Top comedian announced as keynote speaker for mental health conference
Comedian Ruby Wax is to be the keynote speaker at a major conference in the West Midlands looking at mental health issues.
Aimed at teachers, health professionals and voluntary sector staff who work with children and young people, the conference, which takes place in October, has been organised by HeadStart Wolverhampton.
It will focus on how the various bodies can support young people in improving their resilience and emotional wellbeing, with the aim of reducing the number who develop ongoing mental health issues.
The comedian has experienced episodes of depression for most of her life, and has used her experiences as part of her one-woman shows to break down the stigma associated with discussing mental health issues. She is the author of two best-selling books, Sane New World and A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled, and was awarded an OBE for Services to Mental Health in 2015.
She said: “Mental health issues are so common, and can affect anyone. The trouble is, nobody wants to talk about it and that makes everything worse. We need to take the stigma out of mental illness; people shouldn’t be ashamed of it.
“It used to be the ‘C’ word – cancer – that people wouldn’t discuss. Now it’s the ‘M’ word. I hope pretty soon it’ll be okay for everyone to talk openly about their mental health without fear of being treated differently.
“One in five people have dandruff. One in four people have mental health problems. I’ve had both.”
Ms Wax will share her experiences when the conference takes place at Wolverhampton Racecourse on October 3. Other keynote speakers are Paul McGee, who developed the SUMO (Stop, Understand, Move On) approach to resilience, and Dr Pooky Knightsmith, a mental health ambassador, educator and director of the Young People and Schools Programme at the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust.
The conference, organised by HeadStart Wolverhampton, the University of Wolverhampton, the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust, Young Minds and Time to Change, will also feature a number of workshops with experts from across the UK.
Following the conference, an evening event will showcase the impact that HeadStart and its community partner organisations are having for young people in the city, including through activities for 10 to 16-year-olds and their families available in the HeadStart Summer Programme.
HeadStart Wolverhampton, funded through The Big Lottery Fund, is a “test and learn” programme designed to improve the resilience and emotional well-being of children and young people aged 10 to 16 by giving them the skills they need to cope with life’s challenges.
Further information on the conference is available at www.headstartonline.co.uk/conference2017
