Guernsey Press

Thrive2020 draws on inspiration of locals

AN EVENT aimed at inspiring happiness in Guernsey has showcased the inspirational journeys of islanders who have overcome personal battles.

Published
Jock Pettitt, co-founder of Thrive2020, with the ‘overriding essence of the day’, photographs by Rob Turville. (Picture by Jake Wallace, 22827931)

Hosted at Les Cotils on Saturday, The Dandelion Foundation’s Thriving Community conference offered attendees the opportunity to enjoy a variety of different talks, integrative exercises and inspirational artwork.

The morning session, organised by Body & Mind Integrating Wellbeing, included talks on dancing for the feelgood factor, nourishing yourself to great health and the power of peer support.

In the afternoon, Thrive2020 hosted speakers who gave insight into how they overcame adversity, including talks on suicide, health problems and wellbeing.

In the past Thrive2020 have invited speakers to the island to give talks on their journeys.

‘This year we have gone for grassroots to shine a light on local initiatives that have come about as a result of those previous Thrive conferences,’ said Jock Pettitt, co-founder of Thrive2020.

‘We are getting those people that have taken action and shining a light on them.

‘To emphasise this we have made it free to attend and are live-streaming it through the Dandelion Foundation Facebook page.

‘So there are no boundaries to these topics covering health, wellbeing, movement and mental health.

‘These are all subjects that don’t have to be at the extreme of the spectrum to be relevant.

‘What we do in these talks is focus on this full spectrum as it is inclusive, everybody is on their somewhere.

One of the highlights of the day was the Unseen Creatives art exhibition.

The entire content was created by local people exploring their own emotional and mental health journeys through art, and part curated by 16-year-old dyslexic, Sophie Head.

One example that embodied the meaning of the event was a series of photos by Rob Turville, which documented his journey from a depression diagnosis to the beginnings of recovery.

‘The overriding essence of the day for me is Rob’s work,’ said Mr Pettitt. ‘It’s a journey of identifying illness to recovery.

‘But all these stories are really important.

‘The message of today is that its inclusive, its about the community, its about celebrating peoples stories, giving people a platform, normalising human experience.

‘It’s about saying you don’t have to hide or pretend you’re OK when you are not, everywhere on the spectrum is OK.

‘People should be able to reach out to one another and communicate properly.

‘And sometimes the facade of modern living takes us into a position where it makes it harder to explain to someone that they aren’t feeling OK.

‘All the artwork in here is people saying they have found a way to express themselves, to communicate their feelings.’

n The stream of talks is available to watch at https://www.facebook.com/dandeliongsy/