Young Offaly artist claims first-place for imaginative mental health poster

Alisha Dwane, representing Clara Youthreach, has been announced as the winner in the ‘Further Education & Training and Youthreach Centres’ category at the Mission Possible School Achievement Awards.

The awards are hosted annually by Walk in My Shoes, the flagship youth mental health initiative of St Patrick’s Mental Health Services.

Alisha's poster was titled ‘There is Always Light at the End of the Tunnel’, and was designed to remind people that even in the darkest and most difficult moments, there is always light ahead, that things can improve, and that brighter days are possible.

For her achievement, Alisha received a €1,000 cash prize for the school, a Mission Possible trophy, a role as a WIMS School Ambassador for the next academic year, a Walk in My Shoes School Support Package and one guaranteed place on the Walk in My Shoes Transition Year Programme for winners in the secondary school category.

Mission Possible showcases the meaningful work schools, Youthreach centres and further education and training centres across the country are undertaking to foster positive mental health and well-being in the classroom and in the community.

For this year’s competition, students across Ireland were invited to design a poster that creatively shares a positive mental health message. Through art, words and imagination, students were invited to explore what positive mental health and well-being means to them - and help spark important conversations in their school communities and beyond.

The winning students were joined at the awards ceremony by the competition judging panel of Paul Gilligan, CEO St Patrick’s Mental Health Services; Tamara Nolan, Director of Communications and Advocacy, St Patrick’s Mental Health Services; and Jacqueline Toal, Art Therapist at St Patrick’s Mental Health Services.

Speaking about this year’s Mission Possible initiative, Paul Gilligan said: “For the past nine years, Walk in My Shoes has been proudly running the national Mission Possible School Achievement Awards to showcase and celebrate the meaningful work of schools in promoting positive mental health. The calibre of this year’s entries once again demonstrates the resolute commitment of school staff and young people across the country to fostering positive mental health. We know that art and creativity can significantly boost wellbeing, and I want to commend all entrants to this year’s awards for their creativity and originality in bringing to life positive mental health messages that challenge stigma in a visually appealing and imaginative way.”

This year’s competition was open to primary schools, secondary schools and Further Education and Training centres, including Youthreach. Entries in any visual art style were invited, from hand-drawn and painted posters to digital designs.