SOS Today

Since its establishment in 2005 SOS Has:

Developed and rolled out the Eden Programme, an educational programme for people who are suicidal or have attempted suicide

Secured funding for the Eden Programmes
Facilitated and evaluated Four Eden Programmes and presently delivering two additional Eden Programmes in collaboration with Mental health Ireland and Shine
Presently carrying out a follow-up study with those who have completed the Eden Programmes delivered to date
Presently developing an Eden Programme Manual so that the programme can be replicated nationally
Presently developing a Staff Training manual
Presently developing a Staff Supervision protocol to be used in all Eden Programmes in the future
Presently developing a system for licencing the Eden Programme to other providers
Presently approaching mainstream service providers with a view to offering them the opportunity to gain a licence to deliver the Eden Programme as part of their own service provision

Established Wellness Workshops and delivered throughout Ireland

Presently evaluating Wellness Workshops in associated with Trinity College Dublin and with thanks to funding secured from The National Office of Suicide Prevention. The evaluation will provide evidence of achievement of programme key objectives, highlight any unintended benefits of the workshops and provide recommendations for the future.

Featured in the RTE documentary “I See A Darkness” and created interactive workshop for universities and colleges

SOS CEO/Founder Caroline McGuigan featured in an RTE documentary “I See a Darkness”.
Caroline met with other featured families and the film maker and asked if they could all take the film and a live panel discussion to audiences around the country. As a result an interactive workshop was designed including extracts from the documentary and a live Q&A session with the panel. The workshop allows participants the freedom to talk about mental health issues as they experience the rawness of the honesty of people directly touched by suicide.
The key message of the presentation is one of hope with open discussion of what might have been a better option for people who have fallen in to a vulnerable space in their wellness.
This workshop was delivered to 4 colleges/universities in Oct/November 2011 with phenomenal feedback from students, college counselors and chaplains who have never experienced anything like it. Other colleges have now asked to be included in this programme. Moving forward we will deliver 6 more seminars in colleges in this academic year.

Raised public profile of mental health issues through creation and sales of “Life’s Little Emergencies Kit”

Life’s Little Emergency Kit
This tiny kit was put together by a lady that SOS supported during her darkest days. The kits, which cost €3 each, act as a reminder that no matter how dark the situation may seem, there is support out there.
Each Life’s Little Emergency Kit contains:-

•   An elastic band, to stretch yourself to your limit
•   Marbles, in case you lose your own
•   A coin, so that you are never broke
•   String, to keep things together if they fall apart
•   An eraser, to wipe away any mistakes
•   A Rose, to remind you that some Loves You.

The kits are available directly from SOS by on – 1890 577 577 or visit www.suicideorsurvive.ie.

Established strong personal and professional profile for SOS
Established professional and recognised profile through presentations and media interviews
Created SOS Information Bureau
The CEO/Founder has received Level 1 and Level 2 Social Entrepreneur Awards.
Supported by Corporate partners including Vodafone Ireland Foundation, Permanent TSB and Navan Lyons Club

Actively supported sector consolidation

Active partner of “See Change” campaign www.seechange.ie
Collaborated with agencies including Amnesty International, Sli Eile, Ola Go La, Shine, Mental Health Ireland and many others
Lead Organisation of a consortium of 11 organisations to enhance the skills and employability of people working in the community and voluntary sector through working collaboratively to address shared training needs as a training network. Supported by funding secured from The Wheel

Created strong delivery, governance and expert advice structures

Created and bedded down a core delivery team including front line and support
Set up successful fundraising committees i.e. SOS Challenge/Mini Marathon/Feel Good Friday/10th September
Developed a panel of SOS volunteers
Established a Board of Directors
Established an Advisory Panel with expertise and skills. Its members include Social Entrepreneurs Ireland, Iris O Brien Foundation, Maurice Healy of the Healy Group.
Established a Development and Advisory Board. Its members include Pearse Finnegan, Nicola Byrne 11890, Trudy Hayes, Writer and Journalist and Michael Nash, Trinity College Dublin