but it wouldn’t be possible without the people, including Oaklands College that have helped us.”- Stacey It’s OK TO Say is a mental health charity bringing mental health to the forefront of the community. Often launching campaigns, working alongside the County Council and other organisations and businesses, the charity offers 1-1 counselling, support groups, workshops, and professional panelled events. We also work with GPs and practices to help improve patient relationships. “Our network is huge and since our aim is to get you to where you need to be as quickly as possible, if we can’t help you directly, we know where to refer you to and we can help with that.” – Stacey
Most recent campaign
Who is Stacey Turner? Stacey Turner is the founder and CEO of well-known local charity, It’s OK To Say. Stacey has worked alongside Oaklands College students and staff since 2017 and is proud to share that many students have contributed to It’s OK To Say in various ways. With a background of over 25 years rich in mental health, Stacey went on to launch a campaign to bring mental health to the forefront of the community with an aim to keep reminding people that It Is OK To Say!
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Autumn Issue 2021
“Initially, it was only ever meant to be a 12-month campaign, however as we neared the end, we were inundated with messages to please keep going, I was astonished at how we’d become a voice. With the wonderful support of the business community in St Albans, I was able to turn our campaign into the charity you see today. It’s certainly not been an easy ride, there’s been many challenges along the way, and I was determined to do everything myself, learning new things every day, yet it is so rewarding, and I love how we help so many people from all over the world. I often find myself in utter awe of what we have achieved,
We were recently contacted to help support Afghan refugees. We spent three weeks collecting donations and spent four days with a huge group of volunteers sorting packing and transporting it all to County Council ready for distribution. It’s Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, without essentials and a safe and comfortable space, it is difficult to process things and move forward. With this in mind, we helped source furniture and soft furnishings for a young family with a 2-month-old baby girl. We were even able to source a laptop for the 16-year-old son, who had just started college. With all this, it meant we could help provide trauma support. We even partnered with a translation company to translate our work. We looked at every way possible we could help for a holistic approach.
Our next and upcoming campaigns Our anti-bullying campaign launches on Monday 15 November for anti-bullying week! We plan on making a lot of noise and want to give voice back to the bullied as well as empower a movement towards kindness. This anti-bullying week, we’ll be reminding you that It’s OK To Say and asking you, what’s your kind word?
