Gillian Toole (Meath East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish the Ministers of State the very best of luck. The greatest wealth is health and the greatest health is mental and emotional health. We can be a little flippant in this House with the use of the word "resilience". We use it in connection with things when it actually derives from the ability to successfully adapt to stressors, to maintain psychological well-being in the face of adversity and to bounce back from difficult experiences. To this end, investment in the support of children's mental health is of paramount importance. The educational objectives in the programme for Government can be implemented next month by experienced practitioners if the will exists. A working example is the success of St. Seachnall's and Rathbeggan national schools, both in County Meath, runners-up in the Mission Possible awards last year and last week. Their work has been enabled by Finding Your Wings, which is essentially a multi-sensory well-being experience that supports emotional and cognitive development. More information on this is available from me. These local initiatives support the entire school community and deserve departmental and our support. The focus on economic development and GDP must be expanded to included a well-being index. We are human beings, after all, not just human doings.

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