Let’s muzzle the black dog together!
Mental Health/Suicide/Depression….….. 😶 Absolutely hate those words! I hate suffering with it more! I’ve played silly games of Russian roulette and won, help me prevent a young human from even thinking about playing such silly games and more importantly let’s prevent someone from losing! The rippple effects are catastrophic. So let’s help people tame the black dog and prevent others from getting bitten. I know it’s challenging times in the world right now, which makes this more important. I’ll put in the hours and challenge myself if you can help buy donating a few dollars towards youth Mental health challenges. I need to raise $1000 min but I’m aiming for triple that, please help me accomplish this small goal. This challenge sounds simple from the outside, but I think it’s going to really challenge me. 20hrs of silence and self reflection inside my mind is hard, but is better than a lifetime living with a noisy head! Don’t let the silence be deafening!l Let’s normalise this and help our next generation be strong than us! 🫶🏽Challenge Rules
1. Participants are required to reach the $1000 fundraising requirement prior to the event.
Participation in the 20 Hours Challenge requires a minimum fundraising commitment of $1,000, before the date of the challenge.
Participants are expected to actively engage in fundraising throughout the campaign and maintain regular communication with the 20Talk team. Fundraising progress and engagement will be monitored throughout the lead-up to the event.
As places in the challenge are limited, 20 Talk reserves the right to withdraw a participant's place if they are not actively working towards the minimum fundraising requirement or are not engaging with the fundraising process.
If a participant withdraws from the event or their place is withdrawn, any funds raised will remain with
20 Talk and continue to support our mental health programs and services. In some circumstances, funds raised may be credited towards a future 20Talk event.
- You must stay in your 2×2-metre taped out square for the entirety of the challenge (aside from going to the toilet and filling up your water bottle).
- No technology will be allowed during the challenge. All phones will be turned off and put in a container. Please notify close relations that you will be not able to be contacted unless for urgent matters.
- There will be no talking to other participants throughout the day.
- There will be no clock visible, instead there will be a gong that is sounded every hour.
- Every few hours, we will be conducting a well-being check-in with all participants. We will be asking you to score your current well-being out of 10 on a small whiteboard and will be monitoring this information throughout the day.
- Due to the silent nature of the event, if a participant is snoring and disturbing others, they will be gently woken up.
- If you are no longer able to participate, we will unable be refund donations. However, you may be given the option to credit your donations to a future challenge.
What to Bring:
- Camp chair, sleep mat or single swag with pillow and blankets/sleeping bag (no tents)
- Journal and pen (no books but self-reflective journals are allowed
- A water bottle, snacks, three lunch boxes (and cutlery) with your breakfast, lunch and dinner in each box. We will label these for you, refrigerate them for you and distribute them at meal times. Unfortunately, no heating facilities are available.
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.
This challenge is a small glimpse into the isolation and struggle that someone with mental health challenges might feel every day. I know it will be tough - physically, mentally, and emotionally - but it’s a challenge I’m taking on to stand in solidarity with those navigating these experiences.So why am I doing this?
We have all been touched in some way by the reality of mental health. It can be dark, lonely, and confronting.
Structurally, the statistics are still alarming:
- Suicide 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 Challenge to help 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'
What is Mental Health Maintenance?
Mental Health Maintence (MHM) is a free, one-day workshop designed with industry experts to help individuals better understand and engage with different areas of their wellbeing, as well as learn effective ways to monitor them. MHM is designed to support people by equippig them with the knowledge and tools to maintai their mental wellbeing before reaching crisis point. By improving mental health literacy, removing harmful stigma, and encouraging professional help-seeking, this workshop hopes to prevent people from reaching crisis in the first place. To learn more, please visit www.20talk.com.au.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this 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!
