SAN FRANCISCO - Nov. 7, 2017 - PRLog -- Sidewalk Talk, a non-profit community listening project, is taking listening On The Road again with their second annual bus tour. Starting April 29 through May 5, Sidewalk Talk listener volunteers will board a bus and travel from Boston to Charlottesville, VA spreading compassion and connection through listening to every person they meet. Sidewalk Talk listeners have been listening on public streets all over the world since 2015 with open ears and hearts and the hope that we all feel a little more heard, a little more connected and a little more healthy. Since its inception in 2015, the project has expanded to 29 cities in 10 countries with a team of 1000 volunteer listeners, all committed to the belief that belonging is the key ingredient to mental health.
Traci Ruble, Sidewalk Talk Director, said, "We are all responsible for one another's mental health. How we create belonging and care through the way we care about each other directly impacts our collective health.
If we feel alone, isolated, marginalized, displaced by people, policies, and our economy, our nervous systems go into high alert. We are hypervigilant and impulsive. And if we are impulsive with a gun in our hand, people die.
How we connect with others can make a radical impact on the aggression we see in our communities. We need every citizen to become an active listener. There are not enough therapists in the world to heal what is dividing us. We need everyone to get in on the action.
Come out and be heard or volunteer here. Listening will change your life."
"When I first learned of Sidewalk Talk, I was having a depressive episode…I was struggling in my business…online marketing: it's lonely, it's isolating and I saw this beautiful project on Facebook and I just lit up! It's been a year now…I find myself being more articulate, connecting with people, being more compassionate, I'm a better mother, daughter, friend. I'm less reactive…It's truly been life changing," says Myisha, an Oakland team leader for Sidewalk Talk.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6SOgYaZ_Uk
Other volunteers and participants have echoed her sentiments, sharing how the simple act of listening with compassion and without agenda to fix can have deep and lasting impacts on mental health. Another Sidewalk Talk volunteer, says, "A year ago, I wasn't feeling heard and feeling supported by my peers, by my family, by anybody…it's a really isolating thing and it's hard to reach out. When there's an opportunity to just sit down and talk anonymously, it's a lot less threatening and if I had this a year ago, I probably wouldn't have considered suicide…. I know what it feels like to be in that situation of being unheard…it just kinda builds inside you…you feel like you're going to be shamed for talking about it. Having an opportunity to get things off of your chest releases that pressure."
1 in 5 adults has or will have a mental health disorder in their lifetime. Yet, despite increasing availability of treatment and support, more than half of these individuals will never see a mental health provider. Stigma, cultural narratives and a myriad of logistical and financial obstacles make seeking formal treatment challenging for millions. These factors combined with the lack of connection within many communities today, make mental health and emotional wellness a real concern for our country.
Sidewalk Talk is not street therapy or counseling on the sidewalk but they do provide resources for locally based free and low-cost mental health services for anyone who needs it. Sidewalk Talk volunteers have listened to nearly 10,000 people to date and referred over 300 people to low cost or free mental health services. Moreover, they offer something else that can be a powerful healing force for many- human connection. As Doniece Sandoval, Founder of Lava Mae put it, "The emotional validation - being seen and heard - that our guests receive from Sidewalk Talk is truly healing."
Where can you find Sidewalk Talk listeners on tour?
Listeners will be teaching and listening from April 29 to May 5, 2018 in Boston, Connecticut, New York City, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Washington, DC and finishing in Charlottesville, VA. The goal is to support a new city chapter in each location long after Sidewalk Talk On The Road volunteers leave. Sidewalk Talk is actively raising funds and recruiting more volunteers for their 2018 On The Road tour. If you are interested in volunteering, helping spread the word or in donating you can learn more at the Sidewalk Talk On The Road event page here.
Media Contact
Contact: Press at Sidewalk Talk
***@sidewalk-talk.org
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