Michael McKillop with pupils from St Cecilia’s College
The programme, developed in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust, first launched in 2021 and has since supported more than 5,200 secondary school pupils across Northern Ireland.
Survey feedback from last year’s programme revealed that 83% of participants felt Lidl Northern Ireland’s programme boosted their overall confidence and 100% of teachers committed to changing the mental health support programmes in their schools as a result.
Sporting heroes from across Northern Ireland have been specially trained by Youth Sport Trust to deliver workshops that help students to proactively manage their mental health as they progress into adulthood through the vehicle of sport and physical activity.
The mentors provide students with the tools and encouragement they need to support themselves and their peers in school, at home and in their wider communities.
Earlier this month, students at St Cecilia’s College in Derry received their first workshop in the dedicated series of mental health mentorship workshops, delivered by four-time paralympic champion Michael McKillop.
Hailing from County Antrim, Michael got involved in athletics at the tender age of 10 and, by the time he turned 18, was competing in the largest Paralympic sporting event in history, the Paralympic Games, in Beijing, China.
Now recognised as one of the most successful Paralympic athletes of all time, he is passing on his wealth of knowledge to pupils across the country as part of Lidl Northern Ireland’s flagship Community Works initiative, Sport for Good.
Commenting on the workshops, Michael McKillop said: “Lidl Northern Ireland’s Sport for Good initiative has been a very exciting opportunity for me, especially now that I’ve retired from competing, as it gives me the chance to get back out into the community to show young people that there is more to sport than the physical benefits.
“Many athletes struggle with mental health problems throughout their sporting careers. I hope that I can inspire the pupils to embrace the benefits of sport in improving mental health, and in building resilience and confidence to live life to their full potential.”
Established in 2019, Lidl Northern Ireland’s Sport for Good initiative has supported more than 100 schools and sports clubs, providing over £320,000 in funding to encourage more young people into sport.
This year the retailer announced 25 winning schools – hailing from every county across the region – who were selected for the Sport for Good Schools Programme following a call out for competition entries in October last year and nominated by local shoppers. Each winning school also received £1,000 worth of brand-new sports equipment.
St. Cecilia’s College is just one of four schools in the County Derry~Londonderry region participating in the programme along with Coleraine College, Limavady Grammar School and Saint Pius X College, Magherafelt.
The sessions are being led by a stellar line up of leading local athletes including Olympic hockey heroes Shirley McCay MBE and Eugene Magee and Olympic steeplechase athlete Kerry O’Flaherty while it is also supported by programme ambassadors, World Champion gymnast, Rhys McClenaghan, Paralympic champion swimmer, Bethany Firth OBE, and European and Commonwealth Games 1,500m silver medalist, Ciara Mageean.
Gemma Thompson, Head of P.E. at St. Cecilia’s College said: “Tackling mental health and breaking the stigma around the subject, is a key focus here at St. Cecilia’s College and we therefore commend the work that Lidl Northern Ireland has done through the Sport for Good Schools Programme.
“This initiative has given our pupils a fresh perspective in showing them that there is so much more to sport than the physical benefits, has provided invaluable life tools to manage challenges they may face as they grow and develop, and has shown them how sport can play a big role in that.
“It was an absolute delight to welcome Michael to the school and to hear his inspiring journey of living with cerebral palsy and fulfilling his dream of becoming a Paralympic athlete.
“Michael’s story, resilience and ambition really connected with a lot of our pupils on a personal level.
“On behalf of the entire school community, we would like to express our thanks to the parents and local Lidl shoppers who voted for St. Cecilia’s College.
“I would also like to thank Lidl Northern Ireland and Youth Sport Trust for investing in our community and to their mentor Michael for delivering this vital programme to help support our pupils with skills for life.”
For more information, please visit: lidl-ni.co.uk/lidl-community-works
Tags: