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World Mental Health Day – Don’t let my past be your future
October 10, 2017 @ 7:00 pm
Tuesday 10 October 2017, 7.00pm
Speaker: Harry Leslie Smith, author and activist
World Mental Health Day Lecture
Don’t Let My Past Be Your Future, Harry Leslie Smith’s new book and the follow-up to Harry’s Last Stand, is both a survival guide for today’s generations and a memoir about persevering through difficult times with one’s dignity and optimism intact.
Speaker biography:
Harry Leslie Smith was born into extreme poverty in Barnsley in 1923. He survived the Great Depression by working as a child labourer and served his country in the RAF during the Second World War. Afterwards he returned to civilian life by marrying and, along with many from his generation, helping to lay the cornerstones of the welfare by becoming an engaged citizen.
At ninety-four, Harry is an activist for the poor, the NHS and the preservation of social democracy. He is the author of five books and a frequent contributor to the New Statesman, Daily Mirror and Guardian, for whom his video essay on the refugee crisis was shared over a million times on Facebook and has attracted huge comment and debate. Refusing to go gently into that good night, Harry now hosts a weekly podcast. When not on the road speaking about his life experiences, he divides his time between Yorkshire and Ontario, Canada.
This lecture is part of a series of activities organised by the University of York to mark World Mental Health Day on 10 October.
Harry has written extensively on mental health and resilience, as well as old age. The talk will be chaired by Professor Simon Gilbody, Director of the Mental Health and Addictions Research Group, here at the University of York. Professor Gilbody’s research on depression in old age is making huge waves with policy-makers and practitioners in this often neglected but extremely important field of health care. To find out more about the University’s World Health Day activities and mental health research visit our eventbrite page.
Location: Ron Cooke Hub auditorium, Campus East
Admission: is by free ticket only. Please book below.
If you have an accessibility need, please contact us at open-lectures@york.ac.uk or 01904 324466, and we will make every effort to accommodate you.
The majority of lectures are held on the University campus. There is a regular bus service and the campus is easily accessible by bicycle. Car parking is available in the Pay & Display car parks, which are free after 6pm. Please note however space in the Field Lane car park on Campus East is limited. More information on reaching the University together with maps and additional parking information can be found on our Information for Visitors webpages.