ABOUT
Leading Campaigners
Safety & Quality
Best Practice Charter
Training & Mentoring
Support Network
The Speakers Collective is a Social Enterprise bringing together some of the UK’s leading campaigners and speakers on a range of issues fundamental to society - including mental health, suicide prevention, sexuality and gender.
We recognise that many schools, corporate and third sector organisations look for outside speakers on these topics, but often don’t know how to assure safety and quality.
All our speakers are rigorously reviewed and have signed up to a charter of best practice charter.
We provide a mutually supportive network, as well as training and mentoring for those with ambitions to speak publicly on these difficult issues.
Having travelled throughout the UK and beyond for several years speaking about mental health and related issues, we know it can be an incredibly lonely job. We created the speakers collective to give individuals who work mostly alone in an emotionally draining field a place to exchange tips and ideas, share best practice and support one another.
Furthermore, we had been made aware, particularly by schools, of issues concerning quality control. We understand the necessity to discuss sensitive subjects safely, in keeping with the latest reliable research and in a way which is engaging and inspiring. That’s why we also created a quality assurance for our speakers, to give those who book them the assurances they need’.
Natasha Devon MBE
Jonny Benjamin MBE
OUR CHARTER
The aim of the Speakers Collective is twofold:
1. To provide a mutually supportive network for experienced speakers who visit young peoples organisations, businesses or other organisations to discuss mental health and related issues;
2. To assure the quality of those speakers by ensuring they adhere to a charter, as defined below.
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Adhere to the guidance around language and imagery outlined in the mental health media charter in all presentations, literature and on their social media.
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Make sure they comply with safeguarding protocol as defined by each site they visit
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Provide links to good quality, evidence-based and unbiased sources of further support and advice after presentations
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Take care to ensure any statistics of studies cited in their presentations or literature is as reliable and up-to-date as possible
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Encourage participation from their audience within safe parameters
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Attend a minimum of two cpd (continuing professional development) sessions per year
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Regularly update their presentations in keeping with mental health research
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Be mindful of their social media output, taking into account vulnerable followers
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Be truthful and realistic about the scope of their knowledge and expertise
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Members of the speakers collective will not give specific advice to individuals, such as should be provided by a mental health professional
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Be trained by one of the following organisations (time to change, mind, assist, Samaritans, CALM, Beat or Mental Health First Aid England
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We won't glamorise or stigmatise mental illness
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We won't 'recommend' one form of therapy over another, or accept funding from a therapy-provider to 'up-sell' their services to audience members
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We won't humiliate or ridicule any member of the audience
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We won't give instructional details on eating disorders, self-harm or suicide, either in their presentations or on social media
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We won't force anyone to participate in discussion
sPEAKING ABOUT
Mental health
Suicide prevention
Modern masculinity
Empathy
Anxiety
OCD
Addiction
Social media
Parenting and mental health
Mental health in the media
Mental health and minority ethnic groups
Eating disorders
Suicide
Self care and nutrition
Body image
LGBT
Autism
Sleep, mindfulness
Self-harm
Male mental health
Depression
Music and mental health
Student mental health
Mental health in the workplace
Diversity
Hope
PND
PTSD
Living with chronic illness
Disability
Dyslexia
Click here or any of the profile pictures to download the latest biographies of all our speakers.
Adrian Garcia, Hope Virgo, Chris Hemmings, George Hodgson, Shahroo Izadi, Sean Fletcher,
Dave Chawner, Jake Mills, Luciana Berger, Rachel Kelly, Ellen Jones, Jo Love, Satveer Nijjar,
Richard Taylor, Angela Samata, Tom Ryder, Juliette Burton, Marsha Mcadam, T.J., Mark Williams,
Steve Loft, Mary Meadows, Gulwali Passarlay, Andrew Grundell, Geoff McDonald, Laura Hearn,
Danny Rahim, Natalie Pennicotte-Collier and Jon Salmon
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