{"id":573,"date":"2023-10-20T21:25:36","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T20:25:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/speakit.org.uk\/index.php\/about\/"},"modified":"2023-11-20T02:07:43","modified_gmt":"2023-11-20T02:07:43","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/speakit.org.uk\/index.php\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"About"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"573\" class=\"elementor elementor-573\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2f628168 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"2f628168\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;gradient&quot;,&quot;shape_divider_bottom&quot;:&quot;waves&quot;,&quot;content_width&quot;:&quot;boxed&quot;}\" data-core-v316-plus=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-shape elementor-shape-bottom\" data-negative=\"false\">\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 1000 100\" preserveAspectRatio=\"none\">\n\t<path class=\"elementor-shape-fill\" d=\"M421.9,6.5c22.6-2.5,51.5,0.4,75.5,5.3c23.6,4.9,70.9,23.5,100.5,35.7c75.8,32.2,133.7,44.5,192.6,49.7\n\tc23.6,2.1,48.7,3.5,103.4-2.5c54.7-6,106.2-25.6,106.2-25.6V0H0v30.3c0,0,72,32.6,158.4,30.5c39.2-0.7,92.8-6.7,134-22.4\n\tc21.2-8.1,52.2-18.2,79.7-24.2C399.3,7.9,411.6,7.5,421.9,6.5z\"\/>\n<\/svg>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-22d8c0c1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"22d8c0c1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.16.0 - 17-10-2023 *\/\n.elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px}<\/style><h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">About Us<\/h1>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-33af790 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"33af790\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;content_width&quot;:&quot;boxed&quot;}\" data-core-v316-plus=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1e5a862 elementor-widget elementor-widget-testimonial\" data-id=\"1e5a862\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"testimonial.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.16.0 - 17-10-2023 *\/\n.elementor-testimonial-wrapper{overflow:hidden;text-align:center}.elementor-testimonial-wrapper .elementor-testimonial-content{font-size:1.3em;margin-bottom:20px}.elementor-testimonial-wrapper .elementor-testimonial-name{line-height:1.5;display:block}.elementor-testimonial-wrapper .elementor-testimonial-job{font-size:.85em;display:block}.elementor-testimonial-wrapper .elementor-testimonial-meta{width:100%;line-height:1}.elementor-testimonial-wrapper .elementor-testimonial-meta-inner{display:inline-block}.elementor-testimonial-wrapper .elementor-testimonial-meta .elementor-testimonial-details,.elementor-testimonial-wrapper .elementor-testimonial-meta .elementor-testimonial-image{display:table-cell;vertical-align:middle}.elementor-testimonial-wrapper .elementor-testimonial-meta .elementor-testimonial-image img{width:60px;height:60px;border-radius:50%;-o-object-fit:cover;object-fit:cover;max-width:none}.elementor-testimonial-wrapper .elementor-testimonial-meta.elementor-testimonial-image-position-aside .elementor-testimonial-image{padding-right:15px}.elementor-testimonial-wrapper .elementor-testimonial-meta.elementor-testimonial-image-position-aside .elementor-testimonial-details{text-align:left}.elementor-testimonial-wrapper .elementor-testimonial-meta.elementor-testimonial-image-position-top .elementor-testimonial-details,.elementor-testimonial-wrapper .elementor-testimonial-meta.elementor-testimonial-image-position-top .elementor-testimonial-image{display:block}.elementor-testimonial-wrapper .elementor-testimonial-meta.elementor-testimonial-image-position-top .elementor-testimonial-image{margin-bottom:20px}<\/style>\t\t<div class=\"elementor-testimonial-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-testimonial-content\">My name is William, and I am the founder of the charity \u2018Speak\u2019. I chose this name for my charity as it describes the purpose and the importance for all, but more crucially for men to speak up about mental health.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-testimonial-meta elementor-has-image elementor-testimonial-image-position-aside\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-testimonial-meta-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-testimonial-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1000\" src=\"https:\/\/speakit.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/man1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-691\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/speakit.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/man1.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/speakit.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/man1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/speakit.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/man1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/speakit.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/man1-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-testimonial-details\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-testimonial-name\">William<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-testimonial-job\">Founder<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-eb14b0e e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"eb14b0e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;content_width&quot;:&quot;boxed&quot;}\" data-core-v316-plus=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-150ad25 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"150ad25\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.16.0 - 17-10-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<div dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"color: var( --e-global-color-text ); text-align: var(--text-align); background-color: var( --e-global-color-b500f0a );\">It has been well documented that mental health conditions have a detrimental effect on all aspects of people\u2019s lives, with research proving it to be the most important risk factor for 0people taking their own lives. According to Heads up (2023) more than 90% of individuals who die by suicide face personal struggles with their mental health, and out of 60% of people who take their own lives have major depression.&nbsp;<\/span><br><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\">In the United Kingdom 12 men die of suicide every day which is a rate 3 times higher than women. Men\u2019s struggle with mental health issues often goes unrecognised due to widespread stigma, and in the UK, suicide is the second leading cause of death in men under the age of 50.