Admin/Co-Founder Josh Jenkins
Before speak out, one of my school pals took his own life, which really hit home. it hit me that suicide is actually happening which also meant that people were feeling depressed etc and we aren’t aware.
To show some love i simply put a status saying something similar to ‘If anybody needs a shoulder to cry in then mine are always available if they need one’. This received lots of attention in regards to likes and shares. This then motivated me to do more and that was when i wrote a blog about suicide with information around suicide to help raise awareness.
This is when Sam recommended making a Facebook page to help people speak out about any problems and to also give people vital information around mental health.
I have just finished university and gaining a degree in Children’s Physical Education. I am currently working in a bar in Dorset called the ‘Fat Badger,’ and i am in the process of looking into gaining experience in youth support work.
Admin/Co-Founder: Samuel Cridland
Mental health is something that has had a huge impact on my life. Yet as a teenager I didn’t consider it to be impacting on others. You see it on the TV or the in the news but yet feel so distant from the reality of those people who experience it.
All mental health is different to the individual and I always saw mine as my own battle and that made me anxious and afraid to tell others how I felt until last year when someone I had previously gone to school with took his own life.
I experienced mixed emotions ranging from the selfishness of my own perspective to complete shock that someone I knew had gone as a result of this illness. This is when I saw Josh’s post on Facebook and his blog. We got speaking and as a result led to the creation of Speak Out where Josh helped me share my story which also inspired many others to do the same.
Since then we have posted articles, encouraged people to message us in confidence and to offer advice as well as connect people to organisations that would be best suited for the experiences they face.
Sam’s Story: A brief summary of my experiences with mental illness
Sam and Josh
What is Speak Out?
What we want to achieve, like all organisations within mental health, is to spread awareness. Stigma around mental health is getting increasingly better and we want to help work towards beating it for good. Unfortunately, like all things in life this costs money. So as a result we have set up a gofundme campaign in order to raise funds.
Donations will be used to create a website in order to help expand and provide more content, create a chat line where people can reach us without exposing their identity and to give people easy access to information and events. We will also use the money, with the cooperation from local councils, to put up signs and posters around communities, specifically local suicide hotspots. This will enable people to understand they are not alone, and that help is out there, while providing them with a list of organisations that can be contacted and of course ourselves.
We have had positive responses from Dorset Mind who are willing to find ways to provide us with training, to enable us to be better equipped to provide support for those who reach out to us but unfortunately this too costs money. Any donations will be very much appreciated and will help us expand and continue our battle tackling mental health.
Much love Speak Out
