At the start of the new year, the Aisling Centre ran its sixth annual Hope, Healing, Growth: Day of Inspiration in Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh.
Participants enjoying the Day of Hope
The day was a great success, opened by Line of Duty actor and Aisling Centre patron, Adrian Dunbar. Guests attended online and in person, and after an introduction from Aideen McGinley of the Board of Directors, were treated to a talk from Shane Martin. Shane is a chartered psychologist, and discussed his recent book ‘It’s Your Life – How to Live it Well’, imparting his wisdom about wellbeing and how to cultivate resilience.
Afterwards there a panel discussion on the topic of finding hope after tragedy, hosted by Emma Spence, Connor McBarren and Una Leonard. All three guests have experienced their own trauma, and discussed how they were able to overcome the immense challenges in their personal lives to rediscover hope and begin to look forward to the future.
The FIND Centre in Enniskillen then presented ‘Holding on to Hope’, the final instalment of the HOPE project which ran through 2022 and raised awareness for issues surrounding suicide in young people. Richard Moore, founder of the charity ‘Children in the Crossfire’, followed with a discussion of the importance of forgiveness and how he has used his own Troubles-related trauma to help others overcome adversity.
See the link below for more information on speakers at the event, and to watch video recordings of the talks: https://theaislingcentre.com/hope-healing-growth/
The Aisling Centre is supported by the Victims and Survivors Service.