Pyjama parties, bake sales and fancy dress. It is that time of year again. The annual Petermarkathon fundraiser is back and coming to Peter Mark, Castlebar, from Friday October 23 to Monday October 26. This year the Peter Mark team will aim to raise much needed funds for Aware, and specifically its work supporting and educating teenagers about looking after their mental health.
Beat the Blues is a programme delivered free of charge by Aware each year to some 30,000 students aged from 15 to 18 years with a view to empowering this vulnerable group to help them understand how to look after their mental health and deal with everyday concerns before they spiral out of control.
Beat the Blues is a 70-minute programme and is very well received by students and teachers alike. It covers topics including principles for good mental health and actions that can help, the importance of looking at the positive aspects of our lives, why similar situations impact people in different ways, the role of core beliefs, how to prevent or recognise depression or anxiety and the importance of resilience and how to build it.
It costs Aware €6 to deliver the programme to one child, so it is time to help ‘Beat the Blues’ and plan a visit to your local Peter Mark salon between October 23 and 26. Every penny raised over the weekend fundraiser will go to Aware to deliver this service to teenagers across Ireland.
