Training Matters (TM) is delighted to announce that the award-winning mental health campaigner Jonny Benjamin MBE will be guest speaker for the Recognition of Excellence Awards 2021

^{Photo Credit HappifulJoseph Sinclair}

At the age of 20, Jonny was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder – a combination of schizophrenia and bipolar – and later began making films on YouTube about the condition that have been watched by millions of people worldwide. His 2014 social media campaign with Rethink Mental Illness to #findMike, the man who talked him out of jumping off a bridge when he was suicidal several years earlier, went viral and led to Jonny becoming a prominent spokesperson on the subject of suicide.

Since then, Jonny has also invested his time into improving the mental health of others as a mental health campaigner through articles, books, interviews, documentaries and YouTube vlogs. Jonny launched ThinkWell – a mental health programme for schools – which has so far reached thousands of young people in secondary schools across the UK. He has also written two books, the second of which, The Book Of Hope, will be published in Spring 2021.

Most recently, Jonny setup a new mental health charity, Beyond, which aims to provide better mental health support to young people around the country.

The TM team is extremely excited to welcome Jonny to the RoE stage in September 2021, Covid-19 restrictions permitting, to hear his inspiring story and how he has worked tirelessly to break the stigma for all mental health sufferers.