Campaign Ambassador Isla McManus Joins to Support Mental Health Conversations for Kids
AWARE NI, the depression charity for Northern Ireland, is excited to announce the return of its successful mental health poetry competition for P6 and P7 pupils – Express Yourself.
This unique initiative invites primary schools across Northern Ireland to participate, encouraging children to express their emotions through poetry. Express Yourself helps pupils build resilience, understand mental health, and develop valuable tools to navigate life’s challenges. Express Yourself is more than just a poetry competition—it initiates and normalises conversations about mental health in the classroom, with a ripple effect that extends to homes, helping parents, siblings, and caregivers navigate and embrace these important discussions.
The competition is proudly supported by Isla McManus, an incredible 11-year-old singer who is rapidly making her mark in Ireland’s music industry. With over 65,000 followers and more than 1.1 million likes on TikTok, Isla is renowned for her impressive vocals and has become a role model for many young people. Her passion for mental health advocacy and her influence make her the perfect ambassador for the Express Yourself campaign.
“Being part of the Express Yourself campaign is really important to me,” said Isla McManus. “I want to encourage kids to understand that it’s okay to talk about their feelings, and that expressing ourselves is a powerful way to feel better. I’m so proud to support a project that helps children do that.”
Karen Collins, CEO of AWARE NI, said: “As an organisation that believes in the early intervention model, the Express Yourself competition is one of our favourite campaigns to run here at AWARE NI. Seeing the impact it has had in previous years with schools, empowering young children to talk about their worries and their fears and to open up to people they trust, has been truly inspiring. Their poems have been beautiful and have inspired us as adults over the past few years. We cannot wait to read the poems from the students this year, and we would encourage all schools to sign up to this powerful and impactful campaign!”
The previous campaign saw incredible success, with over 200 schools participating and helping to normalise mental health conversations among a huge number of children. We were honoured to have Joel M, a local magician and TikTok sensation with 16 million followers, as the campaign ambassador, whose support helped bring the conversation to a wider audience.
The Express Yourself competition provides participating schools with a free downloadable poetry pack, filled with interactive activities that focus on mental health, self-expression, and understanding our feelings, worries and fears. These resources encourage children to connect with others, be active, notice the world around them, learn, reflect and focus on the things in life that brings them joy—practical ways to boost mental well-being.
The top ten poems will be published in a beautifully illustrated book, written for kids by Kids, which will be distributed to schools and libraries across Northern Ireland. This book will help younger children realise they are not alone in their thoughts and feelings, sparking important mental health conversations and giving this campaign legacy.
In addition to being published, the winning school will also receive a 6-week mindfulness programme, further supporting students in developing emotional resilience. As an extra special prize, Isla McManus will visit the winning school to perform and engage with students, bringing her inspiring presence to the children who have shown outstanding creativity and mental health awareness. The top three winners will also receive Amazon book vouchers, empowering them to further their learning and growth.
With Isla McManus as a powerful advocate for mental health, Express Yourself aims to inspire children to speak openly about their emotions, reduce stigma, and empower young people to take control of their mental well-being.
To register your school for the competition or to learn more, visit www.aware-ni.org/express-yourself
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