Belinda Knight

Belinda is taking on the 20-hour challenge to support youth mental health and raise awareness about the importance of prevention.

In support of young adults

I am so lucky to be a Gen Xer. Growing up in the 1990s was awesome. The cost of living was so much lower, jobs were easier to get and harder to lose and housing prices were a fraction of what they are today.

And we had mobiles back when they only could be used for phone calls (and later, SMS messages).

I never had children of my own, however most of my friends do, and so I know just how difficult it is growing up today.

Please read on and donate anything you can afford 😁

Charity fundraisers have never been my thing. I think the last one I did was the 40 hour famine in 1990! But I decided to enroll for this one because I want to challenge myself (talkative, ADDish me) and because the NFP to whom the monies raised go is one that I believe is not only worthy but also important.

Before signing up I thoroughly researched the NFP - 20Talk, and was really impressed. Not only with what they do, which, in a nutshell, is youth targeted mental health education and support. It was started by two young adults and is run by young adults for young adults.

They have two full-time staff and two part time staff and 20 something volunteers. So they're a legit charity- no fat cat CEOs and no extraneous staff on the payroll. This is their biggest fundraiser of the year - last year they raised ~$250,000. This year they are aiming to raise $800,000.

Anyway I'll leave their suggested blurb below so you can read all about what the event is and what the money is being raised for, from them. Check them out. Do your own research. And if you feel that its a worthy cause, or just like the idea of me sitting in silence for 20 hours, please donate.

It's tax deductible, afterall :)

Belle xoxo

---------------------------------------

In order to raise funds for mental health charity 20Talk, I'm going to take on the challenge of sitting in a 2 metre square box for 20 hours with no technology and no talking. This challenge will be a small look into the day of someone struggling with mental health. All I will have is my own thoughts, a journal and a chair to sit on.

So why am I doing this?

We have all been touched in some way or another by the reality of mental health. It can be dark, lonely, and confronting.

Structurally, the statistics are still alarming..

Suicide still remains the leading cause of death for young people aged 15-44.
Only 2% of mental health funding goes towards prevention (Mental Health Commission 2022)

I'm completing the 20 Hours for 20Talk to turn these statistics around. Your contribution goes towards 20Talk's relatable prevention campaigns. They are a mental health charity that makes education cool and accessible, for young people by young people.

Your generous donations go towards:

Every $120 puts a young person through a one day Mental Health Maintenance course
Expanding 20Talk's online resources and 60,000+ social media community
Running large-scale interactive mental health events

By improving mental health literacy, removing harmful stigma, and encouraging professional help-seeking we are preventing people from getting people into crisis in the first place.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post and for donating to the cause. Hopefully this small challenge can help change someone’s life.

Afterall, I believe the children are the future. We need to keep them well, and let them lead the way ;)