A number of events are set to take place across the county for parents and those who work with young people on mental health and various youth issues.
Healthy Ireland at Cork County Council are coordinating with local Skibbereen activist Alicia O’ Sullivan, following the on-going success of ‘TeenTalks’, an event for teenagers which encourages them to speak up about problems and to end the stigma around mental health.
The GenZ events which are taking place in Bantry, Charleville and Little Island, will host a range of speakers including digital entrepreneur Harry McCann, youth officer TJ Hourihane, LGBT advocate and full-time mom Kirstyn Donoghue, mental health youth activist Aleesha Weigandt and more.
The aim of the event is to open up communication between parents and their children on important issues.
Commenting on the upcoming events Alicia said: 'We are in a time where unfortunately young people hide a lot from their parents especially with the internet playing such a huge role in our lives, sometimes it is the normality of being a stubborn teenager, but, as we’ve all realised in Ireland as of recent, more and more teenagers are hiding very concerning issues from their parents and we need to start this open communication now to prevent any more horrible news stories.
'The sad truth is it’s usually the parents who least expect it to be their child are the ones who have to face a harsh truth. We want to overcome this and we invite all parents to attend'.
The events will take place in Charleville on March 26, Little Island on March 31 and Bantry on April 2.
Tickets are free and can be found through Eventbrite and through the Generation Z Facebook page.
