The competition ‘Express Yourself’ will seek submissions from Primary 6 and 7 pupils to express their thoughts and feelings about the past year through creative writing, encouraging young people to think about their experiences during the coronavirus pandemic.
The shortlisted poems will be selected by Joel M who recently fronted his own BBC television show ‘Life is Magic’ and has one of the largest TikTok followings in Ireland with over 7 million fans.
AWARE NI hopes for a future where mental health is a topic that can be discussed openly without stigma.
The poetry competition aims to help normalise the conversation around mental health. 2020 was a difficult year for many, but perhaps the voices that haven’t been heard as loudly are children.