Monique Cotton

Why I chose 20Talk..

For those of you who know me, I live by my daily value of making a positive impact with all those who I interact with, taking a glass half-full approach to life and lessons that I have the opportunity to learn along the way.

I value people's stories, and their core being of what makes them who they are.

We all have our ups and downs, good days and bad days and it breaks my heart when I see people navigating through a challenging part of their life and they cannot see a light at the end of the tunnel.

We have all been touched in some way or another by the reality of poor mental health. It can be a confronting, lonely and dark space you may find yourself in.

Statistically, Suicide remains the leading cause of death for young people aged 15-44. And yet, only 2% of mental health funding goes towards prevention according to Mental Health Commission 2022.

After doing something similar back in 2021 for Coastrek, and navigating my own set of challenges and life experiences, I feel that time is right for me to contribute back in meaningful ways - raising funds for 20Talk.

On Saturday the 28th of March, 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 from 3am to midnight. It's only 20 hours, but I am hoping to find myself in a reflective space to share the loneliness with those who are struggling with mental health. All I will have is my own thoughts, a journal and a chair to sit on. No tech, no books, nothing to help me feel the time pass but my own thoughts.

I have set myself a somewhat ambitious goal of $1,000 to raise towards this cause. Every dollar I raise will contribute towards 20Talk's relatable prevention campaigns, examples of these are:

- Every $120 putting a young person through one day Mental Health Maintenance Course

- Expanding 20Talk's online resources and 60,000+ social media community

- Running of large-scale interactive mental health events

By improving mental health literacy, removing harmful stigma, and encouraging professional help-seeking, I am hoping to make a meaningful impact and contribute toward preventing people from getting into crisis in the first place.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post and if you have some time, and resonate with this cause, please help support this by donating using the links in this page.

Hopefully this small challenge can help change someone’s life.

If you ever need to chat, I'm here to lend an ear. 🤍