Ruby Clarey

My why

Hello friends, family, and maybe even a few people who don’t know me.

I’m Ruby, I’m 28, and I’ve signed up for 20 hours for 20 talk to raise funds for youth mental health. This is 20 hours of sitting in silence with 400 other people and a small glimpse into the isolation and struggle that young people with mental health challenges might feel every day. 

I’m doing this to show my support for all of the young people I’ve been lucky enough to work with through some of the most difficult periods of their lives, but also in recognition of my own childhood exposure to poor mental health.

For six years, I’ve worked with children and families involved in the out-of-home care system, supporting some of the most vulnerable young people in our communities.

I worked with children whose experiences of trauma, instability and abuse had such a profound impact on their mental health. Some at such low points they've not only tried to hurt themselves but others around them. During my job at Child Protection, I was physically assaulted and hospitalised by a young person who was experiencing significant mental health difficulties. I later left this job from the impacts of the assault on my own mental health.  

In my current job I get to support children to be placed in permanent care to provide the stability they weren't able to experience with their families.  I also provide counselling to women and children who are wishing to place their babies up for adoption. For those who chose adoption, I support those infants to enter the care of an adoptive family. 

The very sad and true reality is that many of these children will carry the impacts of their early experiences with them throughout their lives and may face mental health challenges as they grow up.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve also realised that part of the reason I was drawn to this work was because I was trying to make sense of my own childhood.

When I was eight years old, my brother experienced his first mental health crisis. Over the years, he received multiple diagnoses that will impact him for the rest of his life.

As a young girl, I didn’t really understand what was happening and why my brother was so unwell. I just knew he had changed. I was always afraid that I would come home from school to find out that he had taken his own life.

Mental health affects so many of us, and I think its safe to say most of us are still trying to understand and navigate it ourselves. For a young person this is even harder. 

Growing up exposed to severe mental health challenges and my career choice in supporting young people with poor mental health outcomes, has made me incredibly passionate about advocating for better mental health outcomes for young people.

Twenty hours of sitting in silence with no electronics, only a book and a sleeping bag is obviously a small thing in comparison to what so many young people experience, but I hope it can help raise awareness, start conversations and, most importantly, raise money for services and resources that can give young people the support they deserve.

If you’re able to donate, even a small amount, I would be incredibly grateful. And if you can’t donate, sharing this fundraiser or simply talking about youth mental health is just as valuable.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story and for supporting something that means so much to me. 

I think it's important to sometimes be vulnerable ourselves, especially when we talk about mental health. 

Let's raise some money!!

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.