At our last Rotary meeting, Chris, one of our Satellite Club members, spoke about a challenge he signed up for - to be quiet for 20 hours.
Chris was one of about 300 people who signed up for this challenge run by 20Hours to highlight the need for mental health support for young people. He, and the others were given a 2 metre square area in which they could have a chair, and a mattress and asked not to speak for the whole 20 hours. They had to leave their computers, phones, watches behind and see what it is like to have none of those things available during that time. Chris said that it breaks his heart when he hears that young people think that suicide is the only way out when they are faced with mental health issues. 20Talk provide mental health workshops for teens which are free, because of the funds they have raised. They want to show young people that they can work through their issues and deal with the stresses of today.
The event started at 4.00 am and ended at midnight. During the day they could leave their square to go to the bathroom or to complete specific set challenges that they were asked to undertake. Chris and the others brought their own meals, and left them with the organisers who would bring them to them during the day. Chris indicated that he often had no idea what time it was but felt that the time went by faster than he thought it would.
He highly recommends switching off all electronic distractions from time to time, and get out into the sunshine and enjoy the natural environment that we live in.
If you are interested to find out more about 20Talk - check out their website
Thanks Chris for bringing this to our attention.