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\">My personal experiences stemming from lack of relevant organisation to support during the most vulnerable time in my life led me to set up this charity to reach out to other men, especially from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\">This first-hand experience has put me in the best position to be able to share and support individuals in similar conditions. So, you may be wondering what my experience was, so here is a short summary about myself. My name is William and I am originally from Ghana. I currently live in Northamptonshire with my wife and two children. I have had many different careers in my lifetime, and you could say that I am a \u2018jack of all trades\u2019. In my last job I used to work as a telecom field engineer and a taxi driver in my local community. As we all know, COVID came along and changed life for a lot of people, including myself. I contracted COVID which eventually turned into long-COVID, and I was not sure why I was not getting better. After a lot of different tests, I was diagnosed with a rare auto-immune condition called Sarcoidosis. This condition can affect the body in many ways, and currently still affects my day-to-day life. This took a toll on me physically and as can be expected my mental health took a hit.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\">I have always been a very active individual, so when I was not able to do the things that I used to do, I did not know where to turn to for support. There is a lot more I can say here but let me get to the point.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\">To cut a long story short, the aim of this venture is to provide a supportive, safe space when men can come together and have an opportunity to \u2018speak\u2019 about anything they wish to, including mental health. The aim is to provide support to men, especially those from BAME backgrounds. In my own personal experience, there was never really a place that I could share my thoughts with other individuals. Men from my background are often thought to be strong and never show any signs of weaknesses. This provided the vision that went onto inspire the idea behind \u2018speak\u2019. Let\u2019s come together and end the stigma surrounding asking for help and be there for each other, it\u2019s time to \u2018speak up\u2019 and \u2018speak out\u2019. For more information, please <a href=\"https:\/\/speakit.org.uk\/index.php\/contact-us\/\">contact us.<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-341b4d14 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"341b4d14\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;gradient&quot;,&quot;shape_divider_top&quot;:&quot;waves&quot;,&quot;content_width&quot;:&quot;boxed&quot;}\" data-core-v316-plus=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-shape elementor-shape-top\" data-negative=\"false\">\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 1000 100\" preserveAspectRatio=\"none\">\n\t<path class=\"elementor-shape-fill\" d=\"M421.9,6.5c22.6-2.5,51.5,0.4,75.5,5.3c23.6,4.9,70.9,23.5,100.5,35.7c75.8,32.2,133.7,44.5,192.6,49.7\n\tc23.6,2.1,48.7,3.5,103.4-2.5c54.7-6,106.2-25.6,106.2-25.6V0H0v30.3c0,0,72,32.6,158.4,30.5c39.2-0.7,92.8-6.7,134-22.4\n\tc21.2-8.1,52.2-18.2,79.7-24.2C399.3,7.9,411.6,7.5,421.9,6.5z\"\/>\n<\/svg>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3d6417c e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3d6417c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;content_width&quot;:&quot;full&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4b57b127 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"4b57b127\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">are you ready to speak?<\/h4>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-98ecf4e elementor-mobile-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"98ecf4e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-md\" href=\"https:\/\/speakit.org.uk\/index.php\/contact-us\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-icon elementor-align-icon-right\">\n\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-arrow-right\"><\/i>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Contact Us<\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6aaf634e e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"6aaf634e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;content_width&quot;:&quot;full&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-57c59228 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"57c59228\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;motion_fx_motion_fx_scrolling&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;motion_fx_translateY_effect&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;motion_fx_translateY_direction&quot;:&quot;negative&quot;,&quot;motion_fx_translateY_speed&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;motion_fx_devices&quot;:[&quot;desktop&quot;,&quot;tablet&quot;],&quot;motion_fx_translateY_affectedRange&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;%&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:{&quot;start&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;end&quot;:&quot;50&quot;}}}\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.16.0 - 17-10-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=\".svg\"]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"400\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/speakit.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/blackmanshandonshoulderforcomfort.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-721\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/speakit.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/blackmanshandonshoulderforcomfort.jpg 400w, https:\/\/speakit.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/blackmanshandonshoulderforcomfort-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>About Us My name is William, and I am the founder of the charity \u2018Speak\u2019. I chose this name for my charity as it describes the purpose and the importance for all, but more crucially for men to speak up about mental health. William Founder It has been well documented that mental health conditions have [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/speakit.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/573"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/speakit.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/speakit.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/speakit.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/speakit.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=573"}],"version-history":[{"count":34,"href":"https:\/\/speakit.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/573\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":843,"href":"https:\/\/speakit.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/573\/revisions\/843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/speakit.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}