The power of connecting over a fresh brew and a friendly chat crosses all cultural divides, whether it’s the ritual of a Japanese tea ceremony, the perennial Irish pick-me-up of a pot of tae on the stove, or the six Friends sipping from coffee cups the size of goldfish bowls on the comfy sofa in Central Perk.
So beneficial to one’s mental health is this process of coming together that Connect Cafés have long been promoted by Mental Health Ireland as a means of boosting social inclusion, and Laois finally hosted its own in Portlaoise Parish Centre at the end of January.
Small groups gathered around tables to enjoy coffee, pastries and conversation in a relaxed setting, with new friendships forged alongside the strengthening of existing ones. Conversation cards were provided if anyone needed a prompt, but few of the participants required assistance in enjoying the company of others.
Funded by the HSE, supported by Mental Health Ireland, and organised locally by Social Prescribing Link Worker, Shauna Williams, this is the first Connect Café to take place in Portlaoise, following a successful rollout of the initiative in the neighbouring county of Offaly. Shauna was enthusiastic about how well received it was, with plans to host further events on a quarterly basis.
“The aim was to support people to connect. We wanted to do that after the winter months, so we thought that was a good time to do it in an informal setting,” said Shauna, who delivers the Social Prescribing programme on behalf of Laois Partnership Company.
Finola Colgan, Development Officer with Mental Health Ireland, explained that the Connect Café is a national project to encourage people to talk over any issues they may have in a safe and welcoming environment. Mental Health Ireland regularly runs workshops based on the five ways to wellbeing: connect, be active, take notice, keep learning, and give.
“This is an ideal model for that, because people are connecting, they’re learning from each other and sharing ideas, and they’re taking notice of what’s going on around them,” said Finola, adding that social occasions such as this encourage people to give to themselves in the form of self-care.
“A morning like this is about self-care, it’s about saying I’m giving a little bit of quality time to myself, a little bit of chat. It could be as simple as to give a smile and receive a smile,” she said.
The benefits of engagement and community connection were also highlighted by Josephine Rigney, Resource Officer for Suicide Prevention with the HSE. Josephine explained that her department’s remit is “prevention, intervention and postvention,” with prevention being anything taking place in a public setting to reduce social isolation and increase people’s engagement.
“It’s giving them the courage and the confidence to come out and come to people, and the value that they get from that,” said Josephine, emphasising that “sharing problems” is an important function of the Café.
Social Prescribing is a free, non-judgmental service for those over 18, which aims to connect individuals back with community-based supports and initiatives. For more information on Social Prescribing, contact Shauna Williams at [email protected], telephone 05786 61900.