‘Dear Future Me’ highlights the importance of good mental health
Two Maynooth University media students have created a mental health awareness video which has been aired on the ABC’s flagship Good Morning America television show in the USA.
Third year students Alice Kiernan (20) and Megan Daly (20) made the short film, ‘Dear Future Me,’ with the aim to get young people to write down and list the good things about themselves.
The four-minute video has been watched across social media channels and clips from it were featured on the popular morning US television show while singer songwriter superstar Michael Bublé was being interviewed about his new album and his future self.
Alice, from Julianstown in Co. Meath and Megan, from Arigna in Co. Roscomman, are both third year BA Media Studies students at Maynooth University.
They recorded ‘Dear Future Me’ as part of a wider campaign they created called, ‘The One Year Project’. As part of the campaign they aim to meet, and document in video, several key goals they want to achieve in 2016, including raising awareness of mental health issues.
Alice explained how they teamed up with ReachOut.com, an online youth mental health service, and called on friends and fellow students to appear in the short film.“It took us a week to create Dear Future Me, including filming and editing, and it went online on Wednesday,” said Alice.
“The producer of Good Morning America made contact to ask if he could use the video on the show and for some information about us both. An article about it appeared on the ABC news website and they showed some clips from the video on Good Morning America. My hands went numb when I saw Michael Bublé on television looking at our video and photos. His album is about talking to his future self so it was amazing timing.”
The media student said the video was made in conjunction with ReachOut’s ‘Note To Self’ campaign. ReachOut is appealing to young people to write a positive postcard about themselves and to give with it the ReachOut team, who will post it back to them in the future.
Alice said their Media Studies degree has helped them realise many of their goals.“Our course has helped us so much in reaching our goals and fulfilling this part of the project, especially in the recording and editing of the video, and in promoting our work,” she added.
President of Maynooth University, Professor Philip Nolan, congratulated the students on highlighting the issue of mental health awareness among young people: “the mental health of all our students is a priority for Maynooth University and this project is a fantastic way of reaching many young people.”
Físeán faoi mheabhairshláinte cruthaithe ag mic léinn atá i mbun staidéir ar na meáin agus craolta ar an gclár Good Morning America ar ABC
Leagann ‘Dear Future Me’ béim ar an tábhacht a bhaineann le meabhairshláinte mhaith.
Craoladh físeán, cruthaithe ag mic léinn atá i mbun staidéir ar na meáin, ar Good Morning America, príomhchlár ABC sna Stáit Aontaithe Mheiriceá. Cruthaíodh an físeán le tuiscint a thabhairt ar an tábhacht a bhaineann le meabhairshláinte.
Rinne Alice Kiernan (20) agus Megan Daly (20) an gearrscannán, ‘Dear Future Me’. Bhí sé mar aidhm acu spreagadh a thabhairt do dhaoine óga rudaí maithe fúthu féin a scríobh síos.
Bhí an físeán seo, atá ceithre nóiméad ar fad, le feiceáil ar na meáin shóisialta. Ansin, craoladh gearrthóga ón bhfíseán ar an gclár Meiriceánach mór le rá nuair a bhí an réalta ceoil, an t-amhránaí is scríbhneoir, Michael Bublé á chur faoi agallamh faoina albam nua agus an saol atá roimhe.
Is as Baile na nGileánach i gCo. na Mí í Alice ó dhúchas agus is as an Airgnigh i gCo. Ros Comáin í Megan. Tá an bheirt sa tríú bhliain ar an mBaitsiléir Ealaíon: Staidéar ar na Meáin in Ollscoil Mhá Nuad.
Rinne siad taifead ar ‘Dear Future Me’ mar chuid d’fheachtas níos leithne darbh ainm ‘The One Year Project’. Mar chuid den fheachtas seo, tá sé mar aidhm acu spriocanna áirithe a bhaint amach sa bhliain 2016 - aird a tharraingt ar mheabhairshláinte san áireamh.
Mhínigh Alice gur thosaigh siad ag obair le ReachOut.com, seirbhís meabhairshláinte ar líne do dhaoine óga. D’iarr siad ar chairde agus ar mhic léinn eile páirt a ghlacadh sa ghearrscannán. “Thóg sé seachtain orainn Dear Future Me a chruthú idir taifead agus eagarthóireacht a dhéanamh ar an ábhar, agus ansin chuireamar an físeán ar líne ar an gCéadaoin,” arsa Alice.
“Rinne an léiritheoir ó Good Morning America teagmháil linn. Chuir sé ceist orainn cead a thabhairt dóibh míreanna ón bhfíseán a thaispeáint ar an gclár. D’iarr sé orainn roinnt eolais fúinn féin a chur ar aghaidh chuige freisin. D'imigh an mothú as mo lámha nuair a chonaic mé go raibh Michael Bublé ar an gclár agus é agus breathnú ar ár bhfíseán agus ar ár ngrianghraif. San albam nua, díríonn sé ar an saol atá amach roimhe agus mar sin, crochadh ár bhfíseán go díreach ag an am ceart.”
Rinneadh an físeán i gcomhpháirtíocht leis an bhfeachtas atá ar bun ag ReachOut, ‘Note to Self’. Mar chuid den fheachtas sin, tugann ReachOut spreagadh do dhaoine óga cárta poist dearfach a scríobh fúthu féin agus an cárta poist sin a thabhairt d’fhoireann ReachOut. Seolfaidh ReachOut na cártaí poist sin ar ais chuig na daoine óga amach anseo.
Dúirt Alice gur chabhraigh an Baitsiléir Ealaíon: Staidéar ar na Meáin leo cuid mhór dá spriocanna a bhaint amach. “Chabhraigh ár gcúrsa go mór linn ár spriocanna agus an chuid seo den tionscadal a bhaint amach, go háirithe taifead agus eagarthóireacht a dhéanamh ar an bhfíseán, agus an saothar atá cruthaithe againn a chur chun cinn,” a dúirt sí.
Rinne Uachtarán Ollscoil Mhá Nuad, an tOllamh Pilib Ó Nualláin, comhghairdeas leis na mic léinn as aird a tharraingt ar mheabhairshláinte i measc an aosa óig: “Is príomhthosaíocht í an mheabhairshláinte d’Ollscoil Mhá Nuad agus bealach iontach atá sa tionscadal seo le dul i bhfeidhm ar dhaoine óga.”