Travels From Tasmania
Speaker Topics
Lived Experience
At just 25 years of age, Mitch decided to draw a positive out of his family’s loss, by creating awareness through a simple car sticker. A pair of footy shorts, a nod to his late brothers’ passion for short shorts, with the slogan ‘SPEAK UP! Stay ChatTY.’ A clear message to encourage us all to turn our attention to mental health, chat about it and enact change.
Partnering with key Tasmanian community groups, businesses, sporting identities, and formally with Relationships Australia Tasmania in 2017, SPEAK UP! Stay ChatTY is now recognised as a leading mental health organisation in Tasmania with programs in schools, sporting clubs and various workplaces and community groups.
His presentation aims to expand community knowledge, inspire action and change, and to encourage open and honest conversations around mental health and suicide.
Mitch openly shares his story of loss and grief through his unique presentation, taking his audience on a moving journey around devastation, finding purpose, self-belief, and ultimately leaving those in his presence with a determination to be there more for yourself, and for those you care about.
Mitch’s Presentation Covers:
1. Personal Story - a firsthand experience of suicide bereavement
2. The journey from tradie to mental health advocate
3. Overview of mental health; what it is and what to look out for
4. 5 ways we can all make a difference
Mitch McPherson
Sharing his lived experience in a bid to change the way Australians view mental health and suicide.
As the founder of Tasmanian based organisation SPEAK UP! Stay ChatTY, Mitch’s journey to raise awareness of suicide prevention and reduce the stigma around mental health began after his younger brother Ty took his own life in 2013. Mitch, the 2017 Tasmanian Young Australian of the Year and National R U OK? Day Ambassador channelled his grief into the successful suicide prevention charity SPEAK UP! Stay ChaTY and has spoken at over 700 events nationwide and has the endorsement of key community groups, businesses, and sporting identities.
Mitch leads with strength and determination, harnessing his own loss to encourage communities to speak up about their mental health and take action. Since the loss of his younger brother Ty in 2013, Mitch has dedicated his life to helping, educating, and encouraging others to speak about mental illness and prevent suicide. All of this important work is well aligned to Mitch’s own personal values: compassion, authenticity, kindness and perseverance. Mitch has become a go to in the Tasmanian community for important discussions and messaging around mental health. From media interviews, his weekly radio segment or assisting those seeking guidance on start-up charities, Mitch does all he can to foster a beneficial effect on the community.
When presenting at schools, workplaces and sporting clubs, Mitch speaks from the heart. He creates a genuine connection with his audiences and cultivates an atmosphere of sincerity and trust. A devoted family man, father and husband, passionate Carlton supporter and an avid coffee drinker, Mitch is a friend to all. Mitch has been partnered with Relationships Australia to promote and spread the message of SPEAK UP! Stay ChatTY. Alongside his passionate team, Mitch has implemented programs in schools and sporting clubs across the state and is devoted to educating Tasmanians on mental illness and its tribulations.
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