As you may or may not know, I have been working with Aware, the charity which helps to defeat depression, since soon after I won the Irish title. It is an organisation which is very close to my heart and very important given the amount of people who are affected by depression at some point in their lives - one in four.
Monday, the 17th of January marked the start of Aware's Depression Awareness Week Nationwide (DAWN) 2011. I was delighted to attend the media launch which took place in the Buswells Hotel on Kildare St. in Dublin.
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| Samantha Long & Sandra Hogan, PRO of Aware |
The theme of this year's campaign was "Sometimes it's easier to type than to talk", in accordance with the organisation's new Online Support Groups which launched on the same morning. Guest speakers included David Carton, Kevin Smyth and Agnes Rowley.
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| Aware's DAWN 2011 Media Launch |
The Chairman of Aware, David Carton, spoke about the need for awareness that exists. He referred to the various services which Aware offers including the literature (available to download on the website) and the support groups online. He also encouraged others to initiate help for those who can't do so themselves and referred to how you can now "Let your fingers do the walking and/or the talking." He also spoke directly to the media present and noted that there are 400,000 people in Ireland who want to hear that they can be helped and urged the media to let this be known.
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| Samantha Long & David Carton |
Aware's Chief Executive, Kevin Smyth, spoke about the newly redeveloped website and the importance of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, in keeping with the theme of this year's DAWN. He explained that the Online Support Groups are available from the home page of the website to ensure maximum accessibility. Also stressed was the idea that "getting help should be the first choice, not the last resort". He also noted that 95% of those who seek help will recover.
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| Samantha Long & Kevin Smyth |
Aware volunteer Agnes Rowley spoke about her own experience of suffering from depression and welcomed the new Online Support Groups. She referred to the stigma which continues to surround the illness and the difficulty that there is for men to reach out. She stressed the fact that the Online Support Groups are totally confidential and stated that "Aware will now cover all the bases".
Check out the following video for a recap from DAWN 2011:
Until Next Time,
Samantha (Sami) Long
Miss United Nation Ireland 2010
Miss United Nation Europe 2010
