Get involved today.
Get involved today.
Get involved today.
Get involved today.
Get involved today.
Our story
It started with two mates, a living room, and a loss too close to home.
The problem
Only 2% of mental health funding goes to prevention. Suicide is the leading cause of death for Australians aged 15-44. Hundreds of young adults told us existing mental health education felt clunky, unrelatable and out of touch.
In 2018, founders Leighton Bradfield and Lockie O'Donoghue lost two close friends to suicide within two months. Rather than let that grief sit, they built an evidence-based charity that actually resonates with young people, run by young people, for young people.
Our values
Anti-Lanyard
We steer clear of bureaucracy and formality so our programs stay agile and enjoyable
Exploration
We experiment with new ideas and technology to authentically reach young adults
Responsibility
We empower young adults to own their mental health and build community wellbeing.
Our journey so far
Where it began. 20Talk started in Leighton's parents' living room: a 5-part mentoring program for 8 young men, 30 through it that first year.
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Finding our feet. We expanded our programs to young women, secured our first major funding through Swim for Life, and opened our first office at the Naval Store in Fremantle.
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Building the engine. We opened our own media studio, brought on our first major sponsors, and launched the Mental Health Maintenance (MHM) course.
- -Now
Reaching thousands. University and school partnerships, the growth of 20 Hours for 20Talk, and 6,500+ young people trained with 15 million+ reached online.
