Fishing for Friends

We hope to raise awareness about the wellbeing benefits of fishing as a pastime. We hope to introduce fishing to many of the young people in our local area and by doing so improve their general wellbeing and feelings of being connected in our community. We also hope to work towards reducing the cost of the fishing license for under 18s.

Our Social Issue

The social issue we are concerned about is the declining wellbeing of young people in our local area. According to TUSLA, wellbeing covers issues regarding physical and mental good health, which includes relaxation and down time, a balanced diet and adequate sleep, time spent with friends, social activities and a supportive family and neighbourhood. In our opinion too many young people are experiencing physical and mental health problems, with depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicide attempts. We would like to focus on one small action that could improve the wellbeing of young people in our local area.

Why We Chose It

The social issue we are concerned about is the declining wellbeing of young people in our local area. According to TUSLA, wellbeing covers issues regarding physical and mental good health, which includes relaxation and down time, a balanced diet and adequate sleep, time spent with friends, social activities and a supportive family and neighbourhood. In our opinion too many young people are experiencing physical and mental health problems, with depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicide attempts. We would like to focus on one small action that could improve the wellbeing of young people in our local area using fishing .

Our Goal

We hope to raise awareness about the wellbeing benefits of fishing as a pastime. We hope to introduce fishing to many of the young people in our local area and by doing so improve their general wellbeing and feelings of being connected in our community. We also hope to work towards reducing the cost of the fishing licence for under 18s.

Our Innovative Action

We ran awareness campaign in our school and in our community through the media and local library and fishing clubs. We have had an expert on fishing and local history walk us along the river and show us where all the fishing areas are. We assisted in organising an Art Exhibition, poetry reading session and music session based on the SDG 6, SDG 13 and SDG 14 and the theme of “Mallow’s Blackwater River, its park,the wildlife and the structures within”. We hosted a quiz in our school which included rounds on the Blackwater, fishing and mental health.

Our Impact

We have made a positive difference to the students in our school first of all by talking about our mental health and well-being openly and honestly. Secondly we have made a positive difference by offering a chance to the young people in our area to get involved in a past-time that could be beneficial to their own physical and mental well-being and their feelings of being connected to their local area and community.