Support. Advocacy. Education.

Support. Advocacy. Education.

Building a More Informed and Compassionate Ireland

Shine is a national organisation supporting people with lived experience of mental illness, as well as their families and supporters.

For over 40 years, we have worked to ensure that people affected by mental illness are treated with dignity, fairness and respect. Our work is grounded in lived experience and delivered through three connected pillars: Support, Advocacy and Education.

Together, these pillars drive long-term change across Ireland.

1. Support

Direct, Recovery-Focused Services

Living with mental illness can affect relationships, confidence, work, education and daily stability. Recovery looks different for each person.

Shine provides free, recovery-focused mental health support shaped by lived experience. We respect autonomy, personal pace and individual choice. There is no single pathway assumed.

Support for Individuals

We offer confidential information and support to people with lived experience of mental illness. Our approach is practical, respectful and grounded in real-life understanding.

Support for Relatives and Supporters

Family members and supporters often carry significant emotional responsibility. Shine provides dedicated support for relatives and supporters, even if their loved one is not attending our services.

Supporters have space to speak openly, access guidance and feel less isolated. By strengthening families, we strengthen recovery.

2. Advocacy

Influencing Policy, Media and Systems

Advocacy ensures that lived experience informs national decision-making.

Shine works to influence public policy, service development and national strategy so that the voices of people affected by mental illness are heard and respected.

Shine Media Programme

Media coverage shapes public understanding of mental illness. Responsible reporting can reduce stigma. Inaccurate or sensational coverage can reinforce harm.

Through training, collaboration and guidance, Shine works with journalists and media professionals to improve standards in reporting on mental illness in Ireland.

Policy and Research Engagement

Shine contributes to research partnerships, consultations and policy development nationally. We advocate for rights-based, recovery-focused approaches that improve access, dignity and long-term outcomes.

Advocacy connects personal experience to systemic change.

3. Education

Changing Understanding and Reducing Stigma

Education is central to reducing stigma and improving mental health awareness in Ireland.

When people understand mental illness better, they are more likely to seek help early, support others confidently and challenge misinformation.

Green Ribbon Campaign

The Green Ribbon campaign is Ireland’s national stigma-reduction initiative. Each year, thousands of people wear green ribbons as a visible sign of solidarity and commitment to ending stigma around mental illness.

Workplace Programme

Workplaces play a major role in shaping attitudes. Our structured Workplace Programme supports employers to create psychologically safe environments where mental health conversations are informed and supported.

Through education, training and awareness initiatives, Shine helps build understanding across communities, workplaces and public life.

Why Mental Health Awareness Matters

Mental health awareness influences whether people seek help early, feel supported or experience silence and stigma.

Improved understanding reduces fear and strengthens families, schools, workplaces and communities. It creates safer spaces for conversation and earlier intervention.

Shine works to ensure mental illness is treated with seriousness, fairness and compassion in Irish society.

Who We Work With

Our work supports:

• Individuals living with mental illness
• Family members and supporters
• Employers and workplaces
• Media professionals
• Community groups and educators
• Policymakers and researchers

Mental health support and education are relevant across every sector of Irish society.

Why Choose Shine?

Among mental health organisations in Ireland, Shine offers a lived-experience-led approach grounded in dignity, recovery and social change.

We combine direct support, national advocacy and education programmes to create meaningful, lasting impact.

Choosing Shine means engaging with a trusted national organisation committed to reducing stigma and strengthening understanding of mental illness across Ireland.

Get Support or Get Involved

If you are looking for confidential information or support, contact us Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

If you would like to support our work, you can:

• Donate
• Volunteer
• Become a Shine Ambassador
• Become a member

Together, we can continue building a society where understanding replaces stigma.

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