{"id":30299,"date":"2026-07-20T11:25:35","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T03:25:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/?p=30299"},"modified":"2026-07-20T11:25:36","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T03:25:36","slug":"curtin-graduate-tackling-the-silent-crisis-facing-many-young-australians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/curtin-graduate-tackling-the-silent-crisis-facing-many-young-australians\/","title":{"rendered":"Curtin graduate tackling the silent crisis facing many young Australians"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite living in a world of endless notifications and instant messaging, many young people are feeling more alone than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Curtin Commerce graduate Leighton Bradfield knows this feeling all too well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During his first year of university, he was confronted with a tragedy that no human should ever have to encounter in their lifetime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leighton and his close friend, Lockie O\u2019Donoghue faced the devastating loss of two close friends to suicide within just two months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Struggling with their own mental health battles, Leighton and Lockie decided to channel their grief, experiences and shared commitment into a transformative mission, founding <a href=\"https:\/\/www.20talk.com.au\/about-2\">20Talk<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">20Talk is an evidence-based charity that gives young adults the tools to tackle life\u2019s challenges and a safe space to find true connection through the power of real, honest conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today, we live in a world where our phones have often become an easy escape from the realities and conversations we often need to confront.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Launching in 2024, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.20hoursfor20talk.com.au\/\">20Hours for 20Talk<\/a> is a mental health challenge that seeks to change this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For 20 hours, participants sit silently with what many of us spend our lifetimes avoiding: <em>ourselves.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.licdn.com\/dms\/image\/v2\/D5612AQHlQMF-Q-9ZDg\/article-inline_image-shrink_1000_1488\/B56Z5dBkiIJkAM-\/0\/1779677153702?e=1785974400&amp;v=beta&amp;t=g4nZezkCJceDOJiMt2_XmpIIe0ZoKkJNEN-_om1stgQ\" alt=\"a participant sits quietly during the 20talk challenge event.\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The 20 Hours for 20Talk mental health challenge aims to encourage people to look inward.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe purpose of this event is to help people self-reflect, we are often so distracted by technology that we don\u2019t really look inwards anymore,\u201d Leighton said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leighton said deciding to tackle such a big and important issue in society wasn\u2019t just an idea \u2013 it was necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p>\u201cWe noticed what was currently out there wasn\u2019t working and didn\u2019t connect to young people \u2013 so, we needed to innovate,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today, Australians are more likely to die by suicide than from skin cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With suicide being the leading cause of death among Australians aged 25-44 (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.blackdoginstitute.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/1-facts_figures.pdf\">Black Dog Institute<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Disturbingly, only two per cent of mental health funding is directed towards prevention charities, while 98 per cent is allocated toward interventions and crisis management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Drawing from their own experiences navigating the challenges of early adulthood, 20Talk arose out of recognition that the current mental health system is clunky, unrelatable and overly abundant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Consequently, leaving many young people unsure of who to trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p>\u201cThere are a lot of great clinical services out there that serve a very strong purpose, but sometimes their ability to engage with young people and how they educate them online is often really poor,\u201d Leighton said.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAs a result, you\u2019ve got many young people and those on the fringes of society who don\u2019t want to engage with a clinical service.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Going beyond conventional mental health support, 20Talk strives to empower young adults to take charge of their mental health journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.licdn.com\/dms\/image\/v2\/D5612AQGE_i_KJf0dsg\/article-inline_image-shrink_1000_1488\/B56Z5dCXf4HUAI-\/0\/1779677362564?e=1785974400&amp;v=beta&amp;t=LlNrEVN4GtHRKYB0ZI8Zp8f0xCBA1unmiBRAYLrAPjE\" alt=\"curtin graduate leighton bradfield and the 20talk team.\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">20Talk aims to go beyond conventional mental health support.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Through their evidence-based programs, they foster a culture of personal and community wellbeing, creating a supportive and understanding environment where every conversation matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p>\u201cWe want to create spaces where people are not afraid to talk about really tough things, open up and be real,\u201d Leighton said.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf we don\u2019t have these honest conversations, then people feel more isolated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since its beginning, 20Talk has raised more than $3 million for youth mental health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Serving as a powerful reminder to young Australians that taking your mental health seriously doesn\u2019t mean doing it alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe all desire and need connection,\u201d Leighton said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p>\u201cIt\u2019s important to remember that everyone experiences mental health struggles in their own way, there\u2019s no such thing as worse or better.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe all go through tough times, and once you understand that you can really speak to anyone and connect in some way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you see a friend going through a tough time, Leighton said don\u2019t be afraid to start a conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf anything, sit with them in the darkness, ask them how they are going, and just be there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFinally, listen to them and encourage them to seek professional help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.licdn.com\/dms\/image\/v2\/D5612AQHKW1B1PL_EIQ\/article-inline_image-shrink_1000_1488\/B56Z5dDK3.JsAI-\/0\/1779677575462?e=1785974400&amp;v=beta&amp;t=q69WPr3azO84Abhy5qAmcEWc2UssVXtx-5zkgPvZxKw\" alt=\"20talk founders, curtin graduate leighton bradfield in conversation with lockie\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">20Talk Founders Leighton and Lockie are passionate about creating spaces where every conversation matters.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the future, Leighton and Lockie are looking to expand 20Talk over east.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAt the moment, our goal is to have all our mental health maintenance training free in all universities across Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe will also be setting up our Sydney office next year as we are looking to expand our 20Hours program to more than 20,000 people per year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Learn more about 20Talk\u2019s programs <a href=\"https:\/\/www.20talk.com.au\/about-2\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>We understand some readers may find this content distressing. Support is available through Lifeline (13 11 14) or the Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467).<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Despite living in a world of endless notifications and instant messaging, many young people are [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":161,"featured_media":30301,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","wds_primary_category":710,"footnotes":""},"categories":[710],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life-after-curtin"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30299","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30299"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30299\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30303,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30299\/revisions\/30303"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30301"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}