*Carol O’Leary. Photograph: Burren Eye Photography
CAROL O’Leary has once again worked with Movember to bring emotional literacy skills to juvenile GAA players in Clare.
In November 2023, former Clare dual player Carol took on a facilitator role with Movember’s ‘Ahead of the Game’ programme which uses sport to teach young players, parents and coaches how to talk about mental health.
Players learn how to build resilience and overcome challenges in sport and life. Movember is primarily known for men growing, often obscene, facial hair to help raise funding and awareness for men’s mental health.
Since its establishment in 2003 the organization has grown and now funds 1250 global projects, including the ‘Ahead of the Game’ programme. Working with the GAA, Movember started this programme in Ireland in November 2023. It ran until May 2024 reaching 180 clubs nationwide.
This year the programme is already growing in popularity. Since resuming in October 38 GAA clubs have already taken part in the programme with 47 visited throughout November.
Speaking to The Clare Echo about her experience, Carol said; “The aim of it is to get to as many kids across Ireland as possible, and the GAA is obviously the biggest organisation to do that. We’re trying to do it outside of a classroom setting and, you know, in a setting where usually you have a lot of support and it can be an oasis for people”.
Like Carol, the other facilitators involved in the programme are either current or ex-inter county players and are a part of the Gaelic Players Association. They often use their experience from their own GAA careers to provide practical information and guidance to both the players and the management of GAA clubs.
“We’re not mental health professionals. We’re just there to raise awareness. I suppose this program is about starting conversations. It’s a preventative measure to try and reach kids, to try and equip them with skills and the awareness of mental health challenges and mental health issues, before they develop into something further,” the Newmarket-on-Fergus woman said.
Carol explained that the programme is structured to create a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere. They aim to make mental health first aid practices accessible to juvenile players through physical activities and sporting games. “We try to make people understand that our mental health isn’t fixed. It changes hour to hour day to day. And for them to understand that it’s totally normal just like we get an injury, we have to make sure that we take the proper steps to recover from it. In a physical injury with our sport, it’s the same as your mental health”.
“The main thing is that it’s about awareness and it’s not about diagnosing anyone. It’s about just opening people’s eyes to it and starting the conversation in a very relaxed and supportive setting”.
Carol is hopeful that the programme will continue to grow and she would love to see more Clare teams getting involved with the programme and Movember.
Details on how to take part in the Ahead of the Game programme can be found on https://aheadofthegame.movember.com/
