Mullingar teen shortlisted for Red Cross Humanitarian Award

Mullingar teenager Josh Deegan has been shortlisted for Young Humanitarian of the Year in the Irish Red Cross Humanitarian Awards 2021, which takes place on November 28.

The 19-year-old is the founder of Brighter Thoughts Ireland, which aims to cultivate good mental health and reduce the stigma that still surrounds some mental health issues.

Deegan’s experiences of maintaining sound mental health were the inspiration behind a documentary ‘Bruised not Broken’ released in March 2020.

The Young Humanitarian award honours the ‘extraordinary contribution of a young person or group of people who dedicates their extracurricular hours to being a visionary young leader for humanitarian causes’.

Pat Carey, chair of the Irish Red Cross, said: “It is important that we honour and recognise the crucial work that is being done by humanitarians and their ongoing contribution to Irish society, which serves as a powerful example to all of us.

“The Irish Red Cross Humanitarian Awards aim to celebrate these people and organisations, and highlight the amazing work that they do. These awards are the highest honour given by the Irish Red Cross, in recognition of those who have dedicated their lives to exceptional humanitarian endeavours.”

Josh says that growing up in Mullingar was great when he was younger, but the older he got, the more he found life challenging.

He worked with Michael Benson Productions on the documentary, which also includes contributions from Jackie Fox (who campaigned for Coco’s law), other members of the Brighter Thoughts Ireland team, mental health nurses, and counsellors.

Josh attended St Mary’s Primary School and Coláiste Mhuire, where he did his Leaving Certificate in 2019. He went on to Moate Business College in 2019 and graduated in 2020 with an Advanced Social Studies certificate.

The annual Irish Red Cross Humanitarian honour nominated finalists across six categories. The awards recognise those who have had a humanitarian impact on the lives of others through volunteering, storytelling, skill sharing or fundraising and highlight the efforts of those who have given a voice to humanitarian issues.

The work of the Irish Red Cross in Ireland, which was established in 1939, helps the most vulnerable people in Irish society.

The other finalists in the Young Humanitarian category are climate activist Saoi O’Connor and Harry Nolan, app developer with the Enniscorthy Defibrillator Initiative. There is a special mention for four-year-old Zoey Coffey.

Catherine Corless has already been announced as the 2021 Irish Red Cross Lifetime Achievement award winner, and she joins a prestigious list of former winners including the late Pat Hume, WHO executive director Dr Mike Ryan, and former Mountjoy Prison governor John Lonergan.

See humanitarianawards.ie or follow the Irish Red Cross on Instagram (@irishredcross), Twitter (@irishredcross) or Facebook.