Christian Leembruggen

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

MY WHY

Knowing where to look and find support can be stressful, but accepting or being open to receiving support can sometimes be the hardest to overcome.

As a 18-30 year old male, I've been dismissive, closed, disruptive and have faced many setbacks for my own personal development, as well was financial or professional development.

These outcomes have been because of not accepting & acknowledging the need for help, not being able to share my emotions truthfully and at times, not having the right sense of guidance I wish I had, but falling into a trap of comparisons, lust and neglect.

My purpose in participating in the 20 hours of 20Talk challenge is to encourage young men and women in our communities that it's okay to try and not succeed, it's okay to ask for help because everyone has a deserving place on this earth. You will learn from these setbacks and you'll find more positive outcomes.

Don't let all your emotions be closed off and keep weighing you down, there's more to life than continuing to lie to yourself and keeping things within. You'd be surprised how many people there are out there who can offer support, you just need to know where to start.

For me, I wish to be a pillar of support that someone can lean on with no sense of judgement where we can speak openly and honestly.

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 $300 puts a young person through a two-day Mental Health First Aid 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.

If you ever need to chat, I’m always here. Love you all and thanks again!