Young people in Ireland are being asked to share their opinions on Irish mental health services and supports.

YOULEAD, a mental health research group led by NUI Galway's School of Psychology, is collaborating with SPUNOUT.ie on the project. They are calling for young people to voice their opinions and these submissions will then form part of Ireland's first Youth Mental Health Conference, which is due to take place in October.

The conference will consist of a series of online lunchtime events from October 5-9, leading up to World Mental Health Day on October 10. National and international experts will speak at the event.

As part of the event, YOULEAD will use one of the sessions to present the experiences of young people using mental health services/supports in Ireland, with the aim of providing a platform for young people to share their experiences with others.

A number of submissions will be performed by actors, with the performance being shown online during the conference.

"A crucial element for developing the mental health services needed by young people is knowing what they think and what they have experienced. This is as much to identify the positives we can build on as the negatives we should address. We'd like to give as many young people as possible a chance to share their experiences with us," commented Prof Gary Donohoe of NUI Galway.

YOULEAD are asking young people who live in Ireland and are aged between 18-25, to submit a word, sentence or story on their opinion of mental health services/supports in Ireland.

Pieces can include, but are not limited to what is/was your experience of mental health services/supports, what would your ideal mental health service look like, what advice would you give to someone trying to access support services in Ireland?

To submit, please complete the YOULEAD form on the SPUNOUT website here. The closing date for submissions is July 31.

To register for the conference in October, click here.