By Jack McAtee, Original Crisis Café Young Advisory Board Member As Pride Month comes to a close, I’ve found myself thinking about a lot of people. I’m thinking of the elders who still remember Stonewall, the AIDS crisis, the first Pride parades, the marches, the jeers, the insults, and the communities they built through struggle and resilience. I’m thinking of the trans women who still have to strategically plan something as simple as using a public bathroom. I’m thinking of

A grammar school past pupil's anonymous submission on the potential mental impact of grammar school education In Northern Ireland, grammar schools are often associated with opportunity, achievement and ambition. Many students have positive experiences there, build strong friendships and go on to thrive academically. But alongside those positives, there can also be pressure that people do not always talk openly about. From primary school onwards, many children grow up hearing

An anonymous submission from a neurodivergent young person in their twenties. A lot of people think getting a diagnosis is the finish line. Like once you finally have the words for why things have always felt different, everything suddenly becomes easier. But sometimes, the strangest part comes afterwards. I sat in a student support meeting recently, talking through adjustments and support. The conversation was going fine until I was asked whether my autism diagnosis was an “

Mental health conversations are becoming louder, more open, and more honest, but for many young people, reaching out for support can still feel intimidating. That is why spaces that feel safe, welcoming and genuinely human matter more than ever. At Crisis Cafe, Mental Health Awareness Week is not just about raising awareness online. It is about creating real world support that young people can actually access without judgement, pressure or stigma. Sometimes support does not b

For the past three years, support from The National Lottery Community Fund has helped transform Crisis Cafe from an idea into a vital support space for young people across Newry and Mourne. What began as a small, community focused project has grown into a welcoming, youth-centred environment where young people can access support without judgement, pressure, or the feeling that they need to be “in crisis enough” to ask for help. Because mental health support should not begin a

For many young people today, life can feel like a cycle of home, school or work, and back again. But where is the space in between? A third space is somewhere outside of home (first space) and education or employment (second space). It’s somewhere informal, welcoming, and pressure-free — where you don’t have to perform, achieve, or explain yourself. And increasingly, these spaces matter more than ever. 📊 Young People Are Under Growing Pressure Recent data shows that young pe