World Jenny’s Day
Normalising Conversations Around Depression & Suicide
“I want the world to stop and people to freeze, and to go up to people and change their lives, make them understand:
Suicide is an excuse, not the solution.”
Jennifer Jane Barry
1989-2005
Why World Jenny’s Day?
World Jenny’s Day (held each 10 October on World Mental Health Day) was established to use the Performing Arts and The Arts to normalise and soften conversations around depression suicide and their solutions.
The cause celebrates mental health wellness through providing solutions, rather than holding discussions/interviews with or about challenged people.
Each year World Jenny’s Day has grown exponentially, providing live and virtual events throughout the year and culminating with internationally live-on-line performances over 24 hours, streamed through USA Global TV and Radio Network on 10 Oct, which will feature singers, actors, comedians, musicians, dancers etc performing from across the world.
A Gala Evening on the 10th is to be held in London – and will also be streamed live internationally
– with key celebrities and artists associated with World Jenny’s Day, also performing.
Fundraising
During the year
* UK Radio DJ’s (Capital Radio, Radio Jackie, BBC etc.) holding private 12-hour On-Line Radio Marathon i- April 2023
* Safari Cycle Ride over 6 days through Kenyan Game Park from Mount Kilimanjaro to Coast – August 2023
* British Gold Paralympian HandCyclist Karen Darke, MBE and her physically-diversified friends summuting Mount Kilimanjaro – Karen on her custom-made trike – September 2023
* Film-crew capturing both the Kenya safari cycle ride and the Kilimanjaro summit for documentary to be flighted in London, Manchester and Edinburgh – January 2024 – to further raise funds for World Jenny’s Day
* Using 24-Hour Arts Performance Marathon & Gala Night on 10 Oct, for raising substantial funds through Auctioning.. UK Horse Racing Presenter & Commentator Derek Thompson (Tommo) to spearhead this Auction on the night
Raised funds will be used for:
* Future World Jenny’s Days – comprising a Year Filled with Events –
– Monthly Life Skills Seminars incorporating use of Performing Arts and The Arts
– Regular participatory mental and/or physical health-enhancing fundraisers
– 5 Hour Solutions-based presentations/discussions/performances held on-line each 25 September (Jenny’s Birthday)
– 24-Hour Worldwide Performance Marathon streaming online on 10 October – celebrating mental health wellness
– London Red Carpet Celebrity Gala Evening with Variety Show on 10 October – Closing Ceremony
*Establishing a Global Benevolent Fund for Performing Artists and Artists’ medical, living or retirement support – who are living at times from hand-to-mouth and who have next to no financial back-up to plan for retirement.
The truth is that we all feel compromised at some time in our lives. It’s very human, and it’s about having the skills to deal with it.
~Jenetta Barry
World Jenny’s Day –
Normalising Conversations Around Depression and Suicide
A note from Jenetta …
Our medical stance is that people suffering from dis-ease (not being at ease with themselves) are needing to be “fixed”.
Nowadays, finding the cause rather than just treating the symptom is becoming more popular, as people face medical challenges. It’s made being ill more of an investigation and subsequent understanding – that more holistic approach.
The same is beginning to happen with people who are feeling mentally and emotionally compromised – challenged by overwhelm and depression.
The truth is that we all feel compromised at some time in our lives. It’s very human, and it’s about having the skills to deal with it.
After I lost my daughter to suicide and having seen how she was mostly treated, I became extremely cautious in telling anybody how I was feeling on my journey to recovering after such extreme loss.
There were times in my grieving where I really didn’t think I’d make it.
I secretly planned my suicide three times.
The moment the words “depressed” and “feeling suicidal” were uttered, everybody’s energy changed around me and towards me. I appeared to have become “unsafe” and not to be trusted. In fact the human factor was taken out a lot of the time and a feeling of being treated like an object, kicked in.
Sometimes it felt like they had forgotten I was still present and able to reason!
I’ve also noticed how when we are in our Creative zone, it’s easier to deal with how we are feeling mentally and emotionally.
A natural Creative coping skill kicks in.
After all, we are Creatures Created by the Creator and are part of Creation and so when we are honouring our abilities to be Creative, we become so much more in tune with ourselves and all that is around us, through the Universe as a whole.
We fine-tune our Inner Light to seeing the Bigger Light and that’s when we can more accurately access our Innate Genius, our Inner Wisdom.
Hello, I’m Jenetta Barry, Founder of World Jenny’s Day.
On 10 October, I lost my 16-year-old daughter, Jenny, to suicide.
Prophetically, 10 October is World Mental Health Day… but I’m getting ahead of myself.
During the deep depression that followed, when grief took over my entire being, I lost my marriage, home, lifestyle, livelihood, other family interactions… the black hole I was in seemed endless.
But black holes are not endless — not in the universe, nor in our souls.
It’s been said that destruction is the mother of creation.
9 months after Jenny’s passing, I came across the basics of what I now call The Epiphany Process — a practice that brought me to a point of acceptance, and then to a place of being able to say:
“Depression has been my saviour. Depression has given me the insights and understandings that are now my life’s work.”