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We care passionately about children’s emotional health and wellbeing.
Our mission is to empower parents, carers and educators to support children to develop their self-confidence, social skills and emotional resilience with our training, tools and resources including our multi award-winning online DESTY Island Emotional Resilience Programme.
At Education DESTY® we envision a world where all children are engaged, inspired, and empowered to discover their best selves. Our passion is rooted in the research evidence that emotional wellbeing is a key driver of personal growth and academic success.
A key element of Education DESTY®’s success is its collaborative model, which involves close partnerships with schools, parents, community organisations and mental health professionals. Our holistic approach ensures that our interventions are both impactful and sustainable, creating a lasting support network for children. The positive outcomes of our work are evident in improvements in the wellbeing of the children based on both quantitative (SDQ) and qualitative (feedback/case study) data.
The DESTY® approach integrates transformative training and skills development with interactive software programmes so that the network around children can support the emotional development of children in their care. Our offering includes the multi-award winning DESTY® Island Emotional Resilience Programme and our newly launched DESTY® Goals Life Coaching Programme.
DESTY stands for Discovering Exceptional Strengths and Talents in You and is a programme to improve the social, emotional and mental health of children by developing secure relationships and healthy role-models for them. Stephanie O’Malley, Founder and Educational Psychologist at DESTY, created DESTY and the DESTY Mentor training programme to address the need for zzz.
Education DESTY® Ltd. was founded by Educational Psychologist, Stephanie Fitzgerald (BAPsyh; MAEdPsych) in 2015, inspired by her concern for children whose social and emotional needs were unmet, leading many to disengage from the education system. Stephanie saw the urgent need for emotional support in schools, which led to the creation of DESTY®.
A thought leader in area of children’s wellbeing, Stephanie is also a published researcher, lecturer, and keynote speaker, contributing significantly to the field of children’s mental health and emotional development. Through DESTY®, she continues her mission to support the development of children’s emotional intelligence and overall wellbeing.
The DESTY® Whole System Approach reflects our commitment to fostering a connected, nurturing environment for children, that benefits them and the entire ecosystem that surrounds them. Our offerings are designed to meet the needs of organisations, ranging from senior management teams to educators and parents who directly support children in school and home environments.
In addition to training and on-going support, DESTY offers solutions based on cutting-edge technology to teach children essential social-emotional life skills such as managing feelings, problem-solving and working effectively with others. This approach complements the existing school curriculum, doesn’t overburden teachers and staff, is enjoyable and engaging for students and gets results.
By extending our support across the entire network, DESTY® strengthens the collective ability to nurture each child, creating a unified, empowered approach that enhances the impact for all.
The DESTY® Island Emotional Resilience programme offers a unique, interactive online world where children can safely explore and understand their emotions.
Certified DESTY® Mentors are specially trained to guide children through this journey, supporting them as they navigate DESTY® island and build emotional resilience.
The Certified DESTY® Mentor Training course equips educators with the core skills necessary to support children who face barriers to learning due to social and emotional difficulties.
Once trained, DESTY® Mentors are fully qualified to work one-on-one with children as they progress through the DESTY Island programme
The DESTY® programme begins with training the supportive adult, known as a DESTY® Mentor. This training is a mix of self-paced online learning and interactive online workshops, designed to be completed over an average of 6 weeks, with an average commitment of 2 hours per week. The training is aimed at educators, or healthcare professionals and prepares them to support children in building emotional resilience through the DESTY® programme.
Once their training is complete, mentors are provided with access to the DESTY® Island Portal. They engage in a minimum of 15 one-to-one online sessions with a child, each lasting 30-40 minutes. These sessions are designed to be child-centred and child-led, using a safe, interactive, and colorful online environment to help the child explore their emotions and develop coping strategies for life’s challenges
The DESTY® Goals programme provides a structured, step-by-step framework that empowers young people to work alongside their DESTY® Coach to set and achieve their life aspirations.
Once trained, DESTY® Coaches are fully equipped to guide children in breaking down their ambitions into manageable, actionable steps, celebrating key milestones, and building the confidence needed to thrive both academically and personally.
At DESTY® , we empower children and young people to build emotional resilience, set ambitious goals, and Dream BIG as they shape their future.
The DESTY® training programme has had a profound impact on my teaching practice. It provided me with the knowledge and tools not only to support children on the DESTY® Island Emotional Resilience Programme but also gave me resources to support all my students’ emotional resilience and build self-esteem in all areas of learning. As a Head of Inclusion and Learning Support teacher, the skills fostered in the DESTY® training programme have proved invaluable for working with children with a range of challenges, in addition to supporting teachers to ensure the strategies are transferred seamlessly into the mainstream classroom.
This year I started using the DESTY® programme with two students who were struggling with emotional regulation, resulting in frequent, often violent, outbursts of anger. Both of these students were having extreme difficulty in accessing any classroom learning. Using the techniques from the DESTY® programme the students developed an understanding of their feelings, their triggers and started to learn how to take control of their reactions. After just 12 weeks of the DESTY® programme both students have become more independent learners, the violent outbursts have ceased and they now access mainstream learning with their peers in addition to building new friendships.
Ellese Barraclough
Head of Inclusion,
North London Collegiate School Dubai, UAE
We know that having a positive role model for a child is vital to growing their confidence, self-esteem and resilience.
A DESTY Mentor is a key adult in a child’s life who is willing to take on the support role for a child as they explore DESTY Island.
We train parents, carers and educators to become DESTY Mentors and give them all the skills, tools and support they need.
If you share our vision that every child who would benefit from a DESTY Mentor and who wants to embark on the DESTY journey through DESTY Island should have this opportunity then we would love to work with you.
So why not take the first step on the DESTY journey and get in touch with us and we can take it from there?
DESTY Founder meets the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to share the work we have been doing to support some of the most vulnerable children in the UK and across the world.
Stephanie meets with the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle at an event hosted by the British Embassy.
Education DESTY wins a Social Entrepreneurs Ireland Award in recognition of our programme’s social impact.
Stephanie meets the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins and his wife Sabina at an event honouring Irish entrepreneurs.
Members of Team DESTY celebrate being honoured as Social Enterprise of the Year 2024 by the All-Ireland Business Foundation.
Pictured are Stephanie Fitzgerald Founder/CEO with her children Conor, Róisín and James; and Saoirse O’Rourke, Chief Operating Officer.
It is rare to find a company whose values so closely align with those of DESTY, particularly in prioritizing the well-being of children and young people. Together, we aim to enhance social, emotional, and educational outcomes across the UAE and beyond."
You are welcome to talk to Louise about DESTY in the first instance
Please also feel free to contact Education DESTY directly