CAIRDE

Our Roma Influencers Network documentary is here!

Join us for a powerful screening of Roma Influencers on Early Marriage and Early Motherhood, a documentary giving voice to the experiences of Roma girls and women in Ireland, Greece, Portugal and Romania developed with our partners Klimaka Cesis - Centro de Estudos para a Intervenção Social, COOPERACTIVA and Sastipen - Centrul Romilor pentru Politici de Sanatate .

Through personal stories and lived experiences, the film explores the realities, challenges and aspirations of Roma women across Europe.

Following the screening, guests are invited to view a special photo exhibition and learn more about the findings of the National and International Reports developed through the Roma Influencers Project.

📅 9 June 2026
📍 Flux Studios, 4 Chatham Row, Dublin 2

- Registration: 10:45am
- Screening: 11:00am
- Exhibition & Reports Presentation: 12:15pm

Light lunch will be provided at 1:00pm
Places are limited, so please contact [email protected] to reserve your place.

We were delighted to take part in the VEEP (Voice Equality Experience Power) Gathering earlier this month.

The event brought together community workers, peer support workers, organisations, activists, and people with lived experience from across Ireland to explore more inclusive, community-led, and rights-based approaches to mental health and anti-poverty work..

The discussions focused on the “8 Key Ingredients” framework for building community responses grounded in:
• Human rights and participation
• Peer-led and community-driven approaches
• Trauma-informed practice
• Anti-racism and inclusion
• Collective care and self-care
• Shared decision-making and co-production

There were also important conversations about the value of lived experience in shaping services, challenging stigma and discrimination, and strengthening collaboration across communities and sectors.

It was a valuable space for reflection, learning, and connection. Thank you to everyone involved for the inspiring conversations and shared commitment to building more compassionate, community-centred approaches to mental health and wellbeing..

We had some truly meaningful conversations at Connect Café at Cairde Balbriggan and at pop up stations dotted around the town, followed by a wonderful gathering in the town square. All for the “Hello, How Are You?” campaign, organised by Thrive Balbrigganas part of the national campaign led by Mental Health Ireland

A simple conversation can help us feel more connected.

Join Cairde Balbriggan for an inclusive Connect Café as part of the “Hello, How Are You?” campaign by Mental Health Ireland oorganised in Balbriggan by Thrive Balbriggan. Together, we’ll create a welcoming space to connect, chat, and open conversations about mental health and wellbeing in our communities.

📍 Cairde, Hampton Street, Balbriggan, Co. Dublin
📅 15 May 2026
🕚 11:00am – 12:30pm
Everyone is welcome.

This is just the beginning! We will have more events, conversations, and activities happening throughout the campaign, so watch this space.

Recently, Cairde’s Roma and Arab Peer Support Workers came together to talk about protecting our children and our communities. One message was clear: the HPV vaccine and screening are key steps towards eliminating cervical cancer and saving lives.

HPV is very common and while many infections go away, some can lead to serious cancers in both women and men. The good news is that the HPV vaccine is FREE, safe and highly effective.

The HPV Catch-Up Programme is running until August 2026 and it's open to 5th and 6th year students who missed their vaccine. Parents/guardians will receive consent forms, and young people aged 16+ can consent themselves.

Home-educated students born between 1st September 2006 and 31st August 2009, who did not receive the HPV vaccine in the first year of secondary school, can also access it through their Local Health Office

👉 Learn more on HealthConnect.ie (Arabic, Chinese, English, Polish, Ukrainian, Russian)
and get more info at hpv.ie | immunisation.ie

If you’d like us to deliver a talk, workshop or presentation on the HPV vaccine or other immunisation programmes for your group, school or organisation, get in touch with Cleide at [email protected].

HSE Ireland HSE mychild.ie

For every generation, vaccines have helped protect children, families and communities from serious illness.

They protect babies taking their first steps in life.
They protect children as they grow, learn and play.
They protect parents, grandparents and wider communities.

This , Cairde is encouraging families to help protect children from serious but preventable illnesses such as measles, diphtheria and pertussis by making sure they are vaccinated on time.

Over the last 50 years, vaccines have saved more than 150 million lives. That protection continues today, for this generation and the next.

Clear, trusted information can help families make confident decisions -visit HealthConnect.ie to learn more about immunisations in Ireland in Arabic, Chinese, Polish, Ukrainian and Russian:
https://bit.ly/4b7aDt0

Vaccines work. For every generation.

Join us for Africa Day Balbriggan 2026 that promises to be a vibrant celebration of culture, community and connection.
WHEN: 23 May | 1–6pm
WHERE: Cairde Balbriggan

Enjoy an afternoon of free music, food, fashion, art and family activities celebrating the richness and diversity of Africa in Balbriggan.Bring your friends and family and be part of it.

Thank you Irish Aid id for your support.

Some of our Cairde team recently took part in Mental Health First Aid training with the Health Service Executive National Social Inclusion Office.

A valuable experience that strengthened our skills and confidence to recognise when someone may be struggling and respond with care and clarity.

Delivered in partnership with the Health Service Executive National Social Inclusion Office, this recent Mental Health First Aid course brought together participants committed to strengthening how mental health is understood and supported in their communities.

Facilitated by Helena Dilleen and Clare Murphy, the course combined practical learning with shared discussion, allowing participants to build both knowledge and confidence in how they respond to others. As one participant noted, “an excellent mix of activities… facilitators were excellent and presented information very well.”

What’s particularly important is how this translates beyond the training room. Participants spoke to a clearer ability to take action, to recognise when someone may be struggling, and to respond without hesitation or uncertainty.

100% of participants strongly agreed that, following the training, they felt more confident to recognise and challenge misconceptions about mental health.

HSE Ireland and Cairde are looking for new members to join the HSE National Volunteer Lived Experience Panel.

We want to hear from you, if you have personal and/or family/supporter experience in the following areas/services:

General adult • Child & Adolescence Mental Health (CAMHS) • Eating disorders • ADHD • Substance use • Dual diagnosis • Perinatal • Intellectual disability • Psychiatry of later life • Psychosis • Marginalised groups • Long-term MH challenges • Crisis/self-harm supports.

If you are also interested in improving mental health services, especially for migrant and ethnic minority communities, join the Migrants and Ethnic Minority Mental Health Engagement Meetup and learn more:

📅 Thurs, 30 April
🕐 1-2.15 pm (online)
📩 Message Cleide to learn more and register ([email protected]/ 085 764 6362)

On 7 April we marked World Health Day.

Health is a right, but for many migrants and ethnic minority communities in Ireland, accessing healthcare can still feel confusing, unequal, or out of reach. At Cairde, we work to change that.

Every day, we support people to understand their rights, navigate the health system, access services with dignity and have their say: from mental health and primary care to maternal health and peer support. We also work to address the wider inequalities that impact health, including language barriers, discrimination, and lack of accessible information.

That’s where HealthConnect.ie comes in - a free, multilingual platform designed to make health information clear and accessible. You can find trusted information on:

- GP visits and how to access care

- Mental health supports

- Women’s and sexual health

- Vaccinations and screening

- Chronic conditions and more.

This World Health Day, we’re calling for a more equal health system where everyone can access the care they need, when they need it.

👉 Explore HealthConnect.ie and take the first step towards better health today.