Tayla Tonga

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

Shutting my mouth for 20 hours 🤐

If you know me, you already know how truly hard this challenge is going to be for me 😂

No talking, no phone, no outside distractions, in a 2x2 square metre space, in a room full of people I can’t even talk to. It’s just me, my journal and 20 hours with my own thoughts 🫠

I’ve spent the last few months challenging myself to show up, get uncomfortable and do things that really scare me, and this challenge feels perfect.

I’ve signed myself up for 20 hours of silence to raise money for 20Talk because youth mental health is something that means a lot to me, as I struggled with my own mental health on and off throughout my youth.

If you’d like to support me, every donation matters. Big or small, it is bloody appreciated and going to a great cause 💜

Let’s see if I can actually shut up for 20 hours 🤐

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!