Daniel Wilsher & Oliver Newton will take their mental health and wellbeing talk to schools across the country.

A new mental health and wellbeing roadshow aimed at helping children open and talk about their struggles will be rolling out to over 50 schools this year.

The 100 Talks for Change initiative will deliver over 100 talks, in 20 days, to over 10,000 students across the UK in 50 different schools to not only impact those who hear the talks, but to raise money the mental health charities; Make Life Kind, Suicide and Cope, and Youth Minds.

In order to cover more ground with the project, Includability Ambassador Daniel Wilsher, and Oliver Newton will go to different schools and deliver their own talks from their own experiences, helping as many students as they can between when they start in February until May 2023.  

The project also filming the whole process for our 100 Talks for Change documentary which they hope to screen at their final talk later this year.

Why is 100 Talks for Change necessary?

In the UK, 420,000 children a month are being treated for mental health problems. In the last three years, the likelihood of young people having a mental health problem has increased by 50%.

50% of these mental health problems are established by age14.

The UK is experiencing a mental health crisis in the wake of the pandemic and the education system has also been affected. Many pupils are struggling with depression, anxiety, self-harm, eating disorders and suicidal thoughts, more than any generation before them.

About 1,500,000 under-18’s will need new or extra help with their mental health as a direct result of Covid.

Who is involved?

The 100 Talks for Change roadshow was founded by Oliver Newton, known for Lights on Mental Health & Run4YourMind, and Daniel Wilshire, Founder of Damaged Goods.

The uniqueness of Daniel’s story begins at age of 9, when he lost his father to depression related suicide. An event which would begin a series of twists and turns that would soon form a complex web of skewed beliefs and long-lasting mental health issues. Issues that would see him battle suicidal thoughts, among a long and daunting list of additional neurotic symptoms, for four long years.

Through years of hard work, through prescriptions, and 11 months of weekly Psychotherapy, he would finally work up the courage to be able to communicate honestly and openly about emotions and experiences with others.

Oliver’s journey is around coping with symptoms of OCD where he would have to complete arbitrary tasks to feel he and his family remained safe and talks of when his anxiety symptoms falsely convinced him his negative thoughts were actions he had taken and were responsible for, leading to having to track his activities and thoughts to not be plagued by his thoughts.  

What is the vision of 100 Talks for Change?

Daniel and Oliver say that learning to talk about their emotions saved their lives. Opening up to others about their experiences helped to navigate their way out of years of depression and mental health struggles.

They continued that journey by speaking publicly about their experiences finally and aim to inspire others to talk and to begin the journey they have both undertaken, so that others can arrive at a place they feel they are managing sooner.

Daniel Wilshire said, “The project is so important to us because we don’t want any kid to go through the emotional turmoil we did because we didn’t have the courage to able to speak. If we can go into schools and give them the skills to start conversations, to know it’s okay to speak and to give practical tips to complement that.

“I know what I had to go through and I know how much resistance there was around talking. When I learned the power of conversation, I wish I had done so sooner, I could have saved myself all of the trauma I experienced.”

Is 100 Talks for Change working with Includability?

Daniel is an Includability Ambassador and also made a presentation to our January ESG in which our community was invited to get in touch and become involved with the project through partnership opportunities.

Get in touch to be part of the project.

daniel.wilsher@damaged-goods.co.uk