Buddy Bench Ireland offers school-based child-led positive mental health programs - innovative, original and engaging - that promote emotional resilience, mental wellbeing, inclusion and tolerance through supporting the core competencies of empathy, creativity, self-awareness and communication.

We are a revenue-generating social enterprise that develops and delivers mental wellbeing programs to children and young people throughout Europe.

“Schools are not just places where students acquire academic skills; they also help students become more resilient in the face of adversity, feel more connected with the people around them, and aim higher in their aspirations for their future.”
http://www.oecd.org/newsroom/most-teenagers-happy-with-their-lives-but-schoolwork-anxiety-and-bullying-an-issue.htm

“Teenagers who feel part of a school community and enjoy good relations with their parents and teachers are more likely to perform better academically and be happier with their lives, according to the first OECD PISA assessment of students’ well-being.”
www.oecd.org/pisa

‘Research has shown that anxiety is the most common form of psychological disorder, affecting up to 20% of children and teenagers … high levels of stress and anxiety among 11- to 15-year-olds, especially related to school."’ (WHO, 2016)

Our intention is to reach every child in Ireland, and then Europe, and the school is our main route to market, as well as after-schools programs and special educational centres.
By April 2018, we have reached 36,000 children in 222 schools.

In 2018, Penny Quinn and Sinéad McGilloway completed “A pilot evaluation of the Buddy Bench (Ireland) Aware Programme (BBAP)”, Centre for Mental Health and Community Research, Maynooth University Department of Psychology:

“…almost 96% of [children] responded positively to having a Buddy Bench in their school, with half ‘liking it a lot’ and 45% ‘liking it a little’. Over 90% of the children felt that there should be a Buddy Bench in every school”

From the evaluation:
Q: “Can you tell us one difference the Buddy Bench has made to you?”
“Helped me make friends” “…made the school better” “…feel more included”
Q: “Can you tell us one difference the Buddy Bench has made to your friends?”
“Now we have it I can go over and help”
Q: “Can you tell us one difference the Buddy Bench has made to your school?”
We are Social Entrepreneurs Ireland Award Winners, KBC Better Ireland Award Winners, participants in Google’s Adopt-a-Startup program, and have been funded by Enterprise Ireland, Irish Research Council, Healthy Ireland, ESB and Erva