UPDATE: Joel Thompson has locked in November 4 to visit Forbes.
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He'll be speaking at the Forbes Inn on Wednesday evening, the event is free but you need to register online in advance so the event can be kept COVID-safe.
NRL great and founder of The Mindset Project, Joel Thompson, is coming back to Forbes this November.
The Red Bend Catholic College graduate contacted the Advocate last week to ask people to save November 4 for an important conversation about mental health and suicide prevention.
Thompson founded The Mindset Project in 2012, his own journey driving him to reach out and encourage others.
Since then he has been invited to share his story and his strategies with schools, sports clubs, cultural organisations and businesses.
While it's no small task to fit community events in - Thompson will be hoping for a grand final NRL berth and faces surgery at the end of the season - he's more than happy to respond to requests from our community and surrounding areas to bring The Mindset Project here.
"It's something I have done for a fair chunk of my career, it's a passion and something I know is needed," the Manly star and a captain of the Indigenous All Stars told the Advocate.
The event is for everyone, Thompson specifies, it will be free to participants thanks to his sponsors and will be run under COVID-safe conditions.
"The stigma around mental health needs to change," he said.
"The statistics we are seeing, the lives we are losing, it's heartbreaking."
The format of the event will be formalised closer to the date, and details will be released then, but Thompson is encouraging people to put the event in the calendar.
He's thrilled to be speaking alongside Jessica Macartney, who put together NRL State of Mind and who has worked with Headspace and Men of League.
The message they bring, he says, is absolutely vital.
Thompson encourages people struggling with their mental health to reach out for help - whether that's to friends or family, a doctor or a service like LifeLine.
"Don't suffer in silence," he urges.
"Reach out. You're are not alone. There's a lot of help out there but it's important to start those conversations."
Thompson and The Mindset Project are heading to:
Gundagai - November 2nd
Wagga Wagga - November 3rd
Forbes - November 4th
Griffith - November 5th
Goolgowi - November 6th
Ivanhoe - November 7th.
