The Inspire Foundation charity was established in Australia in 1996 in direct response to Australia’s then escalating rates of youth suicide.
The Inspire Ireland Foundation was established in Ireland in 2009 as a response to the high suicide rates among young people. The charity aims to help young people lead happier lives through their flagship programme ReachOut.com. This is an online service to help young people get through tough times. ReachOut.com provides information, stories, related to mental health. It builds a supportive and safe online environment where young people can connect on issues that are affecting them and it helps to change the way we think about mental health issues in Ireland.
Within an average Irish secondary school class size of 30
- 12 students will feel depressed
- 7 students would not talk to anyone if they had a problem with depression
- 6 students will think about harming themselves and 3 will deliberately self-harm
- 80% of 16-24 year-olds will access the internet on average once a week and 79% would be likely or very likely to use the internet to source mental health information. ReachOut.com provides a place for information on mental health, coping and ways to seek help. It combats feelings of isolation by providing a community to share stores and learn how others got through a tough time.
The Australian Ireland Fund is supporting Inspire by enabling supporters to receive a tax deduction for their contribution to Inspire through The Australian Ireland Fund.
To make a contribution, please contact Teresa Keating at The Australian Ireland Fund
