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54 | SUMMER 2023 | www.ladiesgaelic.ie LGFA TALK Project Inspires Communities… Club Focus on Armagh Harps FEATURE Name of Club: Armagh Harps County: Armagh 1. Why did your club decide to apply to participate in the LGFA TALK Project? As a club we have a high intake of registrations for U8, U10, and U12 Girls but we find by the time they reach U14 and especially U16 the numbers drop off and we don't know why. We are a town team and there are many distractions at the best of times. In our U14/U16 girls over the past couple of years post Covid, we have seen a high level in dropouts due to depression, lack of motivation and anxiety. So, we decided to try something, anything to help us retain players or at least help with their mental health in the hope that they would firstly become more aware of looking after their own mental health and secondly stay actively involved in sport. 2.Tell us a little bit about your club's experience of the Project? As a club we are delighted to have taken part in the LGFA TALK Project. We thoroughly enjoyed delivering the programme to the girls. We introduced several initiatives that were to happen at all trainings and matches moving forward. The buddy system amongst the teams, high 5's at the end of training sessions/matches, the jersey clap, the emoji board before and after the sessions. These small team initiatives are now 'the norm' at sessions, we don't even have to ask the girls to do it they now know to work away which is brilliant. We have seen such a bond created amongst the girls and plenty of fun and laughter throughout sessions and these are only minor initiatives introduced. We ran 2x 2hr workshops where we introduced a learn through food workshop, core exercises, engaging in the Take 5 steps to health and wellbeing whilst bringing in professionals to talk about safeguarding on social media, period dignity/poverty and remodelling. 3. What fears had you as a club starting out in the programme? How were they overcome? As a Project Team when we found out we had been accepted onto the Project we were very nervous and maybe even apprehensive as to what we had applied for and what it entailed, had we made the right decision? At the end of the day we are all only parents/coaches who want to help, not professionals in any way shape or form to be in a position to talk about Positive Mental Health amongst young girls. However, following the training day held by Lizzie Flynn in the Glenavon and delivered by NI Youth Forum we were very relieved as a team and felt very confident in running the project and taking it forward within the club. The training eased our thoughts and took away any doubt we had in running the programme.