provides art, yoga, woodwork, Zumba classes, writing, knitting – a whole range of activities to promote wellbeing and creativity.

The kitchen table at The Next Step allowed chats with peers in a positive space, which in turn led to the opening of a similar resource in Clonakilty.

The Clonakilty Community Centre offers a welcoming space for men’s groups, women’s groups, LBGTQ groups and is open to everyone who needs to be heard and supported.

Volunteer staff

All the foundation’s spaces are ably staffed by facilitators or peers. “People who may have first arrived and been very silent end up finding their voice,” explained Brendan, “and as they develop their confidence, may become volunteer staffers themselves, lending the same acceptance and listening ear that was extended to them to a new person in the door for the first time.”

A great example is the Bridge Street Community Café in Bantry, a fully functional café with tasty treats and excellent coffee, another socially inclusive space. It’s staffed by 20 volunteers all specifically trained in listening skills. Everybody who fancies a bite can pop in, and anyone feeling a bit lost can have a chat and be signposted to services if needed.

Joy in the Park

“Joy in the Park worked so well last year because it was a very comfortable and organic way to get people talking, and to get advice and information they didn’t have before. We had brilliant engagement from people who might have been initially nervous or confused so they could get signposting to the services they needed, and we had loads to calls afterwards that allowed us to connect people with services in a meaningful way.”

Joy In the Park, along with a stellar musical line-up and loads of fun, will feature an engaging programme of wellness, sensory activities and workshops, provided by the HSE Cork & Kerry Community Health Action Zone as well as SHINE, MyMind, GROW, Cork Counselling Services and Jigsaw.

They will be joined by PIETA, Samaritans, Shine A Light, Aware.ie and the National Learning Network who will be at the event as part of the support hub, offering their support and information throughout the afternoon.