Mission Possible

The awards celebrate the unique projects underway in primary and secondary schools across Ireland to raise awareness of mental health and combat stigma within school and the wider community.

Teachers can submit entries to awards on behalf of your schools. To take part, all you need to do is log in at any time to our School Portal, where you can upload information and resources relating to your mental health and wellbeing projects and activities. In January 2021, we’ll share an online form which you can then quickly use to complete your application.

You don’t need to wait until the application form is released to tell us about your initiative: our School Portal is open all year long. Find out more in our ‘How to Apply’ section below.

We’ll post further updates here throughout the academic year, so stay tuned for more information.

• How the awards work

  Your school can apply for the Mission Possible awards by logging into our School Portal, uploading information about your mental health activities, and completing our online form.

  Judges will review all applications, and our team will be in touch to let you know if you are shortlisted and to share details of how awarding will take place.

  Awards fall across three categories, showcasing:

  • the Best Standalone Project
  • the Best Programme Activity
  • and the Most Creative Idea

  undertaken by schools to tackle stigma or share positive messages around mental health. Entries can include initiatives undertaken in the school or classroom environment, as well as those carried out online or remotely to accommodate public health guidelines.

  Each category will have a primary and secondary school winner, with these schools each receiving a trophy and prize money of €600.

  Of course, every school taking part is a winner in our eyes! We’ll be celebrating every school who enters with a certificate.

• How to apply

  Applying for the Mission Possible awards is quick and easy!

  Teachers can log into our School Portal, where you can upload resources - such as posters, photos or videos - and information about your projects, programmes or ideas. In January 2021, we’ll email you our online form, which you can quickly complete to finalise your entry; the form includes a section where you can name which resources you uploaded to the portal and wish to enter into the competition. 

  You can begin sharing details of your mental health and wellbeing initiatives right away. For example, if your school organises a Wellbeing Walk in November, you could add it to the School Portal straight away, including a photograph and short paragraph about it, and giving a name like “St Mary’s Wellbeing Walk”. Then, in January, all you’ll need to do is name the resources you’ve already added to the portal in the ‘Support Material’ section of the application form to finalise your entry.

  The deadline for applications to the awards will be announced when the online form goes live in January.

  If you have any questions about the application process, please email info@walkinmyshoes.ie.

Want to know what we’re looking for? Find out more about each of our award categories below.

Each initiative should be entered into one category only. Please note that ‘Best Standalone project’ and ‘Most Creative idea’ are judged on individual projects, and you will need to submit separate applications for each one you enter. If you are submitting multiple events or projects which took place under one programme – such as a Wellness Month which included mindfulness classes, an art competition and a mental health awareness day – then ‘Best Programme Activity’ is the most suitable programme for you.

• Best Standalone Project

  This award celebrates a once-off project that displays the great work your school has done to promote positive mental health. Examples  of these one-off projects include the introduction of a Buddy Bench in a school, where students can sit if they’re feeling worried or shy about talking to their classmates; the installation of a Wellness Wall to post positive mental health messages; or the establishment of a Student Wellbeing Committee. 

• Most Creative Idea

  This award brings the wow factor! We’re looking for the most original, inventive, or fun ideas used to open conversations, reduce stigma or share positive messages around mental health. From Wellbeing Clubs to positive poster campaigns, and from creating online webinars to running a social media campaign for students, there’s no shortage to the ways your imagination can take you for this! Ideas can include the innovative ways you helped your students to maintain positive mental health during school closures or changes in the classroom due to public health guidelines, and the kinds of activities that create big impact even with very small budgets. 

• Best Programme Activity

  This award celebrates innovative mental health programmes and initiatives which reach out to young people, teachers and the community and provide meaningful, lasting support. These programmes involve a calendar of mental health events or activities, such as Wellness Walks or mindfulness classes.