Some people buy a sports car when they turn 50. I'm hiking the Larapinta Trail to raise $50K for mental health.
When I was a kid, mental health was only ever talked about as something scary: 'lunatics' who may have 'escaped the asylum' were caricatures that pervaded popular culture. People living with mental illness were to be treated with fear and suspicion, not concern, care or love.
I have been incredibly lucky to have spent my whole working life on social justice issues. And I'm proud of what I have been able to achieve. But when I look back, I can see a story that was all too often missing from the debate.
The bank tellers and call centre workers I organised at the Finance Sector Union were placed in mentally unsafe conditions every day: short staffing, unrealistic sales targets, draconian work monitoring and bullying needlessly hurt people. Armed robberies caused completely avoidable injuries.
The fight for peace ahead of the Iraq war was a fight to prevent needless harm to literally millions of people -- military personnel and civilians alike -- whose lives were destroyed even if they managed to survive the invasion itself.
Our effort to protect the human rights of those seeking asylum in Australia was also a fight against the extreme mental anguish our government inflicted on vulnerable people who simply pleaded for our compassion.
The fight to protect nature and to respond to dangerous climate change is a fight for human wellbeing.
And now I'm working on the biggest social justice issue of them all: mental health.
Too often, I have seen people I love suffer alone with mental health challenges. I have lost too many people I love to suicide. That needs to change.
At Australians for Mental Health, we are working on something that hasn't been tried before. We are collectivising folks who care about mental health and taking action together to change the systems that cause mental harm. Together, we are speaking up for the tangible improvements to mental health Australians desperately need.
We are replacing isolation with solidarity. A campaign for justice, not just awareness.
And in June, Ian Hickie and I will hike the Larapinta Trail to raise funds for the cause. My goal is to raise $50K for Australians for Mental Health, in this, the year of the 50th birthday.
Anything you can chip in would most sincerely be the best birthday present I could possibly ask for.
Best,
Chris