Camilla Franklin

Why I'm taking part in 20Talk

Hi everyone,

On the 28th of June, I’ll be taking part in “20Hours for 20Talk”, a fundraising challenge supporting youth mental health in Australia.

For 20 hours, I’ll sit in silence with no phone, no technology, and no distractions, just a chair, a journal, and my own thoughts in a 2x2 metre space alongside 400 other participants.

As 20Talk describes it, the challenge offers a small glimpse into the isolation many people experiencing mental health challenges can feel every day.

So why am I doing this? 

Mental health is something I’ll always advocate for. Most of us have been impacted by it in some way, whether personally or through people we care about. While many of us are fortunate to have access to supportive people, conversations, and tools that help us navigate difficult periods, that simply isn’t the reality for everyone.

That’s why initiatives like this matter so much.

Access to support, education, community, and open conversations can genuinely change and save lives.

What I also love about this challenge is that whilst it raises much-needed funds and awareness, it also creates space for reflection, mindfulness, perspective, and self-awareness. In a world where we’re constantly connected, distracted, and moving onto the next thing, I think there’s something incredibly valuable about intentionally stepping away from the noise for a while.

I’m genuinely looking forward to embracing the discomfort, slowing down, reflecting, resetting, and reconnecting with myself a little more deeply.

If you’d like to support the initiative, any contribution would be hugely appreciated.

And if donating isn’t possible, there are still meaningful ways to help:

• Check in on someone you care about
• Start a conversation
• Share the tools or practices that have helped you
• Or even join the challenge yourself, there are still spots available

Sometimes simply starting a conversation can remind people they’re not alone, and that support is often closer than they think.

If you ever need someone to chat to, I'm also just a phone call away. 

Much love, 

Cam 

20 Hours of Silence for Youth Mental Health.

I’m taking on the 20 Hours for 20Talk Challenge which will see me sitting in a 2×2 metre square in a warehouse, alongside 400 other participants, with no talking and no technology for 20 hours. All I’ll have are the essentials I bring with me: a chair, sleeping mat, journal, water, and food. No distractions.