GAA Healthy Clubs My Mind Matters Challenge in partnership with Irish Life

The GAA Healthy Club Project is once more partnering with Irish Life to encourage club members this October to participate in a wellbeing challenge via the MyLife App that has the potential to raise €10,000 for Samaritans Ireland.

The three-week ‘GAA Healthy Clubs My Mind Matters’ challenge throws-in on October 10^th, World Mental Health Day, and aims to inspire participants to set aside 30 minutes five-days-a-week for an activity that boosts their mental health. If participants collectively record 30,000 days of activity on the MyLife App (each 30 minutes of activity recorded counts as one day) between October 10^th-30^th then Irish Life will donate €10,000 to Samaritans Ireland, the GAA’s official mental health partners since 2015. But that’s not all. Participants can also donate their MyLife points to Samaritans through the MyLife rewards store, resulting in more welcome funds for one of Ireland’s hardest working charities.

The challenge target is very achievable with your support. Last Spring, over 28,000 participants from GAA clubs across the country took part in the ‘Every Step Counts Challenge’ making it one of the biggest physical activity challenges ever delivered in Ireland.

This time around any activity that boosts your mental wellbeing, such as walking, running, or cycling, yoga, meditation, gardening, or swimming etc. can be recorded and added to your personal and the collective tally. We also know from research that giving is another great way to improve your wellbeing, so the opportunity to support Samaritans Ireland while doing something for your own mental health makes this a win-win opportunity.

Niall Mulligan, Executive Director for Samaritans Ireland, said: “Samaritans is the only charity offering emotional support 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for anyone who needs someone to talk to across the island of Ireland.

“Our organisation and our branches have been to the forefront of the national response to Covid-19 restrictions, with our volunteers answering over half a million calls for help in 2020.

“We are delighted to be the mental health partner of the GAA and this generous donation from the volunteers that drive the GAA Healthy Club Project and Irish Life will make a real difference to the lives of so many people, allowing us to answer over 3,300 calls or train 50 new volunteers.”

Any participant who achieves our weekly targets will be entered into our weekly draws for:

Week 1: 25x £50 Amazon.co.uk Gift Cards

Week 2: 30x Fitbit Charge 4

Week 3: 5x €500 Ireland’s Blue Book Voucher

One lucky participant will be drawn at random to win an expert coaching session & wellbeing event with one of the GAA’s most decorated players, Oisín McConville for their local GAA club.

Oisín McConville said: “I’ve always been a fan of the Healthy Club Project and was delighted when my own club Crossmaglen Rangers got involved. The benefits for our members and the wider community are clear to see. I’m delighted to support this challenge and look forward to setting aside a little more time for my wellbeing during the three weeks while supporting a great charity like Samaritans Ireland.”

Further information on the challenge can be found here

https://mylife.irishlife.ie/gaa-my-mind-matters

How do club members & community join the challenge?

1. Download the MyLife app from the App store or Google Play store
   • Apple App Store – https://apps.apple.com/ie/app/mylife-by-irish-life/id1459620652
   • Google Playstore – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.irishlife.mylife
2. Register your details
3. Tap on the social tab on the MyLife app
4. Select challenges
5. Select GAA Healthy Clubs My Mind Matters Challenge

Tap on join

(For MyLife App support and help: Email support@mylife.irishlife.ie)

(The GAA coordinator is Blanaid Carney and can be contacted on email blanaid.carney@gaa.ie)