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TRUST & TELL

Once the child has any issues
or difficulties they can write
down their problem and then
place their problems into a
house which is also supplied.
This is a secure house which
allows the children to place
their worries into the box
and potentially get them sorted out without other pupils
reading what their problem is. The house is made with a
secure padlock on it which means only the teacher can gain
access to it by using a key.
In December we attended several craft fairs to sell our
In September 2016, we were told about Mini Companies products. We attended the Backyard Craft Fair in Cavan,
by our Business teacher, Mr Robertson. Once we had heard Tullynally Castle Christmas Craft Fair (3rd Dec.), The Backyard
about this we began to think of a certain topic or area we Craft Fair in Cavan (3rd Dec.), Virginia Show Centre Craft Fair
would like to base our company on. After discussing it as (4th Dec.) and in the
a group and also with our teacher we decided to focus our School Craft Fair (Dec.). We were very successful at every
products on mental health and more specifically on positive craft fair and gained great feedback from the general public.
mental health in children as we thought there were very few We attended the Student Enterprise Awards in the Slieve
products that were based around positive mental health in
children. When a small group of us had decided on the topic Russell Hotel. We are proud to say we won 2nd place in the
of mental health our company gradually grew to include six senior category. We have been selected to attend the Get-
members who also thought that that it was a very topical Up and Go competition in Athlone and we are hoping to be
area: Emma Abbott, Peace Jameson, Laura Mc Cauley, Karen successful at this competition as well.
Soden, Zara Stoddart and Chloe Trenier. Postscript: In Late March we attended the PDST Get up and
Our company has produced two variations of the product. Go competition in The Athlone Springs Hotel. We competed
One of our products is aimed towards individual use and against 35 other entries and were delighted as we were
the other product is focused mainly on primary schools. The named as one of the 4 qualifiers for the National Final in Naas
individual pack includes a soft toy character, a notebook in Co Kildare in May! This is the next stop on our journey!
and pen, pouch with clip, a storybook which
includes a page with faces showing different
emotions. Our product for individual children is
an interactive book which includes blank spaces
which allow children to put themselves into the
story by using their own name if they wish to
do so. Due to the fact that each character has a
different personality and traits children are given
the option of selecting whichever character they
think is most relatable to them, this provides a
unique bond between the child and the character
hence creating a greater element of trust from
the child’s perspective. The children’s parents can
then see what is happening with their children.
Our product that is intended for primary schools
is just a variation of the individual children’s pack.
It includes 5 books which are focused on the
main target points of typical problems that arose
throughout schools. Each book is based around
a certain element of bullying e.g exclusion. There
is also a pouch for each character which they
can be placed in while they are not in use. They Trust & Tell. PDST National Finalists
are designed so that they can be hung in any
location in the classroom.

The Royal Times 2016-2017 